On this page
How to choose metrics for client reports
A useful client metric passes three tests:
- The client cares about it. It relates to risk, cost, productivity or a requirement they have to meet.
- The client can understand it. It can be explained in one plain sentence without tool names.
- Someone can act on it. If the number moves the wrong way, there is something the client or the MSP will do.
If a metric fails any of these, it belongs on an internal dashboard. Keep the set small and stable. Clients notice progress when the same measures appear in the same place every month.
Service metrics
| Metric | What it tells the client | Plain-language label |
|---|---|---|
| Tickets opened and closed | How much support the business needed, and whether it kept up | "Requests raised and resolved" |
| Open backlog | How many issues are waiting right now | "Requests still open" |
| Recurring issues | Problems that keep coming back and cost staff time | "Issues that keep recurring" |
| Tickets by category | Where staff run into problems | "What people asked for help with" |
| Top requesters | Who might need training or better equipment | "Who asked for help most" |
| Satisfaction ratings | How staff felt about the support they received | "How satisfied staff were" |
| Response and resolution times against agreed targets | Whether support met the service levels in the contract | "How quickly requests were picked up and fixed" |
Explain volume rather than celebrating it. More tickets can mean new hires or a new system, not worse service.
Security and backup metrics
| Metric | What it tells the client | Plain-language label |
|---|---|---|
| Security alerts handled | Threats detected and what was done | "Security issues found and dealt with" |
| Backup success | Whether data can be recovered | "Systems with a recent good backup" |
| Devices missing updates | Exposure to known vulnerabilities | "Devices missing security updates" |
| Multi-factor sign-in coverage | How well accounts are protected | "Accounts protected by a second sign-in step" |
| Microsoft Secure Score trend | How Microsoft 365 security settings compare with Microsoft's recommendations | "Microsoft 365 security settings score" |
| Open security risks | Known gaps and their treatment | "Security risks we are tracking" |
Microsoft's Secure Score documentation explains what the score measures. Show it as a trend with the actions behind it, not as a grade on its own.
Device, licence and spending metrics
| Metric | What it tells the client | Plain-language label |
|---|---|---|
| Devices out of warranty or due for replacement | Upcoming hardware costs and risk | "Computers due for replacement" |
| Devices no longer checking in | Lost, unused or unmanaged equipment | "Devices we have not seen recently" |
| Device age | How the fleet is ageing | "Average age of computers" |
| Licences assigned against owned | Possible savings or shortages | "Licences in use" |
| Budget against actual | Whether spending is on plan | "Spending against budget" |
| Upcoming renewals and refresh costs | What to plan for next quarter | "Costs coming up" |
Compliance and training metrics
| Metric | What it tells the client | Plain-language label |
|---|---|---|
| Checks passed and failed against the agreed standard | Progress against a framework, insurer or contract requirement | "Requirements met" |
| Compliance progress over time | Whether gaps are closing | "Progress since last review" |
| Open remediation items | What still needs to be fixed, and by whom | "Fixes still to do" |
| Training completion | Whether staff have completed security training | "Staff who finished training" |
| Phishing simulation results, where used | How staff respond to suspicious email | "How staff handled test phishing emails" |
Metrics to keep internal
These help you run the account, but they confuse clients or invite the wrong conversation:
- Technician utilisation and time per ticket
- Effective hourly rate, margin and agreement profitability
- Internal client health or churn-risk scores
- Individual technician performance
- Raw alert counts from monitoring tools
Use them to decide where to focus, then report the client-facing result, such as fewer recurring issues, instead.
How to present metrics so clients understand them
- Show the trend. Compare with last month or last quarter.
- Add one sentence of context. "Tickets rose because ten new staff joined in March."
- Pair a metric with an action. "Six laptops are out of warranty; replacements are in next quarter's budget."
- Use the same definitions every time. State the date range on every chart.
- Say where data is missing. An empty chart should not look like a perfect score.
Metrics feed the reports in the best reports for clients and the sections in what a QBR should include.
How MSPortal reports these metrics
MSPortal's reporting and business intelligence features draw on synced ticket, device, compliance, survey, Microsoft 365, backup, security and training data. Report blocks and dashboard widgets cover most of the metrics above, including ticket summaries, top submitters and ticket types, satisfaction from MSPortal surveys or HaloPSA and Autotask ratings, device warranties and stale devices, compliance score and progress over time, risk by category and severity, Secure Score trends, Microsoft 365 licences, backup status and training completion. Budget blocks show forecast and detail, and budgets can be compared with invoices from ConnectWise PSA, Autotask or HaloPSA.
The Client Benchmark block compares a client's health score, patch coverage and backup success with all your active clients. When a client views it in a shared report, it compares their own company with the companies you support without naming any other company. Client Health scores and Financial Reporting, with revenue, effective hourly rate and seat price per client, stay internal to your team. Each figure reflects the latest sync, and charts print the date range they cover. Block details are in the reporting guide.
Related questions
What KPIs should an MSP share with clients?
Share KPIs that relate to the client's risk, cost and productivity: requests resolved, recurring issues, satisfaction, backup success, devices missing updates, devices due for replacement, compliance progress, training completion and spending against budget. Keep utilisation, margin and technician performance internal.
Should MSPs report ticket counts to clients?
Yes, with context. Show tickets opened and closed as a trend, explain what drove changes and highlight recurring issues you are fixing. A ticket count on its own can be misread, because more tickets can reflect growth rather than worse service.
Should clients see response and resolution times?
Show them when your contract includes response or resolution targets, because clients will want to know whether those targets are met. Present them against the agreed target, with an explanation of any misses, rather than as raw averages.
How many metrics should a client report have?
Few enough that each one gets explained. For a monthly report, five to eight metrics is usually plenty. A quarterly review can include more, grouped by service, security, devices and spending, with detail moved to an appendix.