Flexible Service Start Delay in Cisco Commerce Workspace

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1 Flexible Service Start Delay in Cisco Commerce Workspace Partners can simplify ordering, align to their business plans, optimize cash flow, and maximize attach rate credits with Cisco Commerce Workspace s ordering feature, Flexible Service Start Delay (FSSD). With FSSD, Cisco Services Partner Program Tier-1 Partners are able to order eligible products and services in one transaction while delaying the service start date by up to 60 days. To learn more, click the following topics to view the corresponding questions and answers. Topics A. What is Flexible Service Start Delay (FSSD)? B. FSSD Benefits C. Cisco Ordering Tools Comparison D. Service Activation E. Placing and Changing Orders F. Attaching Services G. Invoicing H. Exclusions I. Training and Support Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

2 A. What is Flexible Service Start Delay (FSSD)? 1. What is Flexible Service Start Delay (FSSD)? FSSD is an option in Cisco Commerce Workspace that enables partners to purchase services at the time of product purchase while delaying service activation by up to 60 days from the product ship date (incorporating lead times). B. FSSD Benefits 1. How will partners benefit from using FSSD in Cisco Commerce Workspace? Partners will experience these key benefits from using FSSD: Business optimization: In many cases, products are purchased before they are intended to be deployed. When this occurs, it can affect customer budget cycles, staging activities, complex data center build-outs, or multi-location projects. Having the ability to delay service activation by up to 60 days from the product ship date allows for product optimization in the business and delivers greater alignment with enterprise planning timelines. Financial flexibility: When using FSSD in Cisco Commerce Workspace to delay service activation, the invoice for the service will not be generated until the service activation date. This delay optimizes invoicing to meet customer needs. Order simplicity: With FSSD in Cisco Commerce Workspace, the partner has a single product-plus-service transaction, with the requested delayed activation date. Ordering products and services at the same time simplifies the ordering process and increases overall partner productivity. Increased attach rate: The partner will receive Cisco attach credit as of the product and service order date, despite delayed service activation and service invoicing. C. Cisco Ordering Tools Comparison 1. I usually order services through the Cisco Service Contract Center. What is the difference when ordering services through Cisco Commerce Workspace? With the introduction of FSSD in Cisco Commerce Workspace, Cisco is moving toward a simpler and more flexible way of ordering products and services together. Using Cisco Commerce Workspace to order services involves only one transaction for product plus service, eliminating follow-up transactions and the need to map serial numbers to service contracts. With Cisco Service Contract Center, two transactions are required one for the product order in Cisco Commerce Workspace and one for the subsequent service order in Cisco Service Contract Center. Also, with Cisco Commerce Workspace, service activation can be delayed by up to 60 days from the product ship date, aligning service delivery with service need. This added benefit allows invoicing on the service start date, not on the date of sale, providing greater financial flexibility. Cisco Service Contract Center can delay a service start date by up to 90 days but does not allow delayed service invoicing. Refer to Table 1 for a list of common ordering scenarios and which ordering tool supports them: Ordering Capability/Functionality Order product + service at point-of-sale with automatic service start delay option Service start delay duration maximum Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW) 60 days from product ship date Cisco Service Contract Center (CSCC) No 90 days from order creation Service invoice generation On service start date On contract creation date Continued next page Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

3 Ordering Capability/Functionality Consistent start date Cisco Commerce Workspace (CCW) No, service start tied to ship date Cisco Service Contract Center (CSCC) Co-term No Less than 12 months duration *CSCC allows 1-time exception for co-term ESW, SAS and /or UCSS No, if service only order. No, if using FSSD at POS, 1-time exception 5 year term with DSA 5 year term UCSS only NO DSA required Add to existing contract *CCW has issues due to stricter rules than CSCC. May need to consolidate after booking., if service only order. No, if using FSSD at POS Attaching services before hardware has shipped No 3 for 2 promo (SNT3), SNTC, AS, and promos No D. Service Activation 1. What is the maximum number of days for service activation delay under FSSD? At this time, FSSD enables the service activation date to be delayed by a maximum of 60 days from the product ship date. 2. If I use FSSD to delay my service activation by 60 days, does this mean I receive the first 60 days of service for free? No. The service activation date is the date the service agreement becomes active. Prior to that time, warranty coverage is in place. 3. Is there a way to set services to end concurrently? Cisco Commerce Workspace does not currently have this capability, but Cisco is aware of this need. Please stay posted with Cisco Commerce Workspace for future enhancements. 4. When does the service start delay date begin, on the shipment of the first item on the PO? Or on the last shipment of the PO? The clock is individual for each ship date: If you enter in a specific contract number, all products and services will be tied to that contract but will have variable start and end dates. If you wish to have those contracts co-terminate, you must do it at renewal via CSCC. If you need to co-terminate for new orders, your only option is to place a service-only order in CSCC or CCW after the products have shipped. 5. Does FSSD have any impact on a deal that involves non-standard discount and/or term on the services? For example, a deal with services for 60 months at 55% off for PSS services. FSSD impacts the start date and when the deal is invoiced (at contract activation). There is no impact to the discount or the term of the deal. 6. If I have a DSA for non-standard term and discount, can I still use FSSD? DSAs and non-standard terms and discounts are not impacted with FSSD. FSSD only affects when the service start will begin Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

4 7. How is FSSD applied to premium services? For Premium Services, the minimum required delay period is 30 days, and Users must select an FSSD value of 30 days or greater. E. Placing and Changing Orders 1. Will FSSD change the way I order products in Cisco Commerce Workspace? No. The process for placing a product order in Cisco Commerce Workspace will remain the same. 2. Can I log in to Cisco Commerce Workspace and add FSSD to an order I just made? No. FSSD is available only for services that are purchased at the same time as new products. 3. Can I make changes after I place my order? For example, if ship dates push out or pull in, can I reset the start date again?, you can change the service start delay only if the product has not shipped. To make further adjustments to your order after it has shipped, you must open a support case through Cisco Support Central at 4. Can I place a new order on an existing service contract and take advantage of FSSD?. In Cisco Commerce Workspace this is referred to as a user-specified contract search. You have the option to search for an existing valid contract number or choose to create a new contract. However, it is not necessary to use FSSD. 5. If I initiate my quote with Cisco but then decide to fulfill through a Cisco distributor, can I still take advantage of FSSD? Not at this time, since it is available only to Cisco Services Partner Program 1-Tier partners. Distributors may have this capability in the future. 6. If I want to convert a quote to order, are there extra steps required? No additional steps are required. FSSD can be used in quote-to-order conversions. 7. Is FSSD available in SFDC quoting? No, FSSD is not available in SFDC. F. Attaching Services 1. If I use FSSD to order a service and delay the activation date, will this service be considered attached to the product?. If you order the service at the same time that you order the product, the service will be considered attached to the product, even though it will have a delayed activation date of up to 60 days from the product ship date. Our goal is to simplify the ordering process while also introducing a level of flexibility to align with partners business needs. 2. How do attach rate credits work with FSSD? Regardless of which ordering tool is used, the attach rate is calculated in the same way, according to Cisco Performance Metrics Central (forums.cisco.com/ecom/web/pmc). Attach rate credit is reflected when the order is completed. G. Invoicing 1. If I request a delayed service activation date using FSSD in Cisco Commerce Workspace, when will I be invoiced for the service? You will be invoiced for the service on the service activation date. 2. If I can delay service invoicing by requesting a delayed service activation date, can I also request delayed product invoicing? No. Product invoicing will still be initiated on the product ship date Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

5 H. Exclusions 1. Can I use FSSD for renewal services? No. Delayed service activation requests through the FSSD feature in Cisco Commerce Workspace can apply only to new product and service purchases. 2. Are there any services that do not qualify for the delayed activation date?. Some products can be ordered only with an immediate service start to help ensure a high-quality experience. Products where delayed service activation is not available: Service or subscription dependent products, such as Cisco TelePresence or right-to-use software licenses Cisco Smart Care SMARTnet Total Care Shared Support Subscription services that are license or registration activated Software subscriptions Advanced Services 3. I am an eligible Cisco Services Partner Program Tier-1 partner. Why can t I see the FSSD option in the Services Preference drop-down menu? If you are not seeing the FSSD option, you may have a bill-to ID that is a sweeps bill-to ID (ineligible for FSSD transactions) or a bill-to ID that requires activation. If you require assistance, contact Customer Service Central at I. Training and Support 1. Where can I get more information about FSSD? The following FSSD collateral can be found on Partner Central s Cisco Commerce Workspace training tab. Click on the training tab and enter FSSD in the Name field to retrieve all FSSD training materials. FSSD Overview FSSD Step-by-Step User Guide 2. Who should I contact if I have questions or need support? Contact Customer Service Central at For More Information For more information about Cisco Flexible Service Start Delay in Cisco Commerce Workspace, as well as the broad array of Cisco partner services, contact your partner services development manager. Cisco and the Cisco Logo are trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco s trademarks can be found at Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. (1110R)