Aura Connect - Partner Roles & Responsibilities

Introduction

Aura Connect delivers full cloud calling capabilities for Microsoft Teams through a fully automated, enterprise-grade voice platform. Aura Connect enables partners to provide modern, global voice services without the complexity traditionally associated with telephony deployments. 

Aura Connect provides partners with access to: 

• Aura Connect for Microsoft Operator Connect 

• Aura Connect for Microsoft Direct Routing 

• Aura Connect for Azure Communication Services 

• Aura Connect SBC as a Service (SBCaaS) 

By leveraging Aura Connect, partners can offer customers full PSTN voice capabilities with international availability across 90+ countries, including local, toll-free, and emergency services. 

Aura Connect is delivered at a compelling price point for end-user organisations while enabling partners to build profitable, long-term customer relationships. The platform removes the need for partners to manage complex activities such as carrier integrations, number provisioning, porting, platform security, compliance, or core billing operations. 

This makes Aura Connect a true out-of-the-box, cloud-ready voice solution, allowing partners to focus on customer value, adoption, and complementary services. 

Aura Connect is ideally suited for: 

• Unified Communications partners looking to complete the Microsoft Teams environment with enterprise-grade voice 

• Partners helping customers modernise voice services, control calling costs, and migrate from traditional telephony 

• Partners seeking flexibility to deliver services quickly, securely, and at global scale 

 

Partner Levels 

Aura offers multiple partner engagement models, allowing partners to choose the level of customer ownership and operational involvement that best aligns with their business model. 

Referral Partners 

The Aura Referral Program provides a simple and low-risk way to introduce Aura Connect to customers and prospects. 

Referral Partners: 

• Refer qualified opportunities to Aura 

• Allow Aura to manage the sales cycle, onboarding, deployment, and ongoing support 

• Operate under a simple agreement with no requirement to manage delivery or platform operations 

This model is ideal for partners who want to monetise opportunities without managing technical or operational complexity. 

Best used when: 
Partner wants a low-touch model and prefers Aura to manage delivery and operations end-to-end. 

 

Channel Partners 

The Channel Partner model is designed for partners with experience delivering Microsoft Teams voice solutions and who wish to own the customer relationship. 

Channel Partners: 

• Lead customer engagement, sales cycles, and solution positioning 

• May provide deployment services, user adoption, managed services, and additional value-added offerings 
• Are supported by Aura in the background to ensure service quality and platform success 

Channel Partners may operate in one of two ways: 

 

Channel Partner - Aura Billing 

• Aura manages customer billing, invoicing, taxation, and regulatory compliance 
• Partner manages customer engagement, deployment, and ongoing support 

Best used when: 
Partner wants to own the customer relationship and services while Aura handles billing, compliance, and platform operations. 

 

Channel Partner - Partner Billing 

• Partner manages customer billing, invoicing, taxation, and credit risk 

• Partner owns the full commercial relationship with the customer 
• Aura continues to operate and manage the Aura Connect platform 

Best used when: 
Partner wants full commercial ownership, including billing, margin control, and customer lifecycle management. 

 

Roles and Responsibilities 

Roles and responsibilities vary depending on the partner engagement model selected. The table below provides clarity on ownership across the customer lifecycle. 

Task / Function	Referral Partner	Channel Partner – Aura Billing	Channel Partner – Partner Billing
Customer / Opportunity Qualification*	Aura	Partner	Partner
Customer Quoting Process*	Aura	Partner	Partner
Customer Interface -Onboarding	Aura	Partner	Partner
Customer Interface - Order Management	Aura	Partner	Partner
Customer Interface - Data Collection	Aura / Customer	Partner / Customer	Partner /Customer
Number Activation & Porting Management	Aura	Aura	Aura (via Partner)
Project Coordination	Aura	Partner / Chargeable Service	Partner / Chargeable Service
Microsoft Teams Readiness	Customer / Chargeable Service	Partner / Chargeable Service	Partner / Chargeable Service
Microsoft Tenant Pairing	Customer / Chargeable Service	Partner / Customer / Chargeable Service	Partner / Customer / Chargeable Service
User Activation & Number Assignment	Customer / Chargeable Service	Partner / Customer / Chargeable Service	Partner / Customer / Optional
Testing & Acceptance with Customer	Aura	Partner	Partner
Customer Billing & Invoicing	Aura	Aura	Partner
Debt Management & Credit Risk	Aura	Aura	Partner
Regulatory Compliance & Taxation	Aura	Aura	Partner
1st & 2nd Line Support (Aura Connect Services)	Aura	Partner	Partner
Microsoft Teams Support	Customer / Chargeable Service	Partner / Chargeable Service	Partner / Chargeable Service
Aura Connect Platform Operation & Management	Aura	Aura	Aura

* Aura will support Channel Partners with opportunity qualification and quoting where required.  Any responsibility for the partner or customer can be provided by Aura as a Chargeable Service, pricing on application.  

 

Summary 

Aura Connect is designed to give partners maximum flexibility in how they engage customers, from simple referrals to fully owned, partner-billing models. 

Regardless of partner level: 

• Aura operates, secures, and maintains the Aura Connect platform 

• Aura manages global carrier connectivity, numbering services, and automation 
• Partners can focus on customer outcomes, adoption, and value-added services 

This shared-responsibility model ensures a consistent, high-quality experience for customers while enabling partners to scale confidently and sustainably. 

 

Aura Connect Expanded Support Responsibilities & Support Matrix 

Support Responsibility Framework (Applies to All Partner Models) 

Aura Connect operates on a shared-responsibility support model. 

• Aura always owns and operates the Aura Connect platform, carrier services, numbering, and automation. 

• Partners determine the level of customer-facing support they provide based on their engagement model. 

• Customers retain responsibility for Microsoft Teams configuration and user behaviour unless a partner or Aura service is contracted. 

Where a responsibility is listed as Partner / Customer, Aura can provide that activity as a Chargeable Service, subject to scope and regional availability. 

 

Support Responsibilities by Partner Model 

1. Referral Partner - Support Responsibilities 

Support Model Overview 
Referral Partners operate a hands-off support model. Aura provides end-to-end operational and technical support for Aura Connect services. 

Referral Partner Responsibilities 

• Act as the commercial introducer only 

• Remain informed of major service events if required 

• Optionally assist with customer communications (non-technical) 

Aura Responsibilities 

• All 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line support for Aura Connect services 

• Number faults, call quality issues, routing, and carrier escalations 

• Platform incidents, outages, and maintenance 

• Customer communication related to service incidents 

• Coordination with carriers and Microsoft where required 

Customer Responsibilities 

• Microsoft Teams user support 

• Endpoint, network, and device troubleshooting 

• Internal IT administration unless outsourced 

Best used when: 
Partner does not want to provide operational or technical support. 

 

2. Channel Partner - Aura Billing 

(Partner-led support, Aura-backed platform) 

Support Model Overview 
The partner provides 1st and 2nd line customer support, with Aura providing platform, carrier, and escalation support. 

Partner Responsibilities 

• Primary customer support contact 

• 1st line support (user issues, configuration checks, basic troubleshooting) 

• 2nd line support for Aura Connect-related issues 

• Microsoft Teams support (unless customer retains this) 

• Change requests, MACs, and customer communications 

• Incident ownership and customer updates 

Aura Responsibilities 

• 3rd line support for Aura Connect services 

• Carrier escalation and PSTN fault resolution 

• Numbering, porting, and routing issues 

• Platform incidents and maintenance 

• Technical guidance and escalation support to partner teams 

Customer Responsibilities 

• Internal user support (if not contracted to partner) 

• Network readiness and local infrastructure 

Best used when: 
Partner wants to own customer experience while Aura reduces backend complexity. 

 

3. Channel Partner - Partner Billing 

(Partner fully owns customer lifecycle) 

Support Model Overview 
The partner provides full customer-facing support, including escalation management, while Aura remains responsible for the platform and carrier layer. 

Partner Responsibilities 

• Full 1st and 2nd line support 

• Incident ownership and customer communications 

• Microsoft Teams support and user administration 

• Billing-related queries and dispute management 

• Change management, MACs, and adoption services 

• Commercial SLA management with the customer 

Aura Responsibilities 

• 3rd line Aura Connect platform support 

• Carrier escalation and fault resolution 

• Numbering, porting, and regulatory services 

• Platform availability, resilience, and automation 

• Partner technical enablement and escalation support 

Customer Responsibilities 

• End-user behaviour and internal IT where not outsourced 

Best used when: 
Partner wants maximum commercial control and margin ownership. 

 

Aura Connect - Support Responsibility Matrix 

Support Area	Referral Partner	Channel Partner – Aura Billing	Channel Partner – Partner Billing
Customer Support Entry Point	Aura	Partner	Partner
1st Line Support	Aura	Partner / Chargeable	Partner
2nd Line Support	Aura	Partner / Chargeable	Partner
3rd Line Support (Aura Connect)	Aura	Aura	Aura
Microsoft Teams Support	Customer / Chargeable	Partner / Chargeable	Partner / Chargeable
User & Device Issues	Customer	Partner > Customer	Partner > Customer
Call Quality Troubleshooting	Aura	Partner > Aura	Partner > Aura
PSTN & Carrier Faults	Aura	Aura	Aura
Numbering & Porting Issues	Aura	Aura	Aura
Platform Incidents & Outages	Aura	Aura	Aura
Incident Communication to Customer	Aura	Partner	Partner
Change Requests (MACs)	Aura	Partner	Partner
SLA Ownership (Customer-Facing)	Aura	Partner	Partner
Regulatory & Emergency Services	Aura	Aura	Partner

 

Chargeable Services 

Any activity listed as Customer, Partner, or Partner / Customer may be delivered by Aura as a Chargeable Service, including but not limited to: 

• Microsoft Teams readiness assessments 

• Tenant configuration and optimisation 

• User activation and number assignment 

• Testing and acceptance support 

• Project coordination 

• Ongoing managed support services 

Pricing and scope are provided on request. 

 

Summary  

• Aura always operates and supports the Aura Connect platform 

• Partners choose how much customer-facing support they want to own 

• Customers benefit from a clear escalation path and predictable outcomes