How MSPs Can Use ConnectWise Reporting to Measure What Actually Matters

Tracking key metrics is essential to understanding how well you're performing as an MSP. However, many teams still spend countless hours building reports as they juggle too many disconnected tools to get the job done. As per a recent industry report, over 44% of respondents said productivity suffers due to this. 

ConnectWise, on the other hand, solves this problem. It offers powerful reporting tools that help you track real performance indicators that drive decisions easily. 

This article will walk you through how to use ConnectWise reporting to streamline your reporting process and to improve the way your team delivers results to your clients. 

Why MSPs Need Better Visibility Into Performance

If you dig a little deeper into reporting, a clear pattern emerges that suggests most MSPs today operate without real visibility into their operations. Responding to and resolving tickets quickly doesn't always equate to quality service. 

Ticket volumes don't really inform you if your team is solving the right problems, or if they are an indicator of client satisfaction. In short, too many MSPs still rely on surface-level data. They measure how many tickets were closed, but not how long issues stayed open or how often they reoccurred. This means ticket volumes do not provide outcome-focused reporting. 

Without the right reporting tools, you will miss trends that can significantly improve your bottom line. In fact, nearly 60% of MSP professionals state that they experience burnout as they rely on too many disconnected tools and spend more time pulling reports than using them. 

ConnectWise reporting tools help address this issue. 

ConnectWise Reporting Tools: An Overview

ConnectWise offers multiple reporting tools that are tailored to give you insights into different stages of visibility and action.

Report manager

The report manager is an extension that simplifies access to service board metrics. Think of time entries, sales opportunities, and agreements.

This ConnectWise reporting tool is great for creating baseline reports without the need for custom SQL. They can be scheduled to run and emailed to relevant stakeholders automatically. 

Report writer

The report writer is available within ConnectWise Manage Reporting. It lets you build and edit your own drilled-down, detailed reports using built-in templates or from scratch that run in real-time.

You can track anything from billing issues to technician efficiency from here and export them in multiple formats like Excel, PDF, or XML.

MSP ConnectWise reporting via BrightGauge

BrightGauge gives you interactive dashboards, scorecards, and goal tracking. It pulls real-time data from ConnectWise Manage and Automate that lets you monitor key KPIs, benchmark team performance, and share reports with your clients.

You get access to pre-built templates and can create custom gauges to track the essentials. 

How to Build ConnectWise Manage Reporting to Measure What Really Matters

Building reports is easy. But building the right reports that actually support business goals is where most MSPs struggle.

Here's how to build reports that align with what truly matters to your business and clients.

Step 1- Have clarity on what you are trying to improve. Once you have this clarity, your reporting should then be tied to that specific business goal. Now follow the steps below.

Step 2- Identify the fields and filters that reflect these priorities. For example, to measure your service quality, the key metrics to consider are ticket time-to-resolution, reopened tickets, and client feedback.

Step 3- Head to the Report Writer in ConnectWise Manage to pull this data into a single view. 

Step 4- From there, create drill-downs that show granular performance metrics either by team or by technician. 

Step 5- Save these configurations and schedule them for delivery on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Step 6- The key here is to stay focused and avoid clutter. Build focused reports for each department and let each one tell a very specific story. 

A report with three specific metrics will tell you a lot more than one with 30. 

How Can You Extend Your Reporting Capabilities With the ConnectWise Reporting API

Once you start using ConnectWise's Manage reporting, you will eventually discover its limitations. This is where you will need the ConnectWise Reporting API, especially if you're aiming to create executive-level reports that consolidate data from multiple sources.

With the API in place, you will be able to extract raw data from nearly every module (tickets, agreements, time entries, finance, projects, and more). It can also connect to tools like Power BI, Tableau, or even your own internal dashboards.

This opens up avenues to build consolidated views across business units, geographies, or even multiple clients with a single API call. 

The API can also be used to generate reports, trigger alerts when metrics cross defined thresholds, and sync data with your CRM for more accurate client reporting. However, unlocking its full potential requires a solid understanding of how it works.

Best Practices to Follow to Get the Most Out Of ConnectWise Reports

Once you’ve built your core reports and set up API feeds, you need to have a system in place to get the most out of these efforts. Here are a few best practices to follow when creating ConnectWise reports. 

Start with report ownership

Assign each report to one person who’s accountable for its accuracy. Then decide the frequency of each report. A report on SLA breaches will need to be sent daily, one detailing technician efficiency,  weekly, and financial reviews are sent out monthly. Doing so will demonstrate your diligence towards accountability.

Personalize the reporting

BrightGauge templates allow you to add logos and brief summaries to them. The metrics in your reports should also align with your client's main goals. Value your client's time and keep the data concise and relevant.

Keep your dashboards lean

Limit each dashboard to three to five gadgets tied directly to objectives. For example, a technician's dashboard should ideally include open ticket count, average resolution time, and blackout tickets. On the other hand, a dashboard intended for someone in a leadership position should show recurring revenue, client NPS, and technician utilization.

Review before sending

Implement internal checks to help catch anomalies and prepare insights before reports are sent out.

Save your reports as templates and automate

Once you are confident that your reports are as polished as they can be, save them as templates and automate their delivery.

Key Takeaways

• Many MSPs still operate without meaningful visibility into their operations

• ConnectWise simplifies and centralizes reporting to give MSPs clear visibility into what actually impacts performance

• ConnectWise tools include Report Manager for baseline reports, Report Writer for real-time custom reports, and BrightGauge for interactive dashboards
• The Reporting API pulls cross-module data and integrates with tools like Power BI and Tableau for deeper insights
• To optimize reporting, MSPs should assign ownership, schedule reports, tailor dashboards by role, limit metrics, review accuracy, and automate delivery
• Poor reporting leads to missed trends and team burnout; good reporting enables better, faster decisions

Summing It Up

Reporting, when not done right, will raise more questions than provide much-needed answers. With a honed-in ConnectWise reporting setup, you flip the script and will know what's working and what's not, and where to shift focus.

The crux of the matter is simple: reporting is about getting the right data, in the right format, to the right people. 

If your reports aren't doing this, schedule a meeting with Bering McKinley.

We help MSPs get real value from ConnectWise reporting by building tailored reports, refining BrightGauge dashboards, and offering expert support for Report Writer and the Reporting API. Our audits, automation setup, and fractional reporting services ensure your data remains accurate, focused, and ready to drive smarter decisions.

Partner with Bering McKinley to get expert help and start making smarter, faster decisions today.

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