Before you switch Dynamics GP partners, name why you’re leaving, ask for real samples of similar work, find out who will actually answer your calls, and compare what you’d give up against what the new partner offers.
TL;DR. Changing partners fixes some problems and creates others, so slow down. Decide what went wrong, ask for proof of similar work, meet the people who’ll support you, and compare maintenance plans line by line before you sign with anyone new. Take your time. Your close doesn’t pause for a partner search.
Something’s off with your current partner. Calls take days. The person you liked left. Or the answers just don’t fit your business anymore, and you’ve started wondering about a switch. Our Dynamics GP support team hears from companies in this spot regularly, so here are the questions we’d ask before you move. Start with the first one.
Start with why you want to leave
Stephen Tanner, our founder, starts here. “Why are you thinking of changing in the first place?”
The answer decides everything. He sees three causes.
The first is a lost person. Your partner may have lost a key resource, someone who knew your system and worked well with your team. The second is a style mismatch. “Sometimes it’s a personality thing,” he says, meaning the way you run your business doesn’t line up with how the partner works. The third is capability. “Other times, it’s a loss of capability.”
Each one points somewhere different. A lost person might be fixable inside the current relationship, while a style mismatch often isn’t, and a capability gap means you need a firm that has already done the kind of work you need done. Different causes. Different fixes.
Write your reason down before you take a single sales call. You’ll need it. Seriously.
Be careful with a great-looking proposal
Replacing an outside audit firm or a payroll provider teaches the same lesson. The new one looks better than the old one because the old one’s problems are fresh and the new one’s problems haven’t shown up yet, which is why a switch made in frustration can disappoint.
Stephen puts it plainly. “The new partner may look great on paper.” His advice is to do some background checking, and to ask for “some real samples of work. Some real public case studies.” Ask for work that looks like yours, in your size range, with your kind of integrations. A generic slide deck isn’t evidence. A reference call is.
Microsoft offers a credential check of sorts. Its Solutions Partner designation for Business Applications requires at least 70 of 100 points across performance, skilling, and customer success categories, per Microsoft Partner Center. That tells you a partner cleared Microsoft’s scorecard. It doesn’t tell you who answers the phone. Use it as one input, not the verdict.
Who will actually do the work?
This is the easiest question to skip.
“There’s some very large partners that look very appealing on paper and may have a great sales team,” Stephen says. “The person that’s doing the work for you may not be anybody you’re going to meet until the first case comes in.” So ask to meet the people who’ll support you. Get names. Get a feel for how fast they answer.
Size isn’t the point. A large group, a smaller firm with a handful of people, or one or two consultants can all be right, and “the way you mesh with them is going to be important,” he adds, so what matters is whether the person you’ll be calling already knows you. Or will.
At Argus, you talk directly to the person who solves your problem. Hold every partner to that standard, including us.
What are you giving up?
Switching has a cost. It doesn’t show up on a proposal.
Stephen points out that the partner you’re leaving may provide a maintenance plan that “may or may not be available at other organizations.” So compare what you’re giving up against what’s on offer. Look at the plan itself, the hourly rate, the turnaround time, and the capabilities, and match them as closely as you can to your real requirements.
Don’t assume a plan is the same because it has the same name. Ask for terms in writing, and don’t quote a percentage from memory, because the Microsoft enhancement plan rate has been reported differently by different sources and we couldn’t confirm a figure from Microsoft itself.
How fast do you need it, and for what?
Scope matters here too. Do you need everything done in a rush? Or do you mostly want backup support when your internal team can’t help? Those are different engagements, and the right partner for one may be the wrong one for the other. “Knowing the scope of what your expectations are is going to be important,” Stephen says.
Be specific about your timeline, and ask each candidate what their availability looks like against it. A partner that can’t start for months isn’t a fit for a rush.
If they host your system, ask for the audit report
Hosting adds another layer of questions. The AICPA describes a SOC 1 report as an examination of controls at a service organization that are likely to be relevant to user entities’ internal control over financial reporting, and its SOC 2 page lists five trust services criteria, including security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Ask a hosting provider which report it has, who audited it, and for what period. Read it. Don’t just ask whether it exists.
Put ownership in writing
Panorama Consulting’s 2026 ERP Report cites “poor vendor performance and partner misalignment” among the problems behind troubled projects, including delayed deliverables, unplanned change orders, and unclear ownership. That’s a general sample of 170 organizations, larger than most of our clients, so read it as directional. The lesson holds anyway. Write down who owns what before work starts, including who approves a change and who pays for it.
Can they support you later?
One last question. A big one. Will this partner still fit if you move to Business Central in a few years? If you pick a GP-only firm, you may be doing this search again. We cover both GP support and Business Central migration in-house, so the same team follows you either way. If you’re feeling pressure from your current partner, our post on what to do when your GP partner pushes a migration covers that side.
Microsoft’s GP support ends December 31, 2029, with security updates to April 30, 2031, and we’ve committed to supporting GP through 2036 under the Argus 10-Year Commitment.
Questions about switching GP partners
How do I know if it’s time to change partners, or just fix the relationship?
Name the cause first, because a lost key person, a style mismatch, and a loss of capability each point to a different fix, and only the last usually requires a new firm. Write your reason down before talking to anyone selling.
What proof should a new partner give me?
A new partner should show you real samples of work like yours and real public case studies, then let you talk to the clients behind them. Stephen Tanner, our founder, says a new partner can look great on paper, so look for examples in your size range with comparable integrations.
Does a Microsoft designation guarantee a good partner?
Not by itself, because the Solutions Partner for Business Applications designation only shows a partner earned at least 70 of 100 points on Microsoft’s scorecard. It says nothing about response time or who does the work. Treat it as one input among several, and check references.
Will I lose my maintenance plan if I switch?
You might, since the maintenance plan from the partner you’re leaving may not exist, or may look different, at another firm. Compare the plan, hourly rate, turnaround time, and capabilities in writing, and don’t rely on the plan’s name. Ask each candidate to put their terms next to what you have today.
Can the same partner handle GP support now and a Business Central migration later?
Argus can, and it’s worth asking every candidate that question directly. Choosing a GP-only firm now may mean repeating this search later, while a partner that does both lets one team follow you through either path.
Want to compare before you decide?
Tell us what’s going wrong with your current partner. We’ll tell you whether it sounds fixable, and if it isn’t, what a good handoff looks like. Start with a Free Business Assessment, or call (626) 403-9744.