Quarterly business review
A quarterly business review (QBR) is a meeting an MSP holds with each client every three months to review the service, show what it delivered and agree the plan for the next quarter. Many MSPs call it a technical business review (TBR). Beyond managed services, a QBR is any quarterly strategy meeting between a supplier and a customer.
Also called: QBR, technical business review, TBR
What goes in an MSP's QBR?
N-able's guide to MSP QBRs lists the standard parts: a service ticket review, a technical review, an SLA review that compares the service delivered with what the agreement promised, and a look at endpoint management. It also says the format can be a face-to-face meeting, a slide deck, a document or a mix.
Spend most of the meeting on the forward look, because that is where projects and renewals get agreed. This sample agenda fits a 45-minute QBR.
- What changed in your business since we last met (5 minutes)
- The quarter in numbers: tickets, response times, uptime, backups tested (10 minutes)
- Risks we see: devices out of support, security gaps, licences due for renewal (10 minutes)
- Your plans for next quarter: new staff, new office, new software (10 minutes)
- What we recommend, with costs, and what we agree to do next (10 minutes)
How often do MSPs run QBRs?
ScalePad's 2026 MSP Trends Report, based on a November 2025 survey of more than 1,100 MSPs in North America, found that 49% run them quarterly, 23% monthly, 15% twice a year and 8% once a year. Only 1% said they do not run them. The most common prep time was 3 to 5 hours, given by 41%. The top challenges were creating reports and visuals, getting the data right, and collecting it from different tools.
The same report found that MSPs with very effective QBRs and excellent client satisfaction scores were more likely to run monthly reviews.
How do you keep clients turning up to QBRs?
Make the meeting about the client, not the report. ScalePad tells the story of Darrin LeBlanc, client engagement manager at PEI, whose QBR calls used to run over an hour and were mostly report reading. Clients often did not accept the invite or did not join. PEI cut the meeting to a half-hour conversation. "It's not a homework assignment," LeBlanc said. ScalePad sells QBR software, so read the story as a vendor's example, but the advice matches what MSPs say elsewhere.
SherpaDesk quotes r/msp members with the same view: "If the review is 60 minutes long, take 10 minutes going over metrics." One warns that showing raw ticket counts invites a finance director to divide them by the monthly fee and question the price. Show what the tickets mean, such as hours of downtime avoided, rather than the count alone.
Is a QBR a marketing activity?
Yes. It reaches people who already pay you, and a good QBR is where projects get agreed, renewals get easier and referrals get asked for. The slides and the follow-up email are marketing copy, and they deserve the same care as anything on your website.
Where Yori fits
For the QBR deck, use the Slide Deck Service in Yori, the AI marketing assistant for MSPs and resellers. Add the quarter's ticket and SLA figures as a file, and Yori writes the slide copy and talk track in your voice from your Brand Profile. It does not make the deck file, so paste the copy into your own QBR template, and check every number against your PSA before the meeting. The Email Service can then write the follow-up that confirms what you agreed.
Every reply shows the credits it used. The free trial has 25 one-time credits, needs no card and expires after one month. Pro is £49 a month with 25 monthly credits. Start the free trial and run the Slide Deck Service on your next client's QBR.
Often confused with
- Technical business review (TBR)
- In MSP use, a TBR is usually the same meeting under another name. N-able and ScalePad both treat the two terms as one. Some MSPs use TBR for a technical-only review with the client's IT contact and QBR for the business meeting with the owner.
- Executive business review (EBR)
- Gainsight says EBRs involve senior leadership and may happen once or twice a year, while QBRs happen every quarter and focus on day-to-day performance and value. Gainsight also says the names are sometimes used for the same meeting.
- Monthly report
- A monthly report is sent to the client. A QBR is a meeting where decisions are made. Sending the report ahead of the meeting frees the QBR for the conversation.
Questions
What should be in a quarterly business review?
A short review of the last quarter (tickets, service levels, uptime, backups), the risks you see, the client's plans for the next quarter, and your recommendations with costs. End with the actions both sides agreed.
How long should a QBR take?
Thirty to 45 minutes is enough for most small business clients. Keep the metrics to about 10 minutes and spend the rest on plans and decisions.
What is the difference between a QBR and a TBR?
For most MSPs, nothing: a technical business review is the MSP name for the same meeting. Some MSPs split them, using the TBR for technical detail and the QBR for the business conversation.
Do small clients need a QBR?
Not always in person. SherpaDesk quotes an r/msp member whose firm planned email-only reviews in 2026 for clients with fewer than 20 users. A short written review once a quarter still shows the value you deliver.