Before you sign with any Business Central partner, ask five things: where the people doing the work are based, how many NAV or Business Central customers they have, which industries they have delivered for, what support looks like after go-live, and which Microsoft partner designation they hold today. Ask for each answer in writing, with documents, references or contract terms where they apply.
Each question below includes Austral’s own public answer, from its pages and partner listings, so you can see what a specific answer looks like. The questions work for any partner.
Where are the people who will work on the system?
Confirm both the office location and where the people assigned to your project will work. Ask who will configure the system, build any extensions, migrate your data and train your staff, and whether those people are in Australia. If the partner uses local and offshore staff, ask it to document who will perform each part of the work. Ask where support requests are answered, and during which hours.
Austral’s office is in Sydney Olympic Park. Its implementations page says the team remains hands-on during the early post-launch period. Austral also argues on its blog that a Sydney-based partner working Australian business hours can typically respond the same day. Because that comes from Austral’s own blog, ask for any stated response time to be written into the contract or service agreement.
How many NAV and Business Central customers do they have?
Ask for the number, then ask how many of those customers are still live. Continia’s partner listing says Austral has over 100 customers using Dynamics NAV or Business Central. Ask whether that count covers Business Central, NAV or both, and how many have since upgraded. The listing does not say how many are still live, so ask for the current number. Then ask for two references you can call, ideally from businesses with similar industry requirements.
Which industries have they delivered for?
Industry experience should show up early, in the workshops where the partner learns your terms and your usual problems. Austral’s Business Central page lists manufacturing, retail, wholesale and distribution, healthcare and disability services, pharmaceutical, not-for-profit, automotive, logistics, energy and telecommunications.
Its case studies name Franke and include several anonymous clients. Ask for a case study from your sector. It is also worth asking how recent each one is, since a project from several years ago may have been built on an older version of the product. Ask what the project was meant to achieve, and what was actually delivered.
What does support look like after go-live?
Post-launch support terms should be agreed before implementation begins. Austral’s support page lists priority-based ticket resolution, email and phone support during business hours or under tailored service levels, bug fixes, error resolution and technical troubleshooting, and version upgrades and patch management.
Ask for the response times in writing, and check whether they cover weekends and public holidays. Ask who answers a ticket (a named person, not only a shared queue), and whether the consultant who built your system is the one who fixes it when something breaks.
Which Microsoft designation do they hold?
Microsoft retired its Gold and Silver competencies on 30 September 2022 and replaced them with Solutions Partner designations. Microsoft says it no longer offers Silver and Gold memberships, and that partners should stop using those terms. A partner still advertising Gold is pointing at a status Microsoft no longer offers.
Austral’s own answer: it holds Microsoft Solutions Partner for Business Applications.
Ask which Solutions Partner designation a partner holds today, and how the Business Applications pathway applies to it. Then check the answer against Microsoft’s partner documentation, not just the logo on a website.
A short checklist before you sign
- If you run Dynamics NAV, ask for the upgrade plan first. Microsoft lists Dynamics NAV 2018 mainstream support as having ended in January 2023, and extended support as ending in January 2028.
- Ask which Business Central release wave your system will run on. Microsoft’s release plan lists Update 29.0 for Business Central 2026 release wave 2. Ask how the partner plans updates against that schedule, including how a new release is tested on a copy of your data before it goes live, and who signs off the upgrade.
- Check licence prices on Microsoft’s pricing page, and ask the partner to quote its own services in writing, with the scope written out.
Questions people ask
Do I need a Gold partner?
No. Microsoft retired the Gold and Silver competencies in 2022. Ask for the current Solutions Partner designation instead.
Is a local partner always better?
Not always. Ask whether the proposed team works in compatible hours and can meet in person when needed, then ask for evidence of Australian tax and reporting experience. Verify the team’s location, references and contractual support terms.
Should my partner help with AI features?
Ask which features are generally available and which are in preview. Microsoft’s release plan lists the Copilot chat experience as public preview in release wave 2, so ask how the partner will support preview features, and what changes when they reach general availability.
What will it cost?
Check Microsoft’s published Business Central pricing for licences, and ask the partner for a written, scoped quote for its own services.
Book a consultation with Austral Dynamics and bring this list.