Admin Tutorial · MSP Service Desk

Set up ticket pipelines & SLA rules for MSP multi-client management

By the end of this tutorial, you will have a fully configured ticket pipeline with SLA tiers for each client type, automated escalation rules, omnichannel ticket intake, and a working client portal - all connected and live.

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The outcome

What you will achieve

Ticket pipeline configured with categories and priority levels

SLA profiles created for Platinum, Gold, and Standard client tiers

Auto-assignment rules routing tickets to the right technician group

Escalation rules firing before SLA breach - not after

Client portal activated with branded access

Time tracking connected to ticket workflow

Before you start

Prerequisites

·Admin access to CrmLeaf (Settings > System Admin role)
·Your client list ready (company name, contract tier, primary contacts)
·Your SLA commitments defined per contract tier (response + resolution times)
·Technician team structure mapped (groups/teams if applicable)

Step-by-step

Step 1

Configure ticket categories and priority levels

Before creating SLA rules, you need a clean category structure that reflects your actual service types. Vague categories like 'General' or 'Other' make SLA assignment and reporting meaningless.

Navigate toSettings → Ticket Management → Categories

1
Click Add Category and create your primary service categories. Recommended starting structure for an MSP:
- Network & Connectivity
- End-User Support (Hardware/Software)
- Cloud & Server Management
- Cybersecurity Incidents
- Billing & Account Queries
2
For each category, click Add Sub-category to add specific issue types. Example for Network & Connectivity: Internet outage, VPN access issue, Firewall configuration, Wireless connectivity.

Navigate to Settings → Priority Levels. Configure 4 standard priority levels:

Priority Level	Label	Typical Trigger	Default Urgency
P1	Critical	System down, business impacted	Immediate response
P2	High	Major function impaired	Within 2 hours
P3	Medium	Partial impairment, workaround available	Within 4 hours
P4	Low	Minor issue, no business impact	Next business day

Label: Critical
Typical Trigger: System down, business impacted
Default Urgency: Immediate response

Label: High
Typical Trigger: Major function impaired
Default Urgency: Within 2 hours

Label: Medium
Typical Trigger: Partial impairment, workaround available
Default Urgency: Within 4 hours

Label: Low
Typical Trigger: Minor issue, no business impact
Default Urgency: Next business day

Pro Tip

Enable the Auto-priority suggestion toggle. CrmLeaf will suggest a priority level based on keywords in the ticket subject and body - your technicians can accept or override. This speeds up triage significantly for busy queues.

Step 2

Create SLA profiles for each client tier

SLA profiles are the engine of your service commitments. Each profile defines response time and resolution time targets per priority level, plus business hours.

Navigate toSettings → SLA Management → SLA Profiles

Click Create SLA Profile. You will create three profiles to start:

Profile Name	P1 Response	P1 Resolution	P2 Response	P3 Response	Hours Coverage
Platinum	30 min	4 hours	1 hour	4 hours	24/7
Gold	1 hour	8 hours	2 hours	8 hours	Business hours + on-call
Standard	4 hours	Next day	8 hours	2 business days	Business hours only

Platinum

P1 Response: 30 min
P1 Resolution: 4 hours
P2 Response: 1 hour
P3 Response: 4 hours
Hours Coverage: 24/7

Gold

P1 Response: 1 hour
P1 Resolution: 8 hours
P2 Response: 2 hours
P3 Response: 8 hours
Hours Coverage: Business hours + on-call

Standard

P1 Response: 4 hours
P1 Resolution: Next day
P2 Response: 8 hours
P3 Response: 2 business days
Hours Coverage: Business hours only

2
For each profile, configure Business Hours under the profile settings. Define your working days and hours. For 24/7 profiles, enable all days and set 00:00–23:59.
3
Enable SLA Pause Rules if applicable. Common pause triggers: 'Waiting for client response' status pauses the resolution clock automatically.
4
Under each profile, enable Breach Alerts: set alerts to fire at 75% of time elapsed (warning) and 90% (escalation trigger). Never wait for 100%.

Common Mistake

Setting breach alerts at 100% means you are notified after the SLA has already been broken. Always set your escalation trigger at 75–80% of the time window so your team has time to act.

Step 3

Assign SLA profiles to clients

Navigate toClients → [Client Name] → Contract Settings → SLA Profile

1
Open each client profile. Under Contract Settings, select the appropriate SLA profile from the dropdown.
2
Set the client's Billing Type: Fixed Monthly, Time & Materials, or Hybrid.
3
Enable the Client Portal toggle to give this client portal access. Set their portal login email(s).
4
Save. CrmLeaf will now automatically apply this client's SLA profile to every ticket they submit.

Bulk assignment

For bulk assignment, use Settings → Bulk Client Update → SLA Profile to assign the same profile to multiple clients simultaneously - useful when first setting up.

Step 4

Configure auto-assignment rules

Auto-assignment ensures tickets land with the right technician or group the moment they arrive - no queue manager needed.

Navigate toSettings → Ticket Management → Assignment Rules

1
Click Create Rule. Rules are evaluated top-to-bottom; order matters.

Example rule set for an MSP:

Rule Name	Condition	Action
Platinum Critical	Client Tier = Platinum AND Priority = P1	Assign to Senior Tech group + notify Team Lead
Cybersecurity Incidents	Category = Cybersecurity Incidents	Assign to Security Team group
Network issues	Category = Network & Connectivity	Assign to Network Team group
Billing queries	Category = Billing & Account	Assign to Account Manager queue
Default assignment	All other tickets	Assign to General Support queue (round robin)

Platinum Critical

Condition: Client Tier = Platinum AND Priority = P1
Action: Assign to Senior Tech group + notify Team Lead

Cybersecurity Incidents

Condition: Category = Cybersecurity Incidents
Action: Assign to Security Team group

Network issues

Condition: Category = Network & Connectivity
Action: Assign to Network Team group

Billing queries

Condition: Category = Billing & Account
Action: Assign to Account Manager queue

Default assignment

Condition: All other tickets
Action: Assign to General Support queue (round robin)

3
Enable round-robin distribution within groups to prevent one technician from receiving all tickets.

Step 5

Set up escalation rules

Navigate toSettings → SLA Management → Escalation Rules

Create escalation rules linked to your SLA profiles. Recommended structure:

Trigger	Action	Notification
SLA 75% elapsed, unresolved	Assign secondary technician	Alert Team Lead via email + in-app
SLA 90% elapsed, unresolved	Escalate to Senior Technician	Alert Operations Manager
SLA 100% (breach)	Flag as SLA Breached, notify client	Email client + alert Director
No technician activity for 2 hours	Reassign to available tech	Alert original assignee

SLA 75% elapsed, unresolved

Action: Assign secondary technician
Notification: Alert Team Lead via email + in-app

SLA 90% elapsed, unresolved

Action: Escalate to Senior Technician
Notification: Alert Operations Manager

SLA 100% (breach)

Action: Flag as SLA Breached, notify client
Notification: Email client + alert Director

No technician activity for 2 hours

Action: Reassign to available tech
Notification: Alert original assignee

2
Enable the Daily SLA Report under Reports → Scheduled Reports. This sends a morning digest of all tickets approaching their SLA window - the single most important habit for SLA compliance.

Step 6

Connect omnichannel ticket intake

Navigate toSettings → Channels

1
Email: connect your support@ inbox via IMAP/SMTP. Incoming emails auto-create tickets and are threaded to the correct client profile by domain matching.
2
Client Portal: already active from Step 3. Customise the portal URL and branding under Settings → Portal → Branding.
3
Chat: enable the live chat widget. Embed the snippet on your website. Chat sessions auto-create tickets when a client submits.
4
WhatsApp: connect via WhatsApp Business API. Clients message your WhatsApp number; messages route into the ticket queue automatically.

Pro Tip

Start with email and the portal in Week 1. Add chat and WhatsApp in Week 2 once your team is comfortable with the ticket flow. Activating all channels simultaneously creates a flood that overwhelms teams still learning the system.

Step 7

Activate time tracking on tickets

Navigate toSettings → Time Tracking

1
Enable Ticket Time Tracking globally.
2
Set Billable defaults per contract type: Fixed Monthly tickets default to Non-billable (covered by retainer); Time & Materials tickets default to Billable.
3
Enable the Time Entry Prompt: when a technician changes a ticket to Resolved, CrmLeaf prompts them to confirm their time entry before closing. This is the single most effective anti-leakage feature.
4
Connect time entries to your billing cycle: Settings → Billing → Time Entry Rules → Auto-pull to Invoice Draft.

Pre-flight check

Validation checklist

01.SLA profiles assigned to all clients
Clients → Filter by SLA Profile = None
02.Test ticket from each channel
Submit test tickets via email, portal, chat
03.SLA clock firing correctly
Check ticket detail → SLA panel shows correct deadline
04.Escalation rule test
Create a test P1 ticket, wait for 75% trigger alert
05.Time entry prompt active
Resolve a test ticket, confirm prompt appears
06.Client portal accessible
Log in as a test client user, raise a ticket
07.Invoice draft pull
Approve a time entry, check Billing → Draft Invoices

✓ Ready to launch when all items are checked

FAQ

MSP service desk setup - frequently asked questions

Go to the client profile → Contract Settings → SLA Profile and change the assignment. All new tickets will immediately use the new SLA. Existing open tickets can be bulk-updated via the ticket list view filter.

Yes. Each technician has a personal dashboard showing their ticket queue, average resolution time, SLA compliance rate, and open escalations. Admins can view aggregated team performance in the Analytics Dashboard.

CrmLeaf creates the ticket and flags it as Unmatched Client. The admin receives an alert to either match it to an existing client or create a new one. The SLA clock starts only after the client is matched.

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