MSP QBR Guide
Most MSPs have heard they should be running QBRs. Most aren't. The ones that are treat it as a status update — here's what we fixed this quarter, here are your ticket counts, any questions?
That's not a QBR. That's a report. A QBR is a business conversation that happens to include IT. It is the most reliable moment in the client relationship to retain, expand, and generate referrals — all in 60 minutes.
The Three Jobs of the QBR
The 60-Minute QBR Agenda
| Time | Section |
|---|---|
| 0–5 min | Business update Ask: what's changed in their business this quarter? New hires, new locations, new software, upcoming projects. This shapes the rest of the conversation. |
| 5–20 min | Value delivered Quantified wins from the quarter. Downtime prevented (hours saved × cost per hour). Issues resolved before the client noticed. Compliance milestones met. Business language, not ticket numbers. |
| 20–35 min | Roadmap review What's coming in the next quarter. Hardware lifecycle, upcoming projects, risk items on the horizon. Shows you're thinking ahead, not just reacting. |
| 35–50 min | One upsell conversation "Based on what you said about the new office — here's what that adds to your risk profile and what we'd recommend." Never pitch more than one thing. |
| 50–60 min | Referral ask + next QBR Ask for the referral. Ask for the Google review. Book the next QBR before the call ends. All three happen in the last ten minutes, in that order. |
How to Make QBRs Actually Happen
The biggest QBR failure is not running a bad one. It's not running one at all. The calendar slips, the client is busy, and six months pass without a strategic conversation. By then the relationship is transactional.
Fix: at the end of every QBR, book the next one before you hang up. Not "let's find a time in three months." A date, on the calendar, with an invite sent before the call ends. The client who has a QBR in their calendar does not cancel their contract the week before it.
Owner on QBRs for top five to ten clients. CSM or ops contact for the rest. The owner's presence on a client call signals importance. Use it deliberately, not universally.
Step 8 of the 3Cs Framework covers the full QBR program — client scoring, agenda template, upsell identification, and schedule — built into your custom 90-day plan.