The MSP Meeting Guide: Understanding 32 Meeting Types, From Strategy Sessions to Support Calls

Allow this guide to be your first asset in effectively preparing to conduct a meeting audit and ensuring enhanced productivity and purposefulness in your organization's meetings.

See how each meeting type serves a unique purpose, fosters collaboration, drives innovation, and ultimately ensures your MSP team is aligned and ready to deliver exceptional service.

The meetings outlined here are not mandatory or prescriptive. They represent a collection of common MSP meetings. Assess which ones are relevant to your organization, whether you conduct them regularly or not, and if your current processes are effective.

For managed service providers (MSPs), meetings are important touchpoints that shape the course of service delivery, team alignment, innovation, and customer satisfaction. However, your team was not hired to be on internal video calls all day — they were hired to perform their tasks and provide top-notch service to clients.

Do you and your team feel overwhelmed by too many meetings ? Let us assist you!

At Produce8 , we offer more than just work analytics. We provide resources and coaching to empower you and your team to cultivate a better meeting culture for your MSP. Schedule a complimentary consultation with our team of productivity experts today.

Understanding Your Meetings:

By grasping the different types of meetings you hold, you can better guarantee that all the video calls your team has are effective and efficient.

A good meeting can recharge your team, while a bad meeting can zap them of energy . The effect can ripple down and impact the rest of the team.

By identifying and categorizing your meetings, you and your team can tailor an approach to each meeting, ensuring that the right topics are discussed, the necessary stakeholders are present, and the meetings are scheduled appropriately. This clarity helps reduce unnecessary meetings and enhances the overall quality of communication and decision-making within the team, ultimately contributing to the organization's success.

In this guide, we’ll share 32 of the most common MSP meeting formats. After you’ve read through them all, reflect on the meetings that you and your team are attending. How many of them fit into one of these categories?

This infographic details the taxonomy of different types of meetings within a managed service provider (MSP) context. It is inspired by the framework from LucidMeetings . (Click to view in full)

Internal Cadence Meetings

An internal cadence meeting at an MSP is a regularly scheduled session where team members come together to align on the organization's operational dynamics. These gatherings are key for discussing active client projects, tracking service delivery milestones, and ensuring consistency with the MSP's strategic objectives.

1. Weekly Leadership Meeting

A weekly leadership meeting is a key strategic gathering where an MSP leadership team meets to tackle significant issues, evaluate the company's progress, and make important decisions. In these meetings, leaders typically reflect on what was accomplished in the previous week, confront and solve existing problems, and outline plans for future actions and projects.

2. Strategic Planning Meeting

A strategic planning meeting is essential for setting the course of the company's future ambitions and tactical approaches. In these discussions, senior leaders unite to define the company's vision, outline overarching goals, and devise strategies that propel growth and market competitiveness. This alignment ensures that every decision is tethered to the company's core mission, thus maintaining the MSP's adaptability and dedication to delivering superior value to its clientele.

3. Weekly Team Sync

In a weekly team sync, team members share updates on their progress, tackle present obstacles, and plan for future tasks and initiatives. This regular check-in ensures all team members are aligned, which promotes swift responses to any new changes and allows the team to advance together in a coordinated and effective way. Ultimately, weekly syncs boost the MSP's ability to deliver top-notch services and improve client satisfaction.

4. Daily Stand-Up

The daily stand-up is a succinct, targeted meeting designed to align the team's daily goals, tackle immediate challenges, and enhance quick communication. In this meeting, each team member provides a brief update on their day's tasks, ongoing progress, and potential hurdles. Through regular participation in these stand-ups, the MSP team remains agile and flexible, optimizes the use of resources, and consistently focuses on client satisfaction and service superiority.

5. Performance Review Meeting

A performance review meeting serves as a formal assessment opportunity to evaluate and discuss the performance of individual employees or the entire team. Crucial for offering feedback, establishing objectives, and pinpointing professional growth opportunities, this meeting aligns each team member's efforts with the MSP's goals. It cultivates an environment of responsibility and ongoing enhancement, ensuring everyone's work contributes positively to the organization's objectives.

6. 1:1 Meetings

A 1:1 meeting is a focused session between two individuals — typically a manager and an employee. These sessions are vital for setting up transparent communication and offering specific direction. They synchronize an employee's individual aspirations with the organization's wider objectives, promoting an environment of advancement and ongoing enhancement. 1:1 meetings are key to personal growth, as they guarantee that every team member's path is in harmony with the MSP's broad mission and strategic outlook.

7. Operational Level Agreement (OLA) Review

An OLA review is a dedicated meeting intended to ensure the MSP's internal processes meet or exceed the operational standards required to uphold client service-level agreements (SLAs). The goal is to verify that each internal sector is upholding the service standards promised in client SLAs, pinpoint any internal challenges or inefficiencies, and devise improvement plans. Such reviews are essential for maintaining internal responsibility and driving continuous enhancements in service delivery, thus reinforcing the MSP's dedication to client satisfaction.

8. Budget Review Meeting

Budget review meetings are dedicated to examining financial performance and devising future budget plans. These meetings guarantee the MSP's financial assets are in sync with strategic objectives and facilitate the judicious distribution of funds for growth prospects and operational demands. A budget review also serves as a venue for financial clarity, as teams can meticulously evaluate spending and shape investment decisions to optimize returns on investment.

9. IT Infrastructure Review

An IT infrastructure review is a thorough assessment designed to confirm the strength, effectiveness, and expandability of the MSP's IT infrastructure. This critical meeting focuses on pinpointing potential bottlenecks, obsolete technologies, and chances for enhancing the infrastructure.

External Cadence Meetings

An external cadence meeting consists of periodic, planned conversations with clients to evaluate service outcomes, tackle issues, and agree on forthcoming goals. These meetings are vital for fostering trust and openness and guaranteeing that the MSP's offerings meet the client's requirements. Additionally, these meetings provide an opportunity to explore new technologies or services that could improve the client's IT framework and aid in achieving their business objectives.

10. Quarterly Business Review (QBR)

A QBR represents a key external engagement in which the service provider connects with clients to assess service delivery and its alignment with the client's strategic goals. This review acts as an essential checkpoint. It allows the client to gauge the effectiveness of the MSP's services, highlight successes, identify improvement areas, and tweak strategies to suit the client's changing requirements. It also provides a platform for the MSP to communicate responsibilities, align with client expectations, and respond to market changes, thereby nurturing an open relationship.

11. Service Level Agreement (SLA) Review

An SLA review is a joint session between the MSP team and their clients. Here, the MSP showcases performance metrics in relation to the established SLAs. The discussion covers any instances of unmet expectations and areas of exceptional performance. This fosters trust, transparency, and collaboration between the MSP and its clients, facilitating an open exchange about service standards, outcomes, and forward-looking strategies.

12. Project Status Meetings

Project status meetings are essential checkpoints where the progress, challenges, and upcoming steps of current projects are discussed with clients. These meetings align the MSP and the client on the project's goals, schedule, and expected outcomes. The team examines milestones, tackles any obstacles, and strategizes to keep the project on course.

13. Partnership Alignment Meetings

Partnership alignment meetings are strategic sessions where the MSP and its partners convene to ensure that both entities are aligned on their goals, expectations, strategies, and operational tactics. These meetings are essential for fostering strong, collaborative relationships between the MSP and its partners.

Internal Catalyst Meetings

A catalyst meeting within an MSP serves as a strategic and dynamic session aimed at tackling challenges, sparking change, or launching new initiatives internally. Unlike cadence meetings, this type of gathering is often prompted by a pressing need for new ideas or addressing problems. The aim is for participants to devise implementable plans, fresh strategies, or solutions that propel the MSP ahead, boost service quality, increase efficiency, or take advantage of new opportunities in the market. Such meetings play a critical role in driving change and ensuring adaptability in the dynamic environment of managed services.

14. Technology Roadmap Meeting

A technology roadmap meeting is a strategic gathering dedicated to mapping technological developments and deployments. This meeting ensures the MSP's tech initiatives align with its wider business goals, confirming that technology investments are intentional and in harmony with the organization's forward-looking vision. It also enables team members to stay ahead of industry trends, gear up for upcoming challenges, and maintain the MSP's leadership in technological innovation.

15. Security Compliance Meeting

A security compliance meeting aims to verify that the MSP's practices, tools, and services meet current security standards and regulations. This meeting is pivotal for spotting compliance gaps, tackling emerging security challenges, and refining protocols to counter new threats. Through consistent evaluation and improvement of security practices, the MSP will meet legal and industry standards and fortify its protective measures, guaranteeing solid security for both its clients and itself.

16. Internal Process Improvement Meeting

An internal process improvement meeting focuses on refining the MSP's internal workings. The aim is to enhance workflows and adopt best practices, boosting productivity and service quality. Through ongoing evaluation and improvement of internal procedures, the MSP can minimize inefficiencies, foster better teamwork, and provide superior services to its clientele.

17. Innovation Brainstorming Session

An innovation brainstorming session is intended to spark ideas that improve service offerings and operational efficiency. This session motivates team members to think creatively, question existing norms, and work together on innovative solutions that foster the MSP's growth and market distinction. Consistently participating in brainstorming sessions enables the MSP to remain at the forefront of industry developments and adapt continuously to client needs.

18. Risk Management Meeting

A risk management meeting is held to pinpoint, evaluate, and address potential risks that may affect the MSP's operations and service provision. This session is instrumental in formulating strategies to safeguard business continuity, secure assets, and uphold client confidence. It encompasses an in-depth examination of the MSP's risk environment and covers technological, operational, financial, and compliance-related risks.

19. Emergency Preparedness Meeting

An emergency preparedness meeting is for creating and honing procedures to use for possible emergencies or unexpected disturbances. This meeting ensures the protection of client data and the persistence of service even in challenging situations. It also includes scrutinizing and refreshing disaster recovery protocols, communication plans, and roles for responding to different emergency circumstances.

External Catalyst Meetings

An external catalyst meeting is a conversation with a client or partner that focuses on resolving urgent concerns, seizing new prospects, or transforming the business relationship's trajectory. Such meetings are typically initiated in response to a need for swift adaptation to various changes, be it a pivot in the client's business strategy, new technological obstacles, or critical issues in service delivery affecting the client's business. These sessions promote innovation, solidify the partnership, and ensure the MSP's offerings are closely intertwined with the client's success.

20. Vendor Management Meeting

A vendor management meeting focuses on enhancing relationships with vendors to guarantee the quality and dependability of the MSP's products and services. It focuses on evaluating vendor performance, discussing terms, resolving issues, and identifying opportunities for better collaboration. Successful vendor management meetings enable the MSP to sustain a strong supply chain, benefit from competitive pricing, and discover innovative solutions, all contributing to the MSP's competitive market position.

21. Technical Support Calls

Technical support calls serve as a direct line for addressing client IT problems, maintaining system efficiency, and reducing downtime. These calls are essential in preserving client satisfaction, meeting service-level agreements, and building robust client relationships.

22. Client Strategy Session

A client strategy session is a focused discussion designed to align the MSP's services and initiatives with the specific goals and challenges of each client. This session is important for grasping the client's business environment, uncovering opportunities to add value, and tailoring services to meet client requirements more effectively. Through strategy sessions, the MSP shows a deep dedication to client success.

Internal Learn and Influence Meetings

An internal "learn and influence" meeting is a combined educational and strategic gathering designed to promote the exchange of knowledge and drive positive internal transformations. During this session, team members across different departments convene to exchange insights, best practices, and recent learnings from their areas of expertise. Topics covered include analyses of recent project outcomes, updates on technology, and industry trends that might affect service delivery. The aim is to cultivate a cooperative atmosphere in which staff can benefit from each other's experiences.

23. Incident Response Debrief

An incident response debrief is a meeting held after a service incident to analyze the event's specifics. This debrief is essential for deriving important lessons and insights and allowing the MSP to enhance its response tactics and avert similar issues in the future. Response debriefs foster an open and constructive evaluation of the incident response, highlighting strong points and identifying areas that need enhancement.

24. Product Training Session

A product training session is an instructive meeting aimed at boosting the team's expertise with current or new products and services. This session equips the team with the abilities to implement and oversee technological resources. Consistent product training enables the MSP to maintain a team that is knowledgeable, self-assured, and ready to address the changing requirements of clients.

25. Customer Feedback Review

A customer feedback review is dedicated to analyzing and acting upon feedback from clients. This meeting is crucial for understanding client satisfaction, pinpointing areas for service enhancement, and acknowledging positive performance. It enables the MSP to align its services more closely with customer expectations and address any concerns proactively.

26. Knowledge Sharing Session

Knowledge sharing sessions are for promoting the sharing of expertise, best practices, and innovative ideas among team members. Through frequent participation in these sessions, the MSP enhances its intellectual assets, fosters creativity, and ensures its team is adequately prepared to meet clients' changing needs, thus securing a competitive edge in the industry.

27. Technical Training Workshops

A technical training workshop is a focused, internal training session designed to enhance the technical skills of team members. Specific focuses are on the newest technologies, updates, and best practices in the team’s service areas. This workshop keeps the team updated on technological advancements, empowering them to adeptly implement, manage, and solve issues with the latest tools and software.

External Learn and Influence Meetings

An external "learn and influence" meeting is a strategic session in which MSPs share knowledge, insights, and best practices with clients, partners, or industry counterparts. This interactive platform is mutually beneficial. It allows the MSP to demonstrate its expertise, introduce new services or technologies, and simultaneously acquire a more nuanced perspective on clients' changing requirements, industry developments, and emerging challenges.

28. Client Onboarding Meeting

A client onboarding meeting is an important first step in establishing the foundation for a robust and cooperative relationship with new clients. It’s essential for defining the service delivery framework and enabling the MSP to grasp the client's requirements, expectations, and unique needs. It offers a chance to establish clear communication channels, agree on service level agreements, and acquaint the client with the team.

29. Business Development Calls

Business development calls are engagements designed to uncover and cultivate new business prospects. Here, MSP representatives connect with prospective clients to present their services, discuss the clients' business goals, and investigate potential partnerships. These calls are essential for broadening the MSP's clientele, forging industry connections, and establishing a foundation for subsequent sales and collaborative efforts.

30. Sales Discovery Calls

Sales discovery calls are detailed discussions in which sales personnel dive into the needs, obstacles, and goals of clients. The aim is to extract crucial insights and customize the MSP's services to meet the demands of the client. These calls are vital in establishing trust, ensuring the MSP's solutions align with client expectations, and preparing the groundwork for effective sales pitches and enduring client connections.

31. Vendor Product Demonstrations

Vendor product demonstrations allow vendors to showcase their latest products or services, highlighting features, capabilities, and technical details to illustrate how these offerings can benefit the MSP and its clients. Through live demonstrations, technical overviews, and interactive Q&A sessions, MSPs come to gain a comprehensive understanding of new solutions. These demonstrations are vital for MSPs to stay updated on technological advancements, ensuring they remain competitive and responsive to client needs and market trends.

Unscheduled, Unplanned Meetings

Characterized by their urgency and unexpectedness, ad-hoc meetings are called to deal with important issues, take advantage of new chances, or make vital decisions that simply can't wait for a scheduled meeting. Though these meetings can lead to significant actions or shifts, their standout feature is their impromptu setup, distinguished by their timely response and specific purpose rather than by detailed agendas or results.

32. Ad-Hoc Meetings

Ad-hoc meetings are essential for tackling sudden and unexpected issues or opportunities. They enable MSPs to react to unanticipated events or client requirements and are crucial for preserving operational flexibility, enabling quick decision-making, and ensuring prompt communication among team members.

Attention:

While ad-hoc meetings are crucial for addressing urgent matters, they can also become a distraction if not managed properly. Frequent unplanned meetings can disrupt employees' workflow, leading to decreased productivity and potentially affecting the progress of ongoing projects.

Conclusion

By understanding the unique purpose and requirements of all 32 meeting types, MSPs can better allocate their time and resources, ensuring that every meeting adds value and contributes to the organization’s success.

Conducting a meeting audit is a great way to assess the effectiveness, necessity, and impact of various meetings your team is having and your company's overall productivity.

We invite you to download Produce8's MSP Meeting Audit Workbook . This resource is designed to guide you through the meeting audit process. It provides the insights needed to transform your meeting culture, enhance collaboration, and boost productivity.