How MSPs Can Deliver IT Performance Reports Without a PSA

A Professional Service Automation (PSA) system can show clients uptime, ticket resolution, patch compliance, and security incidents. However, not all MSPs have that. As MSPs face increasing pressure to prove operational value and system performance in 2026, they can leverage RMM data to regularly generate an IT performance report to keep their customers updated.

With these reports, MSPs can demonstrate their contribution to the client’s organization and whether they’ve met relevant KPIs. The data can enhance QBR discussions by providing all parties with clear and quantifiable data. It’s also a scalable and repeatable process that can be more affordable than a full PSA dashboard.

Guide to creating reports on IT performance metrics

📌 Prerequisites:

• You must have access to RMM monitoring data for that client.
• You and the client must agree on baseline KPIs and metrics.
• You must have a spreadsheet or reporting template to standardize your output.
• You will need a centralized location, like Ninja Docs, to store the reports for viewing and archiving purposes.

💡 Note: Optionally, you may need basic Windows PowerShell or scripting knowledge for data extraction.

Identify high-value metrics

Focus on high-value metrics that will provide clients with clear and quantifiable data showcasing IT performance. Here are a few factors you should focus on:

• Uptime
• Availability in percentage
• Ticket handling:
  • How many tickets were closed
  • Average resolution time
  • SLA compliance
• Patch compliance and endpoint health status
• Security alerts:
  • detected incidents
  • resolved incidents
• Project or maintenance activity summaries

Build a simple reporting template

Create your reports in a consistent and repeatable format for efficiency. Generate these reports at regular intervals to keep your clients informed on IT performance. Here’s a sample template you can use:

Modify the table according to your needs and the information you wish to convey to your clients.

After the report, add a short executive summary at the end. Here, you can highlight key wins, risks, and further recommendations.

Automate data collection

Reduce manual effort when possible, to reduce the risk of human error and ensure that reports are generated consistently and regularly.

To automate the process, here are a few things you can do:

• Export the uptime and agent health metrics from your RMM dashboard.
• Parse ticket summaries from PSA email reports.
• Run basic scripts for system checks (e.g., ping tests, patch status).
• Automate CSV generation for repeatable metrics.

Use existing tools for delivery

Aside from using Power Automate, MSPs can also distribute these reports without the use of custom dashboards. these methods provide clients with different avenues to view IT performance reports at their own convenience.

Here are different ways MSPs can send these reports to their clients:

• Schedule NinjaOne or RMM reports to email stakeholders directly at set intervals or when significant and time-sensitive updates occur.
• Attach Excel/CSV summaries to client check-in emails.
• Include report highlights in QBR slide decks for executives.

Sending these regularly through different avenues encourages transparency and ensures that your client is always aware of the status of their IT operations.

Maintain a report register

Create a tracker where you and your client can view report delivery commitments. Here’s a sample tracker you can use:

This tracker ensures that everyone knows the deadlines and helps prevent missed reports. It keeps everything transparent and encourages accountability from your team.

Refine the reporting process through client reviews

You can tailor your reporting practices according to each client’s needs and requirements. At every QBR, do the following:

• Ask clients which metrics are most valuable to their operations.
• Retire unused metrics and add new ones (e.g., MFA adoption, cloud app usage).
• Adjust delivery formats (e.g., charts vs. tables, email vs. slide deck).

These actions help keep everyone aligned, while also optimizing your reporting process to meet your clients’ needs.

Best practices summary table for generating an MSP report

Automation touchpoint example

Here’s a sample workflow for generating an IT performance report:

1. Export the uptime, security, patch data, and other relevant information from your RMM tool.
2. Run a simple ping and agent health script through your endpoint management tool.
3. Input the information in your Excel or CSV template.
4. Create and set up a scheduled email to automatically send the report to all stakeholders at the appointed time.
5. Log the report delivery information in your tracker.
6. Review results at QBR, adjust metrics, and report details if needed.

NinjaOne integration ideas for generating IT support performance metrics

• Prebuilt reports – You can use NinjaOne’s endpoint health, patching, and ticket stats reports for core metrics.
• PSA integrations – Sync the report delivery with ConnectWise, Autotask, or Syncro if clients use them.
• Custom fields – Store client preferences (frequency, format, audience) in NinjaOne Docs.
• Automation policies – Run scripts for uptime/agent health checks and populate logs using a remote scripting tool.
• QBR enablement – Combine NinjaOne reports with tracker data into client-ready package reports.

To learn more about building cohesive IT reports, visit the NinjaOne IT Documentation FAQ.

When to consider moving to a PSA

While it’s possible to deliver IT performance reports without a PSA, your team could be spending hours exporting data, tracking SLAs manually, or cross-referencing tickets with contracts and billing. Investing in PSA software allows your IT team to focus on other critical projects or tasks.

If you’re experiencing any of the following, you should consider looking at PSA tools:

• Manual data tracking

Manually exporting data, monitoring response times, and ensuring compliance also increases the risk of incorrect data or missed issues due to human error. PSA ticketing systems and automation tools significantly reduce the need for manual intervention and inconsistent data.

• Data discrepancies

Invoices, contracts, and tickets require constant cross-checking. PSA software provides IT admins with greater visibility over billing information, invoicing, mismatched ticket statuses, patch compliance, inconsistent client records, and conflicting performance metrics across reports. The ability to view real-time data and generate custom IT performance reports reduces data discrepancies and improves reporting accuracy.

• Scaling challenges

For MSPs, onboarding more and more clients can lead to unmanageable volumes of data for manual reporting and ticket management processes could multiply. What worked for five clients becomes unsustainable at a hundred. A PSA system answers these issues by centralizing ticketing, IT asset management, billing, documentation, and reporting into a single platform. Automation tools offered by PSA solutions also make it easier for MSPs to scale by reducing the need for manual intervention.

Utilizing PSA software allows you to gain greater visibility of IT performance, centralize operations, automate workflows, and improve IT service delivery. A PSA enables internal IT teams and MSPs to spend less time on manual tasks so that they can focus on higher-value projects.

Make the most out of your IT performance reports

MSPs can provide their clients with clear and consistent IT performance insights by regularly generating a detailed report. To do that, they have to select relevant metrics, use a simple template, automate data collection, and consider client feedback to provide their customers with the information they need.

NinjaOne PSA centralizes ticketing, billing, documentation, and asset management into a single pane of glass, making IT performance reporting far more efficient for IT teams and MSPs. Technicians can configure automated workflows to create tickers, and then prioritize, route, and resolve tickets for faster resolution time. NinjaOne allows users to keep track of ticket volume, resolution times, IT asset lifecycles, contract performance, and more. Improve management and automate core business operations. Try NinjaOne PSA with a 14-day free trial.

Related Articles: 

• Moving Beyond Troubleshooting, IT Reports Best Practices
• 10 Best IT Reporting Tools for IT Teams
• How to Choose the Right IT KPIs and Performance Metrics