Priority community support (PCS) for Azure developer support plan customers

Starting February 12, 2025, we enhanced the Azure Developer Support Plan by introducing Priority Community Support (PCS) as the first line of support in the Azure portal. This change is part of our ongoing effort to streamline support services and provide faster, more efficient assistance for customers using Azure.

What is changing?

With the introduction of PCS, Developer Support Plan customers will now receive high-quality answers to their technical Azure-related questions directly on Microsoft Q&A. This service is managed by Azure engineers, Community Experts, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), ensuring that inquiries are addressed by knowledgeable professionals.

Customers can expect responses within 8 business hours for Severity C requests, maintaining the same initial response time as before. This adjustment aims to efficiently address "how-to" inquiries and common technical questions in a public forum, allowing the broader community to benefit from shared knowledge.

For complex issues that can't be resolved through the Q&A platform, our engineers will seamlessly escalate the matter by creating a support ticket on the customer's behalf, ensuring that more intricate problems receive the attention they require.

This new approach brings several key benefits:

• Faster Responses: Get responses within eight business hours, improving response efficiency.
• Expert Knowledge: Technical insights are provided by Azure engineers, Community Champions, and MVPs with deep subject-matter expertise.
• Knowledge Sharing: Answers will be visible to other customers, helping the broader community find solutions faster.
• Seamless Escalation: If an issue requires further investigation, our engineers will escalate the case and create a support ticket on your behalf.

How to access priority community support (PCS)?

Customers with the Azure Developer Support Plan can access PCS in two ways:

• Via the Azure portal

  • Navigate to Support + Troubleshooting
  • Select Create a Support Request
  • Choose Get Support on Microsoft Q&A

• Via Microsoft Learn

  • Sign in with the account linked to your Azure Developer Support Plan
  • Post your technical question on Microsoft Q&A with the appropriate Azure service tag

Handle customer-specific data and privacy

We understand that some technical issues require sharing sensitive information, such as logs, account details, or confidential data. To protect customer privacy, we follow these best practices:

• Private Message: If additional details are required, a Microsoft engineer will reach out to you privately to collect necessary information.
• No Public Data Sharing: Sensitive customer information will never be shared publicly on Microsoft Q&A. Our engineers will guide you to a secure channel for troubleshooting when needed.

What if my issue requires a support ticket?

While most "how-to" questions will be resolved within Microsoft Q&A, we recognize that some complex issues require deeper investigation.

• For such cases, our engineers will create a support ticket on your behalf, ensuring smooth escalation without requiring you to initiate it manually.
• Existing support tickets will continue as usual, but all new technical inquiries must be posted on Microsoft Q&A.

Can I still create a support ticket for non-technical issues?

Customers with an Azure Developer Support Plan can still create tickets for **non-technical issues, including:

• Billing & Subscription Issues
• Quota Increases
• Service Limit Adjustments

Upgrade to a higher-tier support plan

The Developer Support Plan covers trial and non-production environments with minimal business impact (Severity C). If you need faster or 24/7 support, consider upgrading:

• Navigate to Help + Support in the Azure portal
• Select Upgrade Support Plan
• Choose from Standard or Professional Direct plans

Compare Azure Support Plans

Availability and global coverage

• Business Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM local time (Monday – Friday)
• North America Extended Hours: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM Pacific Time
• Global Coverage: The Microsoft Azure expert team operates worldwide, ensuring timely responses across different time zones.