Your technicians do not hate documentation. They hate clunky tools and wasted steps. Gorelo turns documentation into a quick, habit-forming task with a block editor, structured templates, full-text search, and version history.
For MSPs, poor documentation is more than an inconvenience — it’s a client retention risk. Scattered notes, stale records, and inconsistent formats slow ticket resolution, frustrate clients, and drain technician productivity. This blog breaks down the five biggest MSP documentation mistakes and shows how to fix them with proven MSP documentation best practices. You’ll also learn how to set up an effective MSP knowledge base, use client documentation templates MSP for consistency, and apply simple habits that make documentation part of daily workflows.
Table of Contents
The 50% Problem Every MSP Ignores
“Employees struggle to stay afloat as information and applications flood their digital workplace. Although digital workers are putting in effort to try to efficiently manage this content to try reduce duplication and/or improve knowledge sharing and retention, finding the information needed to do their jobs can often be a challenge,” said Tori Paulman, Sr. Director Analyst at Gartner. “Digital workplace leaders need to create a process for their employees that enables them to agree on applications they use to accomplish work.” Gartner Survey, 2023
For MSPs, this problem is magnified. If nearly half of digital workers are already struggling to find the information they need, what happens when your technicians can’t access the right network diagram, login credential, or client configuration note in time?
The result isn’t just internal inefficiency — it means slower ticket resolutions, missed SLAs, frustrated clients, and ultimately, lost revenue opportunities.
Every MSP knows the frustration of a routine ticket that stalls because the right credential or an up-to-date network diagram can’t be found. Your team wastes time digging through email threads, outdated drives, and ad hoc notes. That wasted time adds up — resulting in slower resolutions, frustrated clients, and missed SLAs.
Documentation is not an optional administrative task. When knowledge is scattered across files or trapped in a single technician’s head, it becomes a business risk. Poor documentation erodes client trust, slows onboarding, and drains technician productivity. That’s why prioritizing MSP documentation best practices and maintaining a clean, organized knowledge base is more important than ever for small, lean MSPs.
In this article you will discover the five common documentation mistakes MSPs make, practical fixes you can apply this week, and straightforward steps to build a reliable MSP knowledge base. We also include ready-to-use client documentation templates MSP teams can adapt, and tips to boost technician productivity MSP without adding extra busywork.
| Great documentation is client retention fuel. Gorelo gives MSPs the structure and speed to build a knowledge base that grows with the business, not against it. |
Your technicians don’t hate documentation. They hate inefficient tools and wasted steps. Gorelo turns documentation into a quick, easy habit. Structured templates, a block editor, full-text search, and version history make it simple to stay organized.
Try Gorelo free for 30 days, no credit card required.
5 Documentation Errors Costing You Clients & Their Solutions
Mistake 1: Treating Documentation as a “Project” Instead of a Habit
Many MSPs treat documentation as a one-time “cleanup project” — dumping all existing knowledge into a wiki and then calling it done. After that, it’s often forgotten or deprioritized as day-to-day tickets take over.
Consequences
- Documents become quickly outdated.
- New changes, such as new clients or network architecture updates, go unrecorded
- Technicians revert to ad hoc notes or memory
- Lookup times creep up, and user frustration increases
- Documentation is seen as “extra work” rather than part of the normal workflow
Fix: Make Documentation a Habit
- Build micro-tasks into existing workflows. For example, require a one-line “doc snippet” detailing what changed or was discovered before closing a ticket
- Schedule weekly or biweekly 15–30 minute doc sprints focused on under-documented clients or processes
- Use reminders or calendar slots as “doc nudges.”
- Rotate documentation ownership among techs so it does not fall to one individual.
- Monitor and encourage progress by tracking how many doc entries each technician adds per week
| Key Takeaway: By replacing big, one-off projects with micro-updates and embedding small, consistent habits, MSPs can make documentation sustainable. This approach ensures best practices are followed and prevents documentation from becoming a neglected or doomed initiative. |
Mistake 2: Overlooking Tacit Knowledge and Unwritten Fixes
Senior technicians often have special tricks, edge-case fixes, or knowledge that lives only in their heads. For example: “If the router reports X error, log in via port B and clear the cache,” or “Don’t reboot the server unless config Y is backed up first.” Because these practices are seldom documented, they vanish when the technician is absent or leaves.
Consequences
- When the expert is offline, no one else can handle that client’s issues
- You effectively re-learn or re-derive fixes, wasting time
- Risk of mistakes or regressions when less experienced technicians fill the gap
- Clients experience higher downtime during staff absences
Fix: Systematic Tacit Capture Frameworks
- Hold regular “War Story” sessions after tackling tough or unusual issues to document what was learned, why, and how the problem was solved. Gorelo’s structured templates and search functionality make it simple to record and retrieve these critical insights
- Pair senior technicians with juniors for shadowing and real-time documentation capture
- Use a “Lessons Learned” template: problem, root cause, steps taken, alternative approaches.
- Incentivize capturing tribal knowledge by recognizing contributors.
- Include an “Edge-Case Notes” field in templates to encourage documenting hidden insights
| Key Takeaway: Implementing these systematic frameworks is a crucial MSP documentation best practice for capturing valuable tacit knowledge. This ensures that knowledge doesn’t remain with a single person but becomes accessible and scalable across the team. |
Mistake 3: Inconsistent Formatting / No Templates
When each technician documents in their own style, the result is a chaotic patchwork. Some entries are detailed, others cryptic. Naming conventions are inconsistent, and screenshots may be scattered across random folders.
Consequences
- Techs waste time deciphering someone else’s style
- Important fields (like last update or owner) get skipped
- New hires struggle to onboard quickly
- Clients lose trust if they see sloppy or outdated information
Fix: Standardize With Templates
- Define universal templates (ticket resolution, network diagram, onboarding checklist)
- Require core fields: Purpose, Steps, Owner, Last Updated
- Use short, scannable formatting: bullets, headings, screenshots
- Encourage reuse: one-click template duplication saves time
Bonus Tip: distribute template bundles (e.g., server builds, backup configurations, vendor login sheets) so everyone starts from the same baseline
| Key Takeaway: Standard templates and required fields are essential for organizing MSP documentation. A small library of client templates, including server builds, onboarding guides, and incident reports, can reduce lookup time and boost technician productivity. |
Mistake 4: Ignoring Updates / Letting Docs Go Stale
MSPs are constantly evolving — new tools, client growth, and infrastructure changes happen all the time. Yet documentation often falls behind. Outdated instructions can mislead new technicians, credentials expire, and workflows change.
Consequences
- Technicians stop trusting the documentation (“better to ask Bob than check the knowledge base”)
- Mistakes increase (wrong settings applied, downtime extended)
- Outdated info frustrates clients (“Why does your doc still show our old firewall?”)
- Wasted time, higher SLA violations, and increased churn risk
Fix: Build a Review Cadence + Versioning
- Assign “doc owners” per client or per system
- Automate reminders: e.g. quarterly “stale doc” review
- Use tools with version history so updates are safe and reversible
- Encourage “inline updates” before closing tickets (tiny edits > big rewrites)
- Track metrics to monitor how many documents are refreshed each month
| Key Takeaways: Versioning and scheduled reviews are essential MSP documentation best practices. They keep your knowledge base reliable and help reduce service errors. |
Mistake 5: Not Measuring or Rewarding Documentation Work
Documentation is often invisible labor. It doesn’t directly close tickets or generate revenue, so technicians may push it to the bottom of their priority list.
Consequences
- Adoption stays low (“too busy to document”)
- Quality varies depending on individual motivation
- Managers lack visibility into progress or gaps
- Over time, documentation culture collapses
Fix: Make Documentation Visible & Valuable
- Track KPIs: docs created, docs updated, usage stats (views, searches)
- Include doc contributions in performance reviews
- Run small gamification challenges (“Top Doc Contributor of the Month”)
- Celebrate documentation wins in team meetings (“this update saved us 40 minutes on Client X”)
- Recognize that each strong document is an asset that compounds value over time
| Key takeaway: Visibility, metrics, and recognition are central to improving technician productivity and embedding MSP documentation best practices into daily work. |
Supporting Best Practices: MSP Knowledge Base Setup
| Structure first: Create separate client workspaces and a global library for shared SOPs. This forms the foundation of organized MSP documentation.Access control: enforce role-based permissions for sensitive credentials.Metadata & search: use tags, consistent naming conventions, and cross-links so searches return useful results.Templates: Publish a core set of client documentation templates, including server builds, backup configurations, onboarding checklists, and incident reports.Governance: assign doc owners, maintain version history, and archive deprecated docs.Onboarding: include a “How to Use the Knowledge Base” guide for new hires. Why this matters: A clean MSP knowledge base makes documentation usable and reliable, which directly improves technician productivity and client satisfaction. |
| Organizing Client Documentation for Easy AccessUse standard naming conventions ([Client] – [System] – [DocType])Nest documents logically (infrastructure → servers → backups)Enable quick retrieval: starred docs, recent docs, favorites |
| Using Templates for ConsistencyServer build templateClient onboarding checklistTicket resolution notes (including fields for “gotchas”)Periodic maintenance checklistTemplates cut down on hesitation and ensure no field gets skipped. |
| Boosting Technician Productivity With Better HabitsEnd-of-day 5-minute “doc touch-up” ruleEncourage inline updates: edit the KB before closing a ticketProvide snippet libraries (commands, scripts, configs)Peer doc reviews as part of QA workflow |
Why Modern Documentation Makes Your MSP More Efficient
| Traditional Documentation (Common Documentation Issues) | Gorelo Documentation (How It Works) |
| Clunky, text-heavy editors make writing slow and frustrating | Clunky editors → Modern block editor with inline media and templates. |
| Notes, folders, and client details scattered across drives cause confusion | Scattered notes → Nested client workspaces with “recent” and “starred” views |
| Searching wastes time because details are buried in different files | Buried info → Full-text search that indexes structured fields. |
| No standard format means every technician documents information differently | No standard → Form-based docs with required fields for consistency. |
| Critical details are often missed or forgotten | Hidden knowledge → Dynamic content blocks for assets, contacts, and uptime. |
| Teams lack visibility into history or updates | No history → Version control and audit trails. |
| Technicians avoid documentation because it feels like extra work | Low adoption → Simple UX and micro-workflows that fit ticket closing. |
Turning Documentation Into a Growth Advantage
Most small MSPs do not lose clients because their technicians lack expertise. They lose them because critical knowledge is scattered across sticky notes, buried in outdated files, or trapped in the mind of a single overworked engineer. This result is slower resolutions, frustrated clients, and unnecessary churn.
The good news is that these problems are preventable. By addressing five common pitfalls—turning documentation into a daily habit, capturing tacit knowledge, using consistent templates, keeping information current, and recognizing contributions—you can turn documentation from a painful chore into one of your most reliable efficiency tools.
If your team is struggling with documentation that feels clunky or difficult to maintain, Gorelo offers a simpler way forward. With drag-and-drop editing, organized nesting, version history, and a user experience your technicians will actually enjoy, Gorelo helps make documentation something your team embraces instead of avoiding.
👉 Start your 30-day free trial today, no credit card required, and take the first step toward building an MSP knowledge base that actually works.
Frequently Asked Questions about MSP Documentation
Q: What is an MSP knowledge base?
A: An MSP knowledge base is a centralized, searchable library where client details, SOPs, runbooks, and troubleshooting steps live. A strong MSP knowledge base setup reduces ticket time and supports technician productivity.
Q: How should I organize MSP documentation?
A: Organize by client workspace, then by system and function. Use consistent naming and tags, and publish templates for recurring tasks.
Q: What client documentation templates should I start with?
A: Begin with server build, incident report, backup config, and onboarding checklist templates. These core client documentation templates MSP address most common needs.
