About the Client

Quooker is a Dutch family-owned company, founded in 1987 by Henri Peteri and his son Niels. The company is best known for inventing the world’s first boiling-water tap — a product that has since become a global kitchen essential.

With around 1,100 Microsoft 365 users and a steadily growing workforce, Quooker’s IT landscape has matured in line with its expansion. As their digital environment became more complex, they began looking for a trusted partner to help bring clarity and control to their Microsoft licensing.

Quooker was introduced to LicenseQ through word of mouth. They were seeking not just optimization but also greater awareness of their Microsoft license portfolio — and a sparring partner to help guide their strategic decisions.

What was the client’s challenge?

Quooker initially approached us with the goal of optimizing their Microsoft 365 licensing. As a growing company, they wanted to ensure their contract aligned better with their evolving needs. An Enterprise Agreement or Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) might have been a more suitable fit for their current size and ambitions. However, they were still operating under a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) agreement — a model typically used by smaller organizations.

One of the main challenges was that Quooker was locked into a tightly negotiated CSP contract that runs until the end of 2027. This limited their flexibility to make changes or switch to a more suitable licensing model. This made it difficult to scale efficiently or take full advantage of potential cost savings.

Despite these constraints, Quooker was keen to explore opportunities to right-size their licenses, improve governance, and prepare their Microsoft 365 environment for future growth.

The Solution: LicenseQ’s M365 Optimization Service

To support Quooker in their licensing journey, LicenseQ delivered its M365 Optimization Service — a structured approach designed to identify inefficiencies, ensure compliance, and future-proof Microsoft licensing environments.

Benchmark CSP

We began the engagement with a comprehensive benchmark of their existing Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) agreement, comparing it with alternative CSP offerings in the market as well as the potential benefits of an Enterprise Agreement (EA). While our analysis showed that moving to a different CSP or switching to an EA could offer greater flexibility and cost-efficiency, Quooker’s current contract was airtight and locked in until the end of 2027. This meant that, despite clear opportunities for improvement, no immediate contractual changes were possible.

License optimization + user profiling with LicenseQ Hub

Still, that didn’t stop us from adding value. Through conversations with Microsoft and license profiling, we helped Quooker optimize and standardize their Microsoft 365 user profiles. Using our LicenseQ Hub dashboard, we mapped their full Microsoft 365 environment and user landscape . This offered granular insight into actual usage patterns and license assignments. This data-driven approach allowed us to correct compliance gaps and create a roadmap for smarter license allocation moving forward.

Want to learn more about why user profiling is so important? Read our full blog here.

Negotiation & relationship building

We also facilitated discussions with Microsoft to explore longer-term licensing strategies, ensuring Quooker is well-positioned for when their contract term ends in 2027.

The engagement spanned approximately four months and was built on close collaboration, transparency, and a healthy dose of critical self-reflection. This included being upfront when a recommendation wasn’t actionable in the short term. That openness fostered trust and led to a shared understanding of what could realistically be achieved now, and what should be planned for the future.

The Outcome

Despite the limitations of their current CSP contract, Quooker was able to realize both immediate and long-term benefits from the engagement.

License alignment + cost savings

Tangible outcomes included improved license alignment and direct cost savings. By optimizing their existing license mix within the constraints of their contract, Quooker was able to transition from Office 365 E3 to Microsoft 365 E5. This upgrade delivered significantly more functionality — including advanced security, compliance, and productivity tools — for a relatively modest price increase. For just €56,000 more annually, they unlocked a much broader feature set, maximizing the value of their investment.

LicenseQ’s recommendations also enabled Quooker to create Microsoft funding for the rollout of Microsoft 365 E5 — making the upgrade financially viable without needing to increase their overall IT budget.

Dynamics 365 optimization

In addition, we identified a temporary Dynamics 365 license optimization opportunity. By adjusting their subscription to a 6-month model rather than an annual commitment, they saved approximately €45,000 in unused licensing. Quooker is planning on phasing out D365 by the end of 2025.

User profiling with LicenseQ Hub

Using our LicenseQ Hub tool, we helped Quooker establish clearly defined user profiles. This is a key step in standardizing how licenses are assigned, onboarded, and maintained across the organization. This will give them greater control, transparency, and readiness for their next contract renewal in 2027.

Standardized user profiles have been implemented for roles such as Service Representatives, Logistics, and Desk Workers. The Frontline user profile, in particular, offers equivalent functionality to the previously used E1 license, but at a lower cost.

As part of the optimization process, monthly subscriptions were terminated and replaced with annual licenses. License increases will now take place on an annual basis instead of monthly, avoiding the 20% additional premium typically incurred with monthly terms.

Awareness + improved IT governance

The engagement helped raise internal awareness around Microsoft licensing and brought more structure to IT governance. The professionalization of their approach means they have better insight into their license portfolio and are now better equipped to make strategic licensing decisions — not only for Microsoft 365 but across their broader digital workplace. Additionally, LicenseQ assessed Quooker’s Microsoft backend to ensure it met compliance requirements, helping to mitigate risks and align usage with their contractual entitlements.

Looking Ahead

Following the success of this engagement, Quooker plans to continue working closely with LicenseQ through a License Desk arrangement — a consultancy model that provides ongoing support and strategic advice throughout the year.

Next on the agenda is the design and governance of their Azure environment, ensuring it’s built as efficiently as possible with the right controls in place from the start.

Looking further ahead, Quooker’s current CSP contract runs until the end of 2027. When that contract approaches its end, LicenseQ will hopefully once again support Quooker in navigating their licensing strategy — whether through negotiation, a transition to an Enterprise Agreement or Microsoft Customer Agreement, or another optimized route.