Smb Community Podcast By Karl W. Palachuk

Compensation models for technical staff in MSPs require careful alignment with business objectives and operational capacity. Both James Kernan and Amy Babinchak emphasized that financial incentives such as commissions or bonuses can be appropriate when technicians are directly responsible for generating additional monthly recurring revenue (MRR) or securing new accounts. However, they noted that proper monitoring tools are essential to track productivity and ensure fairness—without adequate systems, variable compensation based on efficiency or project profitability can introduce operational risk and potential inequities. Supporting this, Amy Babinchak described implementing a tiered productivity incentive where technicians received additional pay for surpassing utilization rates above 80%, but expressed concern over excessive overtime. Both speakers underscored the necessity of clear job role definitions; rewarding sales activities for technical staff may be appropriate if it aligns with broader company goals