Too many MSPs treat account management as an afterthought.

A few “How’s everything going?” emails. The occasional review meeting (when someone shouts loud enough). Maybe a QBR template floating around in a dusty SharePoint folder.

But true account management isn’t reactive, it’s proactive, structured, and revenue-generating.

At Adelvium, we work with MSPs of all sizes to build proper account management functions that do three things:

• Retain clients longer
• Uncover project and upsell opportunities
• Strengthen the overall client experience

So if you’re ready to get serious about account management, here are five practical steps to get started:

1. Define the Purpose of Account Management

Start by asking: what do you want your account managers to own?

At a minimum, they should be responsible for:

• Retaining and expanding existing clients
• Running structured client reviews (QBRs or QBXs)
• Identifying risks, needs, and upsell opportunities
• Acting as the voice of the client internally

Without a clear purpose, your AMs will default to firefighting, or worse, become glorified inbox managers.

2. Create a Client Engagement Framework

Every client should know what to expect from you over the year. That means:

• Scheduled QBRs (ideally quarterly or biannually, depending on revenue tier)
• Roadmap sessions aligned to client goals
• Surveys or feedback loops to track sentiment
• Clear points of contact for strategic conversations vs. day-to-day support

Pro tip: Start small. Even a light-touch framework across your top 10 clients will have a massive impact.

3. Standardise the Tools & Templates

Most MSPs reinvent the wheel every time they meet a client.

Instead, build out a basic toolkit for account managers:

• QBR deck template (with service metrics, roadmap, etc.)
• Opportunity tracker or CRM view
• Client health scorecard
• Account plan template (goals, risks, revenue potential)

We often seen Strety used or embed into CRMs like HubSpot to make these processes repeatable and reportable.

4. Align Account Management with Sales & Service

Account Management sits at the intersection of Sales and Service, but too often gets lost between the two.

Make sure your AMs are:

• Included in service review meetings
• Briefed on sales campaigns or target offerings
• Empowered to raise client issues internally
• Not overloaded with support tasks, they need headspace for strategy

This is how you transform AMs into true client advocates, not just inbox sweepers.

5. Measure What Matters

What gets measured gets managed. Consider tracking:

• Client churn rate
• QBR completion rate
• Project/upsell revenue from existing clients
• NPS or CSAT feedback trends
• Account manager utilisation vs. impact

Even a few simple KPIs will help you spot issues, track ROI, and celebrate success.