In Episode #4 of Don’t Be That Guy, hosts Josh Peterson and Ryan Alter tackle a perennial MSP challenge: getting technicians to track time accurately. They argue that poor time entry isn’t a technician problem—it's a leadership and process problem. Overburdened techs juggle dispatch, follow-up, prioritization, and troubleshooting, so time entry naturally falls by the wayside. To fix this, leaders must provide structure, redefine roles, and instill the habits that drive accurate data and profitability.
Josh and Ryan emphasize the benefits of appointing a dispatcher, even in small teams, to free technicians from administrative tasks. They outline clear time-entry standards—eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, submitted by Friday at 5 p.m., approved by Monday morning—and suggest reviewing time logs multiple times per day. Charge codes should capture all activities, not just billable hours, providing insight into meetings, PTO, research, and sales support. Leadership must “inspect at the same rate they expect,” coaching technicians with kindness and consistency. With the right structures in place, accurate time entry improves gross profit, billing accuracy, and overall service quality.
To learn more about dispatcher roles and time-entry discipline, explore our articles Dispatchers Keep Your Support Team Accountable and Recording Your IT Support Timecard. You can also revisit earlier webinars: Episode #1, Episode #2, and Episode #3.
Ryan Alter is a former MSP owner from Missoula, Montana. Over two decades he grew a one‑man break‑fix shop into a 25‑person operation before selling it. Ryan shares practical insights on time entry, dispatch discipline and building processes that empower technicians and leaders alike.
Josh Peterson is the CEO of Bering McKinley and host of the BMK Vision Podcast. Through the Don’t Be That Guy series, Josh helps MSP owners improve profitability and customer experience through data-driven decisions and operational discipline.