Why Many MSPs Still Fail to See Through the Client’s Eyes, and How to Fix It
The Client Experience Gap That Most MSP Owners Underestimate
Most MSP owners genuinely believe they deliver great service. Yet industry data continues to show that Client experience, not technical capability, is the top driver of churn. One recent industry survey reveals that 23 percent of SMEs terminated their MSP because of poor customer service or bad experience (JumpCloud, 2024). Another study highlights that 86 percent of MSP Clients are more likely to recommend their provider based on experience alone (GITNUX, 2025).
This should be a wake-up call. MSPs are not losing Clients because their Tech work is weak. They are losing them because the Client experience around that work is inconsistent, unclear, or frustrating.
At Advanced Global, we see this operational gap every week inside Autotask based Service Delivery environments. Owners want better retention, lower chaos, and a Team that communicates proactively, yet they operate within systems that make it almost impossible for anyone to truly think from the Client’s perspective.
The problem is structural, not emotional. Here’s why.
1. Communication Breakdowns Remain the Number One Reason MSPs Lose Clients
Communication is the most common frustration of MSP Clients' report, and it is the area where many MSPs believe they are performing far better than they are.
Where Communication Fails Inside MSPs
Outdated habits where Techs avoid Client calls
Default Autotask notifications that feel like data dumps instead of meaningful updates
Missed follow-ups that force Clients to chase status
Overuse of “Waiting Customer” as a holding pattern
Lack of communication ownership across the Team
Industry research reinforces this problem. A 2025 customer experience report found that 68 percent of MSP Clients feel more satisfied when they receive proactive updates, not reactive responses (GITNUX, 2025).
And across industries, 70 percent of buying experiences are shaped by how customers feel they are treated, not the functional outcome (WorldMetrics, 2024). MSPs are no exception.
Silence is expensive. When your Team does not communicate, someone else fills in the narrative, usually with frustration.
2. Internal Metrics Outweigh Client-Facing Outcomes in Most MSPs
Inside many MSPs, Teams optimize for what the business measures internally rather than what matters most to the Client. This creates a silent disconnection.
Internal Metrics MSPs Rely On
Ticket counts
SLA percentages
Utilization
Resource scheduling
Backlog movement
These metrics matter for operations, but Clients care about something much simpler: When will my issue be resolved?
Several studies show just how critical this is. Data published by Simplesat highlights that MSPs who track CSAT, First Contact Resolution, and true Resolution Time outperform those who rely on internal metrics alone (Simplesat, 2024). Meanwhile, academic research shows a strong correlation between communication patterns and overall, Client satisfaction scores, such as NPS (Arxiv, 2013).
The Operational Blind Spot
MSPs often “meet SLAs” on paper by putting tickets on hold or pushing statuses that stop the response clock. But from the Client’s perspective, nothing is happening. Their issue is still unresolved. And they feel it.
When Autotask is configured around internal optics instead of the Client journey, your Client experience suffers even when your dashboards say everything is fine.
3. A Reactive Culture Makes Empathy Almost Impossible
Most MSPs operate within a reactive rhythm. Tickets stack up, priorities shift hourly, Techs juggle multiple threads, and Sales promise something Support has never heard of. One urgent outage can derail the entire day.
This creates a culture where the Team is moving fast but not thinking deeply.
Symptoms of a Reactive MSP Culture
Documentation viewed as “extra work”
Techs seeing communication as a distraction
Sales and Support not aligned on what was promised
Multiple requests competing for the same Tech
No single owner of the Client journey
Chaos forces the Team into a defensive posture. The Client becomes a secondary consideration because the environment makes long-term thinking impossible.
The cost of this internal chaos becomes clear when you look at churn data. A recent report highlights that customer churn in MSPs averages 12 percent annually (Xurrent, 2024). More alarming, 36 percent of MSPs report retention rates below 50 percent, meaning they must replace half their Client base every year (ScalePad, 2025).
This is not sustainable. And it is largely preventable.
The Business Impact of Stronger Client Experience Systems
Improving Client communication and clarity is not just about keeping people happy. It affects profit in a dramatic way.
A classic but still validated industry principle shows that a 5 percent increase in customer retention can increase profits by 25 percent up to 95 percent (ConnectWise, 2024). In practical terms, communication is one of the highest ROI activities in the entire MSP model.
If the Team communicates well, Clients stay. When Clients stay, margins rise. And when margins rise, the MSP can scale with confidence.
How MSPs Can Rebuild a Truly Client Centric Operation
The MSPs who deliver consistently excellent experiences do not rely on goodwill or reminders. They build systems that make Client centric execution the default.
Below is the operational structure that works inside Autotask environments.
The MSP Operations That Drive High Retention
Define your 11 core workflows clearly so your Team always knows the next step️
️Assign a real Service Coordinator to own every open ticket
Build Team dashboards that show what matters to the Client, not just ticket volume
Configure Autotask SLAs to guide daily action, not mask delays
Use communication templates tied to the Client journey, not internal jargon
Measure CSAT, First Contact Resolution, and real Mean Time to Resolve
Invest in coaching that builds both the system and the Team culture
A well configured Autotask instance becomes the backbone of your client experience. It reduces chaos, increases transparency, and gives every Tech and Coordinator a clear playbook.
If You Want to Improve Client Experience, Start with Your Operations
The fastest growing MSPs share one thing in common: they see their operations through the Client's eyes. They do not rely on assumptions. They create systems that make communication consistent, documentation reliable, and delivery predictable.
At Advanced Global, we help Autotask based MSPs build the workflows, dashboards, and communication structures that remove friction from the Client journey and reduce churn.
If you want to uncover where the real value is hidden inside your Autotask configuration, our Team is ready.
At Advanced Global, we don’t just train. We build. We coach. We configure. We will help you turn Autotask into an accountability engine.
If you’re ready to stop chasing time entries and start leading with data, let’s talk.
📅 Schedule Your Call with Steve and the AG Team