MCI engagements for Microsoft partners
Turn Microsoft-funded opportunities into predictable revenue
Understand how Microsoft Commerce Incentive (MCI) engagements work, how eligibility is defined, and how to run claims without confusion-so every qualified activity turns into earnings.
- What MCI engagements are and how they’re structured.
- How eligibility, locations, and roles work in Partner Center.
- How to navigate the Engagements and Customer Claims pages with confidence.
- How to connect MCI engagements to your sales and delivery motions.
What are MCI engagements ?
Microsoft Commerce Incentive (MCI) engagements are defined earning opportunities that reward partners for specific customer activities across Microsoft solution areas. Each engagement describes what you must deliver, which customers qualify, and how incentive earnings are calculated when requirements are met.
Key concepts at a glance
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| MCI | Microsoft Commerce Incentive program that funds partner activities tied to Microsoft priorities. |
| Engagement | A specific earning opportunity with defined criteria, proof, and rates. |
| Solution area | Categories such as Modern Work, Security, Azure, or Business Applications. |
| Earning opportunity | A Microsoft-funded workshop, deployment, usage motion, or similar activity. |
Why MCI engagements exist
To align partner motions with Microsoft’s solution priorities and customer outcomes.
To offer structured, repeatable funding for qualified partner activities.
To provide transparency around what is required to earn incentives.
Where MCI engagements live in Partner Center
MCI engagements are managed inside Partner Center under the Incentives workspace. From there, incentives admins and incentives users can see which engagements are available and where they can earn.
Simple navigation map
| Step | Path in Partner Center | What you see/do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incentives → MCI Engagements | List of engagements by solution area, with filters and basic details. |
| 2 | Engagements → Summary | High-level description, partner and customer criteria, proof, and rates. |
| 3 | Engagements → Eligibility | Location eligibility and payee profile status for that engagement. |
| 4 | Incentives → Customer claims | All-up view of claims across solution areas and engagements. |
Inside the Engagements page
The Engagements page is the central listing of all MCI earning opportunities that your partner account can access. It is organized so that you can quickly filter by solution area, location, status, and role.
Engagements list – key columns:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The title of the engagement, often aligned to a scenario or solution area. |
| Partner | The partner and role associated with the engagement (for example, delivery partner). |
| Role | The specific incentives role is expected to deliver the engagement. |
| Eligibility | Status for each enrolled location, including how many locations are currently earning. |
| Status | Overall engagement status, such as active or not earning. |
How to use the Engagements view
1.
Filter by solution area to focus on Modern Work, Security, Azure, or other categories.
2.
Filter by location to understand which entities are currently eligible to earn.
3.
Drill into a specific engagement to access its Summary, Customers, and Eligibility pages.
If your organization should qualify for a specific engagement but cannot see it, you are expected to contact your Partner Development Manager or sales representative to request inclusion.
Summary and Eligibility pages explained
Each MCI engagement has a Summary page that provides the “one-page brief” you need before planning delivery. The Eligibility page shows whether your locations and payee profiles are configured to actually earn on that engagement.
Summary page – what you learn
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Description | High-level explanation of the earning opportunity and what it funds. |
| Partner qualification criteria | Conditions partners must meet (for example, roles, designations, and capabilities). |
| Customer qualification criteria | Customer attributes or scenarios are required for the engagement to be valid. |
| Proof of execution | Evidence you must submit to show that the engagement was delivered. |
| Resource links | Documentation and resources to help you execute correctly. |
| Rates | How much you can earn is typically defined per engagement or per unit of activity. |
Eligibility page – what you validate
| Element | Role in earning |
|---|---|
| Location list | Shows all locations enrolled in MCI and their eligibility status. |
| Eligibility icon | A green check mark indicates that a location can earn on the engagement. |
| Payee profile | Shows whether banking and tax information is properly configured; links allow updates if needed. |
By reviewing both pages together, partners can confirm that an engagement fits their capabilities and that the correct locations are able to receive incentive payments.
Customer claims and status lifecycle
The Customer claims area is where you turn completed engagements into actual incentive earnings. It provides an all-up view of claims across solution areas and allows you to manage each claim through its lifecycle.
What you can do on the Customer claims page
- Export claims for reporting and reconciliation with finance.
- Create new claims by solution area, aligned to specific engagements.
- Open and edit individual claims when additional details are requested.
- Filter and sort claims by customer, status, solution area, or other fields.
- Associate a new customer via Add customer, choosing Partner activities or Use or consume (CPOR) claim types.
Claim status quick reference
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Customer claimed | Customer claimed, consent not yet sent; SLA countdown starts. |
| Awaiting customer consent response | Consent sent to customer, waiting for action. |
| Customer consent received | Customer has provided consent. |
| Customer consent declined / rejected | Customer has denied consent. |
| Customer consent expired | Customer did not respond within the SLA. |
| Submitted | Partner submitted all required documents; claim is ready for review. |
| Under review | Microsoft reviewer is actively assessing the claim. |
| Partner action required | Reviewer needs more information or corrections from the partner. |
| Approved | All required elements were present, claim accepted. |
| Rejected / Rejected final | Claim rejected; Rejected final indicates dispute process is complete. |
| Not submitted expired | First attempt at submittal not completed within SLA after customer consent. |
| Post submission expired | Partner did not respond to reviewer requests within SLA after consent. |
| Disputed / Disputed expired | Partner challenged a rejection, or dispute window expired without completion. |
Business value of MCI engagements
When used intentionally, MCI engagements become a strategic revenue lever rather than a back-office process. They help partners align with Microsoft priorities and improve margins on Microsoft workloads.
Revenue
Turn workshops, deployments, and usage growth into funded activities.
Margins
Layer incentive earnings on top of license and consumption revenue.
Planning
Forecast incentive income based on planned customer engagements.
Alignment
Stay close to Microsoft’s solution priorities and engagement patterns.
Governance
Use claims data to track performance and reduce missed opportunities.
How the Success Lounge can support you (soft, non-sales)
This pillar is designed to stand alone as an educational resource, but some partners prefer expert guidance to put MCI engagements into practice. Alif’s Microsoft Partner Success Lounge focuses on helping partners simplify Partner Center, incentives, and co-sell processes so they see real results faster.
Mapping engagements to offerings
Interpret the Engagements list and align it with your current services and sales motions.
Eligibility and payee hygiene
Ensure all relevant locations and payee profiles are configured to earn.
Claims operations
Build repeatable processes for customer consent, documentation, and timely responses.
Performance tracking
Use claims and engagement data to measure impact on pipeline and revenue.