Cradle to Grave: Why MSPs Struggle to Track Client Requests and How to Fix It
In the MSP world, where the ticket counts and every missed step costs time, money, and client trust, there's a critical blind spot that continues to plague even the most well-meaning MSP owners: the full journey of a Client Request.
From the moment a Client picks up the phone or submits a ticket to the time that request is resolved, what exactly happen? Who owns the process? What's the Client experiencing?
"Nearly a quarter (23%) of SMEs have terminated relationships with MSPs due to poor customer service." - JumpCloud
The uncomfortable truth? Most MSPs don't know.
The Perception Gap: Belief vs. Reality
Ask most MSP owners if they’re delivering a solid Client experience, and the answer is usually yes.
But dig a little deeper, a quiet churn rate, missed expectations, or vague client dissatisfaction and the cracks begin to show. It’s not that MSPs don’t care. Their intent is solid. The problem is visibility.
Assumption isn'tstrategy. If you aren't auditing the actual journey of Client Requests, you may be missing opportunities, miscommunications, and systemic breakdowns.
1. Rhetoric Doesn’t Meet the Road
Most MSPs equate the absence of complaints with the presence of satisfaction. That’s a dangerous assumption.
When you never play "undercover boss" and walk through your own Client Request process from the Client's shoes, you end up blind to the real issues:
No update emails sent
Closed tickets without involvement
Long wait times with no transparency
“The average MSP manages services for 45 clients, with 50% reporting annual revenue growth of at least 5%." - ProfileTree
If you want sustainable growth, you need more than good intentions.
2. Undefined and Unsegmented Workflows = Chaos
There are 11 distinct workflows a Client Request can take in Autotask. Most MSPs treat them all the same.
Why it matters:
Incidents, projects, password resets, and account escalations are all different animals.
Treating them with a single SOP guarantees dropped balls, confusion, and reactive firefighting.
The PSA cannot differentiate between request types without proper segmentation.
"Aiming for a churn rate below 5% annually is ideal." - Evolved Management
Steve’s Thoughts: If the MSP is striving for 20% growth, that means the first three months of the year, they are focused on Managed Service Client replacements and the actual growth is only 15%.
3. No Centralized Visibility or Ownership
When no one owns the ticket from New to Complete, the Client Request journey becomes invisible.
Fix this with:
A Single Point of Coordination (SPoC)
A Service Coordinator who owns every open ticket
Real dashboards (not queue views) that highlight priority, SLA risk, and ownership
Without centralized visibility, Techs chase information, interrupt each other, and lose continuity. That erodes both efficiency and Client trust.
“The average recurring revenue retention rate for managed services is 90%." - TSIA
Steve’s Thoughts: This means the actual churn is 10% and six months of the year, assuming 20% growth, is spent replacing Managed Service Clients, leaving only 10% in true growth. At a cost of $6K-$10K in Off/On-Boarding costs, which is twice the cost of fixing the problem once and for all. Schedule a FREE strategy call with Steve ASAP!
4. Training Gaps + Misconfigured PSA Tools
There is no formal training curriculum for MSP operational excellence. PSA tools like Autotask are powerful, but not turnkey.
Common issues:
Workflow Rules (WFRs) left unused
SLA Automation not configured
Techs don't know what to do next
No Client-Facing Communication templates
“Missing SLAs is a red flag for retention and profitability." - Datto
5. No Time to Build the Right System
The most honest reason MSPs don’t fix the Client experience: no time.
You’re busy. Service Managers are triaging. Owners are selling. And the thought of configuring workflows or coaching Techs on SLA usage feels like a luxury.Besides, Our Clients like us right?
But here's the problem:
“Even an 8% churn rate costs you 25% in lost revenue growth." - AG Internal Benchmarking
Fixing this doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. It means getting a Guide on the Side:
Side-by-Side coaching
Done-For-You Autotask configuration
SLA, WFR, and Communication Protocol builds
CSAT + Real-Time Time Entry reporting to validate impact
The Path Forward: Operational Maturity
Want to reduce churn, increase profitability, and deliver a Client experience that earns referrals?
Start here:
🔹 Define your 11 workflows with clear segmentation
🔹 Assign a real Service Coordinator to own every open ticket
🔹 Use dashboards to show Techs what matters most
🔹Configure Autotask SLAs to guide daily work
🔹 Build templates for Client communication consistency
🔹 Invest in coaching that actually builds the system with you
"64% of MSPs reported revenue increases last year, and 67% expect growth in the next three." - Datto
Schedule a Free Strategy Call
At Advanced Global, we don’t just train. We build. We configure. We coach.
Want to know where the value is hidden in your Autotask instance?
with Steve and the AG Team today.