MSP QBR: The Phone System Review to Run Every Quarter
Tom Reed · Updated 11 November 2026
A quarterly business review (QBR) is a short meeting each quarter where you and a client look at how things are working and agree what comes next. For an MSP QBR, the phone system belongs on the agenda: call reports tell you whether calls are being answered, user changes show where the business is growing, and both lead to your next project. If you resell SessionPBX, a multi-tenant PBX you can run on your own servers (or SessionTalk can host it for you), you have the reports and admin view to run that section quickly.
This guide is for MSPs, ITSPs, VoIP providers and IT resellers who already meet clients regularly. It gives you a phone section you can add to any review: what to bring, what to check and what to propose. It is general guidance, and it does not promise results, because every client and market is different.
What is an MSP QBR, and why include the phone system?
A QBR is a structured review meeting held each quarter with a client. You cover how your service performed, what issues came up and what you recommend next. MSPs usually include tickets, security and projects. The phone system is often missing, even though it is the part of IT that every member of staff uses.
Voice is a good place to show value. Problems appear as missed calls, which the business feels straight away. Changes in the team appear as new extensions and devices. And a phone review often points to the next piece of work, from a new queue to a move onto a plan with more call handling.
Which call reports should you bring to a QBR?
On Teams Business, the supervisor view and reports cover call volumes, answered and missed calls and talk time, with filters by member, direction and outcome. On every SessionPBX plan, call history in the app and the portal lists incoming, outgoing and missed calls, so you always have something to look at with the client.
Walk through what the client will care about: missed calls and when they happen, the busiest times of day, and calls that arrive outside opening hours. Keep the explanation short and plain. For the client-facing background, send them call reporting for small businesses rather than explaining every measure in the meeting. Do not quote industry targets or figures unless you can back them up from the client's own history.
How do you review users, extensions and devices each quarter?
People join, leave and change roles between reviews, and the phone system needs to follow. Check starters who are still waiting to be set up, leavers whose extensions are still active, and extensions or seats that nobody uses. Look at which devices and softphone apps are in use, and confirm that outbound caller ID is correct for each member.
Seats and permissions are managed centrally in the portal, so this review is quick to run. If you want a fuller process for it, the user access review guide for small businesses gives you a checklist to adapt.
How do you check call handling still fits the business?
Call handling goes out of date quietly. A team changes, opening hours move or a holiday arrives, and calls end up in the wrong place. Review business hours and holiday routing, auto-attendant menus, voicemail and missed-call notifications.
On Teams Business, also check the ring groups and call queues. Ask whether the right people are in them and whether a call that is not answered goes somewhere sensible. A changed team or new opening hours usually means a call-flow update, which is an easy win to propose.
What growth triggers should you look for?
Every QBR is a chance to find the next piece of work. The table below links what you see in the phone review to a sensible next step. It is general guidance, not a script, and none of these steps is automatic: you decide what fits each client.
| What you see in the QBR | What it may mean | Next step to propose |
|---|---|---|
| Headcount up, new starters waiting | The team is growing | Add seats and send QR code setup |
| Rising missed calls at busy times | Calls are not reaching anyone | Ring group or call queue with overflow |
| Calls outside opening hours | Hours or routing are out of date | Update business-hours routing and voicemail |
| Requests to review or coach calls | A quality or training need | Teams Business for recording and supervision |
| New site or remote staff | Users work from more places | Softphones on desktop and mobile |
| Client wants its own identity on the apps | Brand matters to them | App logo branding |
| Carrier contract or rates under review | A cost or quality question | Review or switch the client's SIP trunk |
Teams Phone and Teams Business are SessionPBX plan names, and SessionPBX is a standalone phone system that isn't related to Microsoft Teams. If the client asks about contract terms at this point, the MSP voice contract checklist covers what to put in writing.
How do you present the phone section in the QBR deck?
Keep it to one or two slides. Say what happened, what it means and what you recommend. For example: missed calls rose at busy times, so we recommend a queue; some extensions are unused, so we suggest removing them; the team is growing, so we will set up the new starters on softphones.
A short checklist at the end of this post doubles as a simple template. Copy it into your own QBR document and fill it in for each client. SessionTalk does not provide a QBR deck, so build the slides in the format your clients already see.
Should you run the platform yourself or have SessionTalk host it?
We lean towards self-hosted multi-tenant on your own servers, with each customer kept in its own tenant. That way every client's reports and admin sit on your platform, and your QBR preparation happens in one place. Server, hosting and network costs are yours, and self-hosted is available to approved partners only, on annual licences. For the trade-offs, read self-hosted PBX vs PBX hosting for VoIP resellers, and for how customers share a server read multi-tenant PBX for MSPs.
You do not have to host it yourself. SessionTalk can host SessionPBX for you in the UK (London), the US (New York) or Singapore, with each region having its own database, and each customer is its own project under your partner account. The review works the same either way.
What should you raise about apps and carriers?
The quarterly review is a good moment to look at the apps your clients' staff use. Look at the softphone apps your clients' users run, which work on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android, and where new starters are added by QR code or link. QR code and link provisioning explains how that setup works, so you can tell the client what to expect.
Carriers deserve a look too. SessionPBX is a bring-your-own SIP trunk phone system, so external calls run over a trunk from any SIP-compliant carrier, and that carrier supplies the numbers and bills the call charges. SessionTalk does not supply phone numbers. Ask the client whether their carrier arrangement still suits them, and treat any renewal as a chance to review it. Internal calls between team members are included.
What happens before and after the QBR?
Prepare the phone section just before the meeting, using the same checklist each time so clients see consistent reviews. If the client is new, start with MSP customer onboarding for hosted PBX, because this post begins once the system is running.
The QBR is also a good source of new conversations. Existing clients who see a clear review are more likely to ask about adding users or sites, and MSP lead generation with hosted voice covers how to start the same conversation with new prospects.
QBR phone system review checklist
- Call volumes, answered and missed calls and talk time for the quarter (Teams Business), or call history (all plans)
- Missed-call trends by time of day and by member or group
- Starters, leavers and role changes, and any unused extensions or seats
- Devices and softphone apps in use, and anyone still waiting to be set up
- Business hours, holiday routing and auto-attendant menus still correct
- Ring groups and queues match the current team
- Voicemail and missed-call notifications going to the right people
- Call recording permissions per member, where recording is used
- SIP trunk carrier, numbers and any upcoming carrier renewal
- One agreed next step with an owner and a date
FAQ
What is a QBR for an MSP?
A QBR is a review meeting that an MSP holds with each client every quarter. You cover how the service performed, which issues came up and what you recommend next. It keeps the relationship focused on outcomes, and it is a natural place to propose new work such as phone system changes.
What should an MSP include in a QBR?
Include a service summary, ticket themes, security and any planned projects. Add a phone system section too: call reports, user changes, call handling and growth triggers. Finish with one agreed next step, an owner and a date, so the meeting ends with a decision and not just a discussion.
How often should you review a client's phone system?
Review it every quarter as part of the QBR. Also review it whenever the team, the opening hours or the sites change, because call handling and extensions go out of date as soon as the business does. A short checklist keeps each review quick and consistent from one client to the next.
Which call reports does SessionPBX provide?
On Teams Business, you get call volumes, answered and missed calls and talk time, with filters by member, direction and outcome. On every plan, call history in the app and portal lists incoming, outgoing and missed calls. SessionTalk does not provide a QBR deck, so you build your own slides.
Do I have to host the PBX myself?
No. You can run SessionPBX on your own servers if you are an approved partner on an annual licence, with server, hosting and network costs yours. Or SessionTalk can host it for you in London, New York or Singapore. Either way, the QBR review in this post works the same.
Can my clients see my brand on their apps?
Yes. App logo branding puts your logo and product name in the SessionTalk softphone, so clients see your brand. It is included on Teams Business and is an add-on on Teams Phone. Teams Phone and Teams Business are SessionPBX plan names, not anything to do with Microsoft Teams. You set your own price and invoice your customer.
Ready to add a phone review to every QBR? Apply to the SessionPBX Partner Programme. Want to see what your clients get? See SessionPBX features.
