MSP Evolution: Automation Roundup (Vegas Edition)
Bill Gates: "The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."
Hello everyone and welcome back to my little corner of the Internet where we talk about all things Autotask. My name is Stephen, and I am so glad you are here.
For those of you that acknowledge that Datto bought Autotask and Kaseya bought Datto, I hope you had a happy Kaseya Connect Week. For the rest of you, skip the next paragraph.
It’s been a busy week with several announcements made at Kaseya Connect. AG had a presence, and more will be coming in the coming weeks. For us, the big news was Cooper AI and Kaseya 365 OPS, as it includes Autotask and IT Glue, which are two of the three Datto tools (the other being Datto RMM) that AG “speaks.” The free training that Gary Pica announced as we were going to press definitely caught our attention as well (and hanging with Peyton Manning wasn’t bad either). Oh, in case you were wondering, the graphic above was created by CoPilot in honor of the Cooper AI announcement.
And now, without further ado - we proudly present the Advanced Global Automation Roundup. These are a few of our favorite things that don’t require a call to your K rep and buy new stuff. And you can implement them right now.
The Problem (Is This You?)
Many Managed Service Providers (MSPs) face significant challenges managing their service delivery efficiently due to manual and inconsistent processes. Technicians often lack crucial context, such as estimated time for tasks, making it hard to know when a ticket is running long and needs attention. Tickets frequently get lost or stuck, whether waiting indefinitely for customer responses or sitting On-Hold with missed due dates.
Furthermore, tracking essential metrics like how customer replies to completed tickets are handled, auditing escalations, and accurately monitoring Reopen Rate for quality improvement without negative behavioral impacts becomes difficult and time-consuming without automation. These inefficiencies hinder productivity and service quality.
Sound familiar? Well, we can go hire more people to paper the over cracks, or we can utilize automation we already pay for in Autotask. Advanced Global recommends (duh!) several Automated and Semi-Automated mechanisms. Here are some of our favorites:
Automated Estimated Hours
Estimated vs Actula Time by Issue
Client Responded to a Closed Ticket
Escalation Audit Trail
Re-Open Audit Trail
On Hold Release
On Hold Future Due Date Reminder
“3-Strikes - You are Out” Waiting Client Reminders
Automated Estimated Hours
Many MSPs do not utilize the Estimated Hours field in Autotask tickets, despite it offering a great return on investment for Service Delivery improvements. Without this field populated, techs lack a reference for their progress, managers are unaware of issues, identifying struggling team members is hard, and there are no early alerts for engagements running long.
Populating this field can be automated based on historical completed ticket data. By sorting tickets by Issue/Sub-Issue, averaging total worked hours, grouping Sub-Issues by average hours in 15-minute increments, and creating Workflow Rules (WFRs) for each group to update the Estimated Hours field based on the Sub-Issue, automation is achieved. This automation is critical for identifying tickets that are taking much longer than expected and need intervention.
Estimated vs Actual Time by Issue
Once Estimated Hours are populated automatically based on historical data grouped by Issue/Sub-Issue, this information can be leveraged for value. This involves adding the Estimated vs. Actual Hours insight to the ticket category.
It's crucial to coach techs to pause when they are halfway through the Estimated Hours. At this point, they should assess if they have a resolution plan to continue or if they are lost and need to ask for help.
Managers and Service Coordinators use dashboard widgets to monitor ticket engagements going long. Service Managers are responsible for investigating these, while Service Coordinators hold Managers accountable. Live Reports can identify Techs consistently taking longer than average on specific Sub-Issues, indicating potential needs for training or alternative assignments.
Customer Responded to Completed Ticket
A common problem is when a customer responds to a completed ticket with a Thank You / Attaboy / You are my Hero, or new Ticket request. Unless trapped, the response re-opens the ticket, and the Tech gets a black mark on the scorecard.
The solution involves using a sub-widget that alerts the Service Coordinator to the customer response, giving them an opportunity to review the response before making an intelligent decision as to reopen or not. Workflow Rules can be used to control the "Customer Note Added" status, preventing tickets from being unnecessarily reopened just for a simple "Thank You". Automation exists specifically for clients responding to closed tickets.
Escalation Audit Trail
Escalated tickets are identified as a key performance indicator (KPI). Tracking them helps measure Tech efficiency, which is defined by fewer touches by different resources. Senior staff working on tickets increases cost. Your mission in 2025 should be to drive cost OUT of the business, increasing profitability.
To track escalations, you need to set the ticket status to "escalate" and use a Workflow Rule to populate an "Escalated" User Defined Field (UDF). The UDF is considered the best tracking method. Live Reports can show escalations by issue type to identify training needs.
A "warm" escalation procedure is recommended. In this model, the original resource remains primary, adds notes, communicates with the customer, and retains ownership. The escalation resource assists only with their required skill set. Workflow Rules can be used to build audit trails for escalations.
Re-Open Rate Audit Trail
Monitoring First Contact Resolution (FCR) requires caution, as it can lead to a high Reopen Rate. Monitoring the Reopen Rate alongside FCR is essential.
Tracking Reopen Rate is not simple; it requires a Ticket User Defined Field (UDF) (Yes/No), a Workflow Rule (WFR) to flag tickets whose status changes from "Complete," and a Live Report to identify who closed tickets prematurely.
Monitoring FCR can incentivize Techs to close tickets quickly for a good score, potentially leading to new tickets being opened if the customer calls back, thus increasing the Reopen Rate and decreasing "quality". Reopen Rate monitoring helps Service Managers spot areas for improvement without negatively influencing Tech behavior if not explicitly tied to performance metrics. WFRs can build Reopen audit trails.
On-Hold Release
On-Hold tickets stop the SLA clock when the customer is unavailable, with the intent to resume work later. The ticket is removed from the Tech's active view until a specified Due Date. A Workflow Rule is intended to automatically change the status back to "In Progress" or "Ready to Engage" when the Due Date arrives.
The On-Hold status is used specifically to pause the SLA clocks when the next engagement with the Client is unknown. When a ticket is put On Hold, it is removed from the Tech's view until the due date is reached. A Workflow Rule (WFR) is used to return the ticket to an "In Progress" or "Ready to Engage" status when its due date arrives. However, if an On-Hold ticket's Due Date is in the past, it will not be automatically returned to the Tech's queue. The Service Coordinator is responsible for identifying these overdue On-Hold tickets and setting their Due Date to a future time. An "On Hold with Past Due Date" WFR can notify the initiating resource if this occurs. Workflow Rules are used for releasing On-Holds.
On Hold Due Date Reminder
A key issue arises if the Due Date on an On-Hold ticket is set in the past, as the automation will not return it to the tech's queue. An "On Hold with Past Due Date" WFR or notification can alert the responsible party (such as the initiating resource) to correct the Due Date. Service Coordinators often oversee a report of all On-Hold tickets to catch those with past Due Dates that are stuck.
“3 Strikes and You’re Out” Waiting Customer Automated Mechanism
Dealing with tickets waiting indefinitely for customer response is frustrating and can lead to tickets remaining open for excessively long periods. Manually chasing waiting clients consumes significant Tech time. The "3 Strikes - You're Out" automated mechanism addresses this by establishing a defined process for follow-up and potential closure.
It involves an initial notification informing the client the MSP is waiting, followed by two automated reminders at set intervals (e.g., 48 hours, then 24 hours). If the customer does not respond after the reminders, the ticket is automatically closed. While automated closure can seem cold, a final notification is sent, ideally followed by a call from a Service Coordinator, Owner, or Account Manager explaining the closure and offering to reopen if needed.
This mechanism is created using Workflow Rules and can incorporate a Ticket UDF field that is monitored in the Waiting Tickets widget. It is listed as a type of Automated Mechanism.
Summary
Implementing workflow automations is vital for MSPs seeking enhanced efficiency and service delivery.
Automating Estimated Hours based on historical data provides benchmarks for tech progress and early issue detection.
Leveraging Estimated vs. Actual Time informs Tech coaching and manager oversight.
Automations handle customer responses to completed tickets, track escalations for efficiency audits, and manage On-Hold tickets to prevent getting stuck with past Due Dates.
Monitoring Reopen Rate assesses service quality.
Automated mechanisms like the "3 Strikes You're Out" process efficiently handle clients waiting for responses.
These automations, often built with Workflow Rules, are essential for optimizing MSP operations.
Now that you have some great automations that you can use with your Autotask, you want to make sure your MSP operations are efficient as well (remember what Bill Gates said above). That just takes an email to info@agmspcoaching.com.
And, if you sign up for Cooper AI, we’d love to hear how it’s working for you.