All Collections
Automation
Runbooks
An overview of Runbooks
An overview of Runbooks

What are runbooks? What do they do? How do they add value to your MSP? Read all about it here.

Manish Balaji avatar
Written by Manish Balaji
Updated over a week ago

There’s always a set of routine activities that are a part of every MSP. Whether it’s bespoke processes that keep your business operations running smoothly, or troubleshooting flows for tickets that you get every day, there’s predictability in how work progresses from one stage to the next.

With runbooks, you can leverage this predictability to automate frequent processes and close tickets faster.

So, what is a Runbook?

The runbook is a collection of standard operating procedures that need to be followed in order to resolve a specific, frequently occurring issue. It consists of responses, tasks, and approvals that need to be carried out and ensures due diligence and thorough completion of the process.

Here’s how runbooks add value to your operations:

  • They make each process easier to follow so that each process is strictly adhered to and no crucial steps are missed.

  • Each process is documented in detail, so knowledge of each process is preserved perfectly for the future.

  • They act as guardrails that guide new technicians through routine processes, getting them up to full speed faster, and flattening their learning curve.

Here’s everything you can do with a Runbook:

  • Set reply templates: New technicians don’t need to worry about how they can best respond to a client or what information they need to collect from them at different stages of resolution. You can configure reply templates to ensure that technicians get the information they need at every step to resolve the ticket quickly and effortlessly.

  • Associate approvals: While working on an issue, technicians may feel unsure of whether they’re authorized to execute a certain fix for a client. This uncertainty leaves room for confusion and delays while they ask around and figure out exactly what they need to do. You can avoid this by setting approvals for each issue, so a technician knows if a certain problem requires approval and who they need to get it from if it does.

  • Design a task list: Once the technician’s ready to start executing, you can give them a tailored list of tasks they need to thoroughly resolve the issue. You can also assign these tasks to other technicians if it requires any specific expertise.


Now that we’ve covered everything that the Runbook can do, let’s dive into how you can configure them for your operations. Click here (or the next button on the bottom right) to learn everything you need to know about configuring Runbooks for your business.

Did this answer your question?