By
El Copeland
February 28, 2025
•
20 min read
Professional Development
Business
Ripe for the Picking: Maximize your Conference ROI
Answer a question for me, and be honest.
When you sign up to attend a conference, what is the point?
I would guess that your answers, with a varying levels of importance, include networking with peers, expanding your knowledge, getting insights on latest trends, meeting vendors or influencers you’ve been following, and having a few nice meals or drinks in a city you don’t often visit.
Did I get it right?
Ok, follow up question. Think back to the most recent conference you attended.
Did you accomplish what you wanted to when you signed up in the first place?
It’s ok, this is a safe place.
There are a variety of reasons a conference may feel like a bust to you. Maybe the speakers had an off day (or in reality weren’t as good as you hoped). Maybe the session synopsis wasn’t an accurate reflection of the actual content provided. Maybe you were up too late the night before and accidentally slept through the sessions you were most looking forward to.
Or maybe, maybe, you experience what I have, which is that everything went perfectly: you attended all sessions, cheered when you were supposed to, participated in meaningful conversations with peers and mentors, had an uneventful trip home, and yet, something still feels wrong.
While exhilarating, at the end of these trips I’m exhausted, and yet the horrors, er, I mean, responsibilities wait for me. Those good ideas and clever tools quickly fade away, only to resurface in the occasional conversation, but rarely through intentional practice.
And then, you look at the budget. Between travel, meals, the conference pass, and your time away from work, attending a conference is a true investment.
With networking, sessions, and vendor conversations, how do you actually implement your investment into what you've learned, follow up with the people you’ve met, or pursue that tool that's going to change your life?
I have some thoughts on that. But first, let’s talk about gardens.
On gardens, goals, and going to conferences.
When planning any event, project, or goal, I'm sure you’ve heard someone wryly cite Murphy’s Law (“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”) or quote the poet Robert Burns: “The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry.”
The implication? Don’t plan too much, just go with the flow. If you don’t plan, you can’t be disappointed.
I hate it when people say that. And not just as a driven, technical, successful person. As a practical, down-to-earth person with a garden in my front yard, it’s the quickest way to tell me that you’re out of touch with reality.
Let me paint you a picture using tomatoes (or another delicious fruit of your choosing).
Every tomato gardener and farmer plants with the end goal in mind: a beautiful, bumper crop of brilliant red tomatoes, sun ripened and perfect for sandwiches, sauces, and salads.
But you don't just plant the seeds and immediately get the fruit. A full growing season looks like this:
- You choose. You choose your tomato variety according to those that suit your palate, use-case, length of growing season, and environment. In Georgia, we have a much longer growing season than my friends in Ohio, so I can easily plant larger and slower growing varieties than they can, maybe even twice in a growing season!
- You plant. You plant them at specific times depending on the maturity of the product (are you using seeds or saplings), how much time you have before average last frost in your area, and your growing situation (is it indoors, in a greenhouse, or outside in the ground?)
- You protect. As they grow, you watch them for signs of distress and you protect them from pests or problems. You smash caterpillars, prune judiciously, and trellis them early, giving them their best chance to provide good fruit. You watch for Volunteer Plants and determine if you want to keep them or weed them out to focus on your main crop.
- You actively invest. You water and feed your plants meticulously. As the fruit ripens, you wait for the color to deepen and the right time to pull them from the vine. The trellis you put up earlier has given you places to tie branches to if the fruit gets too heavy.
- You harvest. If you’ve done it right, you have too many to eat before they go bad and will scramble to find friends, neighbors, and co-workers to gift them to, ways to preserve them through canning or drying. Otherwise, you may have to leave them to rot on the vine.
- You do it all again. And then, at the end of the summer, when the plant is spent, you have to decide what to do with what is left on the branch. Perhaps there are ones the birds got to before you, rotting on the ground. Perhaps there is a slew of green tomatoes that you can pull and make a meal of. You also need to decide what you will plant next, and if the soil is ready for it.
Life happens. Just because I planted tomatoes doesn't mean I harvest tomatoes.
Just because I put a trellis up for my tomatoes doesn’t mean I can dictate where each branch will weave and grow. It just means there is a structure there for it to fall back on when things literally go sideways.
When you know what success looks like (a full, healthy tomato plant with brilliant red fruit), you can iterate from there or return to it when things inevitably go wrong, like needing to tie the branches that have gotten too heavy.
The goal is rarely perfection, but consistency and accountability so you can gain the literal benefits of the fruit of your labor. This metaphor on gardening is something I apply in both my personal and professional life (Starting Seeds: Episode 1 - Let's Grow!), but it’s especially critical at conferences. Conferences are fast-paced, exhausting, and packed with information. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and never actually apply what you’ve learned, leaving beautiful tomatoes rotting in the sun.
Pre-planning and setting your intentions not only help you stay focused but also gives you more flexibility. Ironically, preparation makes it easier to pivot when plans shift. It also gives you the mental clarity to clean up at the end of the season and better prepare the soil for what you want to do next.
So join me in our figurative conference gardens and let’s look at how we can better set ourselves up for success and that bumper crop of good ideas for our businesses, communities, and personal growth.
Visualize your success and plan accordingly.
One of the unspoken lessons that underpins our analogy about tomatoes is that time matters. Setting small things in motion early on allows for success because there are other parts of your environment (sun, rain, pollinators) that can do the work while you’re not actively thinking about it.
- Pick your Seeds. Set Your Intentions.
- Read the agenda. Look at the sponsors, look at the session summaries. Consider the Pre-Day learning opportunities or certification add-ons.
- Determine your big goals. Are you looking for new tools, career development, networking, industry insights? What does a successful event look like to you?
- Consider other special aspects of this event. Who do you want to meet? What do you want to learn?
- Talk with Your Team. Sometimes knowing what your colleagues are interested in learning from a conference makes you more engaged with topics you’d otherwise overlook.
- Prepare the Soil. Pre-Prep what you can.
- Plan out the Schedule. Drop sessions you wish to attend into your calendar or export them from the app. Plans will change—document why they did! That insight is valuable.
- Identify your Tools. What will you use for note-taking, for connecting with others, or for making your life easier during this trip? Do you need to make business cards, pack company shirts, or a battery to charge your phone and tablet after a long day of sessions?
- Lay out your trellises. How can you take ordered notes instead of scribbling on the back of business cards or sale sheets? I have a template in OneNote that I’m sharing, if you’d like a place to start (find it at Doodles or Data: A Conference Note Survival Guide). Maybe you use a nice AI transcription tool like PLAUD.AI or Otter.ai. Make sure your devices are charged and there aren’t rules about recording at that event or session.
- Evaluate the Spacing. Don’t Overcrowd.
- Make sure you’re not overcommitting. Roots need to go deep for successful plantings, in both business and the garden. Review the schedule and give yourself breathing room to meet other people, even block off hours you should be in your room sleeping!
- Communicate with people who may need you. At Rising Tide, we expect our team members to attend at least 75% of the sessions. Therefore, it’s important to let customers and colleagues know you’ll be offline.
Tend to your goals and protect them with vigilance.
Watch what you’ve planted and care for it. That means using wisdom to prune, weed, stake up and feed your garden as needed, with a careful eye for success. I had to remove the word "ruthless" at least three times in this section. While the word is gone, my sentiment remains and I encourage you to use it freely in this section where I say "careful, intentional, test, focus...": you are the protector of your business and your ideas. One of my favorite sayings is, "If everything is important, nothing is important." What is important? Be intentional about focusing on that and letting everything else go to the wayside.
- Prune ideas with precision. Don’t just mindlessly consume.
- Take notes, but don’t try to be too thorough. Focus on engaging in the sessions, ask questions, and write just enough to help jog your memory or find the source information later.
- Test everything that is said. Does that check out to you? Do you have further questions? Throw out the bad stuff, keep the good.
- Squash Bugs, Pull Weeds that are leeching your time.
- Limit Distractions. Set aside time in the morning or afternoon for minimal client work but remember—you’re here to learn and connect with the environment at the conference.
- Sometimes the distractions are good things. Above, I mention volunteers in the garden. Sometimes the plants that grow are viable and welcome additions to your investment. Only you can determine if splitting resources between those bonus plants and your intended produce is worth chasing. Be careful about your time and energy, but be gracious and understand that sometimes it's the surprising things that come up naturally are the most hardy and equipped for your garden!
- Tell people no. This one is really tough, but be intentional about doing so and do it kindly! You're here to learn and grow as a person AND a business. Learn how to identify what is adding to your experience and what is just a distraction.
- Trellis liberally. Return to the structure you created as necessary! It’s ok if you miss a session because you were talking to someone in the hallway. It’s ok if you get up and leave a session because it’s clearly not a good fit. Again, it’s not about perfection, it’s about the end goal.
- Add Water and Nutrients as Needed. Literally.
- Eat a vegetable. Drink water. Sleep. It’ll help your performance.
- Be moderate. You know what I'm saying. Have a good time, but keep first things, first. (And if you’re going to drink heavily, as your MSP Channel Big Sister, drink a glass of water in between each drink and take some B Vitamins, ok?)
Speaking of setting goals at conferences, Tara Rummer at Immy.Bot and Immense Networks, gave her insight in a recent conversation:
We always did a little powwow before events to discuss what sessions each of us would be attending. And during the event (and after) we would do check-ins regarding something we've learned from our morning or afternoon... Or maybe you met an awesome vendor or had a hallway conversation that stuck with you. All of that was fair game! Learning isn't limited to planned content!
I always kept the maximum to three things you learned that day because the amount of information you take in at events can be overwhelming. There are so many intelligent people talking about their passions and successes / failures.
Tara makes some great points, but specifically, this is a good place to mention the 3-3 approach, which can help you focus and fortify ideas or experiences, either by challenging you to do more or challenging you to do less! The emcee at Right of Boom 2025, Robert Cioffi, mentioned a version of this from the stage this year. At Rising Tide, I word it like this:
- Meet 3 New People. It’s tempting to only hang out with people you know already. When else do you get to spend time with a friend who lives on the other side of the world? That said, go out of your way to sit at a different table for meals, introduce yourself to people sitting near you in the conference hall, or add the keynote speaker on LinkedIn and tell her what you enjoyed the most about her talk!
- Find 3 “New” Products. Learn about (and limit it to) 3 new tools, services, or vendors you weren’t familiar with. How do these tools compare to other ones you’re familiar with? What do you NOT like about them?
- Identify 3 Points of Potential. What are 3 key insights you can bring back to the team that could impact your business or industry? Was there a common theme all speakers mentioned? A valuable phrase or saying that meant a lot to you?
Actively harvest the bounty.
What’s the point of a good tomato if you can’t take the first one and immediately slap it between some white bread with salt and pepper and mayonnaise? (By the way, the Duke's and Hellman's argument is wrong, it should only be Kewpie)
Often in a garden, the fruit comes to maturity in waves. It is up to us to determine what we want to do with it.
Back to Tara's experience at Immense and Immy.bot:
At the end of the event we would each come back with one or two large takeaways.... Something we'd like to try, a vendor we'd like to meet with, etc.
I've seen a lot of people come back from events and try to change everything all at once, which quickly caused dumpster fires within their teams. I've tried to put guardrails up to help guide the team a bit and keep them away from shiny objects.
Oof. Your team is your wealth and overwhelming them or frustrating them is a quick way to lose not just morale but efficiency! How can you, like Tara, put up guardrails up to protect their time?
For me, the heart of this is to take the key things you learned and actually celebrate and use them!
- Harvest, sort, and enjoy the fruit.
- Do it yourself, first. For me, I personally set one hour aside to complete this step, either on the flight home or first thing in the office with a fresh cup of something warm. It is low-dopamine and I’m often tired, but this is super vital and what all the other “steps” have led to. Just do it. Finish strong and power through, don’t get distracted.
- Analyze your Notes. Fill out the notes that you only half jotted down. Use a generative AI tool to analyze the entire event and sessions including your notes. Highlight and pull-out questions you may have asked, or tools mentioned that you’d like to research further.
- Review with your Team. If my team is with me, we set time aside to accomplish this step before we leave the event.
- Share the bounty. Conversations that spring from teaching others often lead to better understanding of the content and also better and stronger ideas! Do so liberally!
- Teach your team in a team meeting what the best things you learned were.
- Share with community. Write a blog post, film a reaction video, or post insights on LinkedIn.
- Preserve what you cannot use and be ok letting some go. You are going to come up with so many ideas. Take the good ones that you can implement now (literal “low hanging fruit”) and be intentional about setting a timeline for returning to the other ideas.
- Put good ideas worth implementing later in a meaningful place, like a project board in your PSA or another collaborative note-taking tool.
- Not every good idea is able to be executed with your current time and resources. And that is ok. You can always grow more, and composting puts those nutrients back into your garden as soil amendments that can feed the other ideas you have!
- Some ideas aren't good for now, or this season. Intentionally putting them aside means they can actually be ready when the time is right.
Make your plans for what is next.
In the end, sometimes you end up harvesting something that you didn't expect, but that worked out.
Did you see my photos about tomatillos? I didn't even plant those and they kept our home fed that entire summer. What did I learn? Next time, I'll only keep two plants so they don't overtake my garden!
So, how did this harvest go? What can you do better next growing season?
- Honestly Review the Harvest.
- Did you pick the wrong seeds for your business needs? Which sessions were worth it? What didn’t you agree with? Should this conference be on the calendar next year? Were you the best person to attend, or should someone else on your team go next year?
- Was this completely the wrong fruit to grow? There are so many events you could attend, within our industry and industry adjacent. How do you choose and how do you vote with your money and energy, on which ones are actually building our industry and which ones are detracting from it? A large portion are just dog-and-pony shows, built to capitalize on FOMO, with smoke and mirrors, and to send you home on a high that you may never match. Are you actually getting what you need out of these events, or are you the product?
- What should you do differently? You know what they say: do what you've always done and get what you've always got. Expand your horizons based on your business goals. If you're looking for a good place to start, I've attended, volunteered for, and spoken at MSPGeekCon – A Conference for MSPs by MSPs since its inception in 2023. If you're looking for a conference that is going to teach you and your team as the core focus, get your tickets for their upcoming 3rd year at MSPGeekCon 2025 Registration.
- Follow Up on things that will support your future Gardens. I hate to make this one so trite. But like, just do it. Make a plan and execute it. Connect with people you met on LinkedIn, send emails to continue conversations with vendors, implement ONE thing from the conference into your process, and turn other notes into clear action.
- Prepare the Soil for next year.
- What can you do now? Do you need to lay a cover crop, plant a complementary plant, or turn it over and add fertilizers or amendments? (What do you need to do to invest in your business NOW so it can be more receptive next season?)
- Should you do nothing? Do you need to let your soil lay fallow for a season to regain balance? (Maybe you’re adding too many things and you should work on maintaining what you have before adding anything else)
- Should you change your approach? Do you need to move where you plant that crop to a different area on your property with better drainage or sunlight patterns? (Maybe your market doesn’t even want what you have to offer and you need to rethink your focus.)
- Should you do something completely different? Do you need to evaluate why you were planting in the first place and maybe you just want to be a goat farmer? (Is this even what you want to be doing? Should you be prepping someone else to do this or lead?)
Put your effort where it rewards you.
At the end of the day, a garden only succeeds with the right combination of time, resources, and attention.
And a conference is exactly the same way. It is truly only as valuable as the effort you put into it.
Let’s face it, we’re all exhausted and it’s easy to be a consumer. It’s easy to just go to the grocery and pick up a beautiful tomato that someone else made.
It’s easy to only meet with people or vendors you already know and like. It’s easy to just take what people give us and check a box saying we attended an event. It’s easy to mindlessly take in what you’re being fed – to not question it, to not challenge it, to not chew it up and consider if it actually serves you or not before swallowing the meat, fat, and gristle in one bite.
I propose to you, friends and colleagues, that you can attend every session, shake every hand, and still walk away having wasted your time and money if you’re not actively tending the garden and harvesting the fruit in your personal and professional life. It is vital that you consider your agency and power in controlling your own growth and own destiny. We must be intentional with our time and resources if we are to harvest the best fruit.
Lastly, if this speaks to you and you attend conferences for the content, I intend to create a conference content webinar that reviews conference material and gives people a chance to ask questions and to determine what action could and should look like following conferences in our industry. Find me on LinkedIn and let’s talk about collaborating and making this happen together or come find me at MSPGeekCon!
I look forward to continuing to tend to our industry, together.
Love,
El
As Partner and Business Consultant at Rising Tide, I help organizations align culture with efficiency, bridging the gap between strategy and the everyday systems that make it work. I’ve spent my career leading diverse, cross-functional teams and building communities where people actually want to learn and collaborate. With roots in technology, education, user experience & design, and project management, I specialize in turning complex ideas into clear, actionable plans that keep both people and projects thriving.
Outside of work, you’ll usually find me weight-training, gardening, or rewatching Doctor Who with a cat in my lap.
See some more of our most recent posts...
By the [run]Book: Episode 20
Episode 20 of By the [run]Book covers HaloPSA v2.214, highlighting practical updates across automation, integrations, and user experience. Key discussions include new dollar variables, improvements to Azure sync performance, and better control over portal actions. A great watch for MSPs looking to streamline workflows and get more out of their Halo setup.
Read post
Episode 20 of By the [run]Book dives into HaloPSA v2.214 with a mix of practical improvements and some quirky additions. Connor and Mendy walk through everything from new dollar variables and asset controls to Avalara fixes and portal enhancements—highlighting what actually matters for day-to-day MSP operations. This episode is especially useful for MSPs refining workflows, automation, and reporting accuracy in Halo.
Watch Now: By the [run]Book: Episode 20
For easier tracking, check out haloreleases.remmy.dev to filter and search HaloPSA updates by ID, version, and keyword.
Important Mentions
Added ALLFIELDSCFQA dollar variable | v2.214 #1063336 | 5:48
Mendy and Connor noted this was very useful.
- Outputs custom fields only in Q&A format
- Perfect for onboarding/offboarding forms and portal submissions
- Cleaner and more usable than dumping all fields
You can now hide user action on the customer portal | v2.214 #1034684 | 18:22
Highlighted during the user action demo as a practical workflow improvement.
- Lets you use user actions via links without exposing buttons
- Keeps portal UI clean for end users
- Key for form-style workflows using “Link to User Action”
Added the ability to set colours for custom buttons | v2.214 #997636 | 44:35
Called out as a genuinely useful UI improvement.
- Helps visually distinguish important actions
- Improves technician usability in busy workflows
- Small change, but high day-to-day impact
Full Feature List
Start and end email subject matching tags have been added to the site "Email Matching" configuration that allows an alternate matching ID to be used | v2.214 #1064486 | 3:57
Allows more flexibility in how incoming emails are matched to tickets.
- Useful when third-party systems modify or strip subject tags
- Enables alternate identifiers beyond the default ticket ID
- Be cautious of misconfiguration causing duplicate tickets
Added the ability to an apply a template to an Asset via the API | v2.214 #1063514 | 5:23
Enables automation of asset configuration through API usage.
- Apply standardized templates programmatically
- Useful for onboarding and asset lifecycle automation
- Reduces manual setup for large asset imports
Added ALLFIELDSCFQA dollar variable | v2.214 #1063336 | 5:48
Introduces a new variable to output custom fields in Q&A format.
- Outputs only custom fields instead of all ticket data
- Cleaner formatting for forms and structured data
- Ideal for onboarding/offboarding workflows
Added More Asset System Fields to Device Change Tracking | v2.214 #1057703 | 9:08
Improves visibility into asset changes over time.
- Expands audit tracking for asset updates
- Useful for compliance and troubleshooting
- Better lifecycle visibility for managed devices
Added new $-POUSEREMAILADDRESS variable | v2.214 #1054124 | 9:20
Returns the email address of the user associated with a purchase order.
- Useful for billing and procurement workflows
- Helps automate communications tied to POs
- Reduces manual lookup of requester details
Various improvements to searching in the self-service portal | v2.214 #1054111 | 9:29
Enhances usability and visibility of search results in the portal.
- Displays result counts across categories
- Returns more granular service-related results
- Helpful for large or complex service catalogs
Added a setting to prevent configuration changes being pushed into an instance | v2.214 #1052480 | 12:22
Provides control over configuration synchronization.
- Prevents unintended overwrites in managed environments
- Useful for multi-instance or partner-managed setups
Improved the accuracy of popup notification displays when multiple rules match at once | v2.214 #1048194 | 12:33
Ensures correct popup behavior when multiple rules trigger.
- Reduces confusion from conflicting notifications
- Improves reliability of rule-based alerts
Added Ticket Source to the Query Builder | v2.214 #1047023 | 13:24
Makes ticket source available for reporting and filtering.
- Improves reporting on ticket intake channels
- Helps analyze email vs portal vs API usage
Added validation when setting email start and end tags in Email Configuration | v2.214 #1043864 | 13:37
Adds safeguards when configuring email matching tags.
- Prevents invalid or risky configurations
- Helps avoid ticket parsing issues
Distribution Lists can now be configured to send emails to all email addresses associated with a user | v2.214 #1040191 | 17:03
Allows distribution lists to target all email addresses tied to a user.
- Improves communication coverage for users with multiple emails
- Useful for shared inboxes or alias-heavy environments
- Reduces missed notifications
Transactions in Avalara will now be created with the customer name as the customer code | v2.214 #1038916 | 17:52
Improves clarity in Avalara transaction records.
- Replaces less meaningful IDs with readable customer names
- Simplifies reconciliation and reporting
- Reduces confusion during billing audits
You can now hide user action on the customer portal | v2.214 #1034684 | 18:22
Adds control over visibility of user actions in the portal.
- Keeps portal UI clean for end users
- Still allows backend workflows to use the action
- Ideal for link-based or automated user actions
In User settings, you can now hide the Top Level field on Account records. Additionally, you can set a default Top Level value for Account records | v2.214 #1032938 | 27:48
Improves flexibility when using Accounts and Prospects.
- Allows separation of accounts from standard client hierarchy
- Supports better reporting segmentation
- Useful for sales pipelines and CRM-style setups
You can now use the status field on an asset for dynamic field visibility on assets | v2.214 #1032001 | 30:05
Enables dynamic fields based on asset lifecycle status.
- Show/hide fields depending on asset state
- Useful for decommissioned or retired assets
- Improves data relevance and UI clarity
Added option to make Asset Tag mandatory when creating serialised assets during consignment or adding stock | v2.214 #1031510 | 31:02
Ensures asset tagging consistency during stock processes.
- Prevents incomplete asset records
- Improves inventory accuracy
- Helpful for asset-heavy MSPs
You can now choose which entities get committed when syncing to Avalara | v2.214 #1027858 | 32:15
Adds control over Avalara synchronization scope.
- Reduces unnecessary sync data
- Improves performance and clarity
- Useful in complex billing environments
Added the ability to set the default score on Satisfaction Survey | v2.214 #1027560 | 32:24
Allows a predefined score for surveys.
- May simplify reporting setups
- ⚠️ Can skew satisfaction metrics if misused
- Generally less useful than one-click feedback
The Prorating date will now show when adding Products from a Sales Order to a Recurring Invoice | v2.214 #1024043 | 34:23
Improves visibility when prorating billing items.
- Shows when proration is applied
- Helps validate recurring billing accuracy
- Reduces billing confusion
A setting has been added to Sales Order Configuration so that when a Sales Order is created a Ticket is also created for the purpose of admin tasks and communication | v2.214 #1021351 | 37:06
Automatically generates a ticket alongside sales orders.
- Provides a workspace for admin and communication
- Useful when not using Opportunities as the workflow driver
- Helps track fulfillment tasks
You can now set a default width for columns on column profiles | v2.214 #1019311 | 38:19
Allows column width customization in list views.
- Helps standardize layouts across teams
- Uses pixel-based values
- ⚠️ Less flexible than expected (manual configuration required)
A setting has been added to View configuration to show custom lists above the Teams in the "By Team" view | v2.214 #1015344 | 40:01
Changes ordering of lists in the team view.
- Allows prioritization of key lists
- Minor UI improvement
- Alternative is restructuring list hierarchy
Added Asset Status variable for Asset Custom Buttons | v2.214 #1011860 | 41:32
Adds asset status as a usable variable in buttons.
- Enables dynamic integrations or links
- Useful for query-based actions
- Supports more advanced automation
Default column profiles against an entity now allows for changing the column profile view in lists | v2.214 #1009740 | 42:46
Improves flexibility when viewing lists.
- Users can temporarily override default column profiles
- Reverts back after refresh
- Reduces friction when switching contexts
Added the ability to set colours for custom buttons | v2.214 #997636 | 44:35
Allows visual customization of buttons.
- Improves UI clarity and usability
- Helps highlight important actions
- Particularly useful in busy workflows
Added a new type of Distribution Lists where its Members are made up of Tickets | v2.214 #996443 | 45:34
Enables distribution lists based on ticket criteria.
- Send communications based on ticket conditions
- Useful for alerts or incident updates
- Adds dynamic targeting capabilities
Added the ability to set upper and lower bounds for data in forecast outputs | v2.214 #995797 | 46:16
Adds control over forecast data ranges.
- Improves reporting accuracy
- Helps constrain projections
- Useful for financial planning
Azure Delta improvements | v2.214 #982118 | 46:53
Enhances performance of Azure/Entra sync.
- Reduces load by syncing only changed records
- Improves performance in large environments
- Speeds up nightly sync operations
Closure details will now expand by default | v2.214 #982083 | 52:51
Improves visibility of ticket closure information.
- Saves clicks when reviewing closed tickets
- Useful for QA and auditing
- Minor UX enhancement
Minor webhook performance improvements | v2.214 #979558 | 54:22
Optimizes webhook performance and payload handling.
- Reduces payload size with lightweight options
- Improves integration efficiency
- Helps avoid unnecessary data transfer
Improvements to asset access control | v2.214 #968048 | 56:11
Refines permissions for asset management.
- Better control over who can edit asset types/groups
- Adds restrictions at role and agent level
- Improves security and governance
By the [run]Book: Episode 19
Episode 19 covers HaloPSA v2.212 and v2.214, focusing on admin quality-of-life improvements, billing visibility, and stronger workflow controls. Key highlights include clearing hidden ticket fields, email template previews, and improved API and invoicing capabilities.
Read post
Episode 19 walks through HaloPSA v2.212 and v2.214, covering a wide range of quality-of-life improvements, admin controls, and workflow enhancements. Connor and Robbie highlight updates around ticket forms, invoicing, templates, and automation, making this especially useful for MSPs looking to tighten processes and improve day-to-day efficiency.
Watch Now: By the [run]Book: Episode 19
For easier tracking, check out haloreleases.remmy.dev to filter and search HaloPSA updates by ID, version, and keyword.
Full Feature List
v2.212 Features
Asset-Client direct link added | v2.212 #843566 | 3:18
Allows assets to be linked directly to a client instead of only via a site.
- Adds flexibility for non-site-specific assets
- Useful for shared or virtual infrastructure
- Be mindful of mixed client/site relationships
Dashboard views are now logged in ReportEvent, and reports loaded through a dashboard are also marked as such when auditing report runs | v2.212 #829218 | 4:56
Improves tracking of report usage across dashboards.
- Adds visibility into report execution
- Useful for auditing and troubleshooting
- Helps manage multiple report versions
Added the 'End-User' field to ticket templates | v2.212 #814411 | 5:39
Adds control over end-user assignment in templates.
- Enables overriding default behavior
- Useful for internal workflows
- Helps manage ticket ownership
Added new setting to hide actions on tickets when Client or Site Account Status is set to 'Stopped' | v2.212 #812986 | 7:28
Prevents actions on tickets for stopped clients or sites.
- Reduces accidental work on inactive accounts
- Can still be overridden by admins
- Useful billing/service safeguard
You can now add Client, Site and User Custom Fields to Actions | v2.212 #812793 | 8:56
Allows updating custom fields directly via actions.
- Removes need for runbooks in many cases
- Speeds up workflows
- Expands automation capability
Quotes are no longer able to be approved by the user if they have expired | v2.212 #808514 | 11:52
Prevents approval of expired quotes.
- Avoids outdated approvals
- Improves quote lifecycle control
- Reduces billing risk
Adding $-ORIGINALCUSTOMERINVOICEADDRESS & $-ORIGINALCUSTOMERDELIVERYADDRESS for the addresses of the original customer of an invoice | v2.212 #789655 | 13:33
Adds variables for original customer addresses.
- Useful for parent/child billing setups
- Improves invoice clarity
- Supports complex billing structures
Added a setting to clear fields on the new ticket screen when they are hidden by visibility conditions | v2.212 #783474 | 14:44
Ensures hidden fields do not retain values.
- Prevents stale or hidden data
- Improves form reliability
- Critical for dynamic forms
You can now filter date fields on lists, views & filter profiles by 'Greater than X days ago', 'Greater than or equal to X days ago', 'Less than X days ago' & 'Less than or equal to X days ago' | v2.212 #781279 | 15:46
Adds advanced relative date filtering.
- Enables precise SLA and reporting views
- Helps identify stale tickets
- Major usability improvement
Added Email Template Preview for Email Templates | v2.212 #767443 | 18:25
Adds preview functionality for templates.
- Speeds up testing
- Validates variables and formatting
- Useful for multi-language setups
Added the ability to edit meter readings on recurring invoice lines | v2.212 #727713 | 20:59
Allows editing of existing meter readings.
- Correct mistakes without rework
- Improves billing accuracy
- Adds flexibility
A setting has been added to Item Group configuration so that when adding Items from a Sales Order to an Invoice the Invoice Group Name will be used to match existing groups or create new groups | v2.212 #709218 | 21:58
Improves grouping of invoice items.
- Keeps invoices structured
- Reduces manual effort
- Useful for standardized billing
Option to allow the merging of assets | v2.212 #671302 | 23:07
Enables merging duplicate assets.
- Useful for cleanup scenarios
- Prevents duplication
- Maintains data quality
Added the setting 'Show related Ticket count' to ticket settings | v2.212 #652167 | 23:47
Displays number of related tickets.
- Improves visibility
- Adds quick context
- Enhances UX
Customers and assets can now be matched off of incoming Site24x7 alerts | v2.212 #644267 | 24:56
Enhances monitoring integration mapping.
- Reduces manual matching
- Improves automation
- Better alert accuracy
An option has been added to Purchase Order Statuses so that they can be marked as "Cancelled/Do not receive stock" | v2.212 #615288 | 25:12
Adds more control to purchase order lifecycle.
- Prevents unwanted stock processing
- Improves procurement accuracy
- Clearer status tracking
An option has been added to the workflow step actions for "Email from Agent" | v2.212 #572585 | 26:43
Enables workflows triggered by agent emails.
- Supports email-driven automation
- Useful for niche workflows
- Expands flexibility
Google Maps Integration is now available | v2.212 #160218 | 27:18
Adds mapping and geolocation features.
- Visualize customers/sites
- Helps plan visits
- Auto-generates coordinates
v2.214 Features
Added the Project Setup Wizard | v2.214 #769329 | 29:45
Introduces guided project setup.
- Simplifies project creation
- Early-stage usability
- Foundation feature
Input Chat flow steps can now update Ticket Fields after a Ticket has been logged in the Chat Flow | v2.214 #1079338 | 31:11
Allows updating ticket fields post-creation in chat.
- Improves chat workflows
- Enables dynamic updates
- Better self-service
It is no longer possible to delete a Top Level if it contains Customers | v2.214 #1078032 | 33:00
Prevents deletion of populated top-level structures.
- Protects hierarchy
- Prevents accidental data loss
- Important safeguard
Timesheet submission/revert can now be performed from the Timesheet side panel | v2.214 #1077825 | 33:32
Improves timesheet usability.
- Faster workflow
- Less navigation
- Cleaner UX
Resolved an issue with the "Attach quotation PDF when sending email" setting failing to function for Actions that send Quote emails | v2.214 #1077103 | 34:09
Fixes inconsistent quote PDF behavior.
- Ensures settings are respected
- Prevents incorrect attachments
- Improves reliability
Actions with system use 'Email Quotation' now follow the Quote setting 'Attach quotation PDF when sending email' | v2.214 #1076914 | 34:47
Aligns quote email behavior with configuration.
- Consistent output
- Reduces confusion
- Improves automation
Recurring Billing Profiles can now be used from the Recurring Invoice screen using the List context menu | v2.214 #1076256 | 34:56
Adds access to billing profiles from invoice screen.
- Reduces navigation
- Speeds up workflows
- Useful for bulk billing
Quote variables can now be used on Ticket actions | v2.214 #1075404 | 36:06
Allows use of quote data in actions.
- Enhances automation
- Improves communication
- Reduces manual entry
Item/Product Updated has been added as a runbook trigger | v2.214 #1074755 | 36:55
Adds new automation trigger.
- Enables reactive workflows
- Useful for inventory updates
- Expands automation scope
Added 'Rich' as a type of field for asset fields | v2.214 #1073877 | 37:07
Adds rich text support for asset fields.
- Supports formatted content
- Useful for documentation
- Allows more detailed records
A setting has been added so that when a Ticket has open Appointments/To-do lists and an SLA procedure closes it then it will not be closed and can have it's status changed instead | v2.214 #1073377 | 37:59
Prevents closure when tasks remain open.
- Protects incomplete work
- Improves SLA handling
- Adds control
Option added to add approval votes to the Feed | v2.214 #1073347 | 39:18
Adds approvals to activity feed.
- Improves visibility
- Centralizes approvals
- Helps auditing
A setting has been added to Self Service Portal configuration so that the "Log in to agent application" option will not show for the self service portal login form | v2.214 #1072163 | 39:43
Removes agent login option from portal.
- Cleaner UX
- Reduces confusion
- Better user experience
The option to order/sequence all Lookup Codes has been added | v2.214 #1072076 | 40:41
Adds ordering control to lookup codes.
- Improves dropdown organization
- Helps standardization
- Better admin control
Added a target date field to software releases | v2.214 #1069542 | 42:21
Adds planning field to releases.
- Supports tracking
- Useful internally
- Minor feature
A UserGuiding container can now be added to the application and portal in Config > Advanced Settings | v2.214 #1068717 | 42:47
Enables guided onboarding tools.
- Supports walkthroughs
- Improves onboarding
- External integration
Consignment line note property has been added | v2.214 #1068640 | 44:54
Adds note field to consignment lines.
- Improves detail tracking
- Useful for logistics
- Adds flexibility
An option has been added to Agent and Role configuration to show all Teams for all departments in the "by team" view/tree. This will only show if "Membership level to all Departments" is used | v2.214 #1067771 | 45:36
Expands team visibility.
- Useful for large orgs
- Improves navigation
- Role-based control
The UserWay widget can now be enabled withing Advanced Settings for the main application (previously only available for the self-service portal) | v2.214 #1067551 | 45:49
Extends accessibility tools to main app.
- Improves accessibility
- Broader coverage
- Better compliance
A setting has been added to add a column for the last invoiced value when viewing recurring invoices in the ready for invoicing area | v2.214 #1066844 | 46:36
Displays previous invoice values.
- Helps spot anomalies
- Improves validation
- Saves time
Action Billing Plan ID has been exposed to the API for the Actions endpoint | v2.214 #1066754 | 49:38
Exposes billing data to API.
- Improves integrations
- Enables automation
- Adds flexibility
The Item selection used in Automation Criteria will now allow searching | v2.214 #1066435 | 49:59
Adds search to selection fields.
- Improves usability
- Saves time
- Reduces friction
Choosing a User on the call screen will now follow the settings relating to a Ticket User's Client/Site relationship | v2.214 #1066332 | 50:43
Aligns call screen logic with ticket settings.
- Improves consistency
- Reduces errors
- Better UX
Original Sales Order reference is now populated for Credit lines that were generated from Sales Order Invoices | v2.214 #1066311 | 51:24
Links credit lines to original sales orders.
- Improves traceability
- Useful for finance workflows
- Adds clarity
An Advanced Configuration setting has been added to change the way that the primary key value is generated for Invoices and Invoice Lines | v2.214 #1065645 | 51:39
Improves invoice ID handling.
- Supports bulk operations
- Prevents conflicts
- Useful for integrations
Added option to specify Application identity roles when "Agent to log in as" is not set to an Agent on a Halo API application | v2.214 #1065228 | 57:36
Introduces role-based API identity.
- Decouples API from agents
- Improves security model
- Better for integrations at scale
By the [run]Book: Episode 18
This episode of By the Runbook breaks down HaloPSA 2.212 updates with a focus on what actually matters for MSPs. The team covers key changes to automation, ticket views, and integrations, along with practical advice on what to enable, what to watch out for, and how these updates impact real-world workflows
Read post
In this episode of By the Runbook, the team continues through the HaloPSA 2.212 release notes and spends time unpacking what several of these changes actually mean in practice. The conversation covers workflow design, mail campaigns, ticket views, reporting, and automation behavior, with especially useful commentary for MSPs trying to decide what to enable, what to ignore, and what to be careful with.
Watch Now: By the [run]Book: Episode 18
For easier tracking, check out haloreleases.remmy.dev to filter and search HaloPSA updates by ID, version, and keyword.
Check out MSP Blueprint for info on runbooks: MSPBlueprint
Important Mentions
Ticket details can now auto-refresh when a background automation completes | v2.212 #1003085 | 25:29
This allows the ticket screen to automatically refresh when a background automation completes.
- Eliminates the need for manual refresh after automations run
- Keeps available actions, workflow steps, and ticket data in sync
- Especially useful in environments with heavy automation usage
- ⚠️ Not enabled by default — go turn this on
Additional rule types have been added to qualification matching criteria for custom fields | v2.212 #1009694 | 19:02
Expands qualification matching to include custom field criteria.
- Enables highly granular ticket routing and assignment logic
- Can support advanced use cases like skill-based routing or segmentation
- ⚠️ Powerful but rarely practical for most MSPs without significant planning
Added the option to use the incoming webhook service for QuickBooks Online webhook processing | v2.212 #1021654 | 8:39
Adds delayed and retry-based webhook processing options.
- Helps prevent failures during high webhook volume
- Introduces retry logic for more reliable integrations
- ⚠️ Can introduce delays (10–15+ minutes in some cases depending on configuration)
- ⚠️ Default behavior vs delayed processing needs to be reviewed carefully
FullFeature List
You can now restrict the ‘From’ address options on a Ticket Action to mailboxes the assigned team can access | v2.212 #1031882 | 2:50
This change limits the available “From” addresses on a ticket action to mailboxes the assigned team can actually access.
- Prevents agents selecting mailboxes they don’t have access to
- Reduces confusion in multi-mailbox environments
- Helpful for teams split across departments or service lines
Added Email Address as another attribute option for the Followers field on the Self-Service Portal | v2.212 #1031728 | 3:23
Adds Email Address as another attribute option for follower behavior on the portal.
- Improves flexibility for notifications
- Useful for including external stakeholders
- Expands portal configuration options
You can now edit various parts of a Mail Campaign after starting it | v2.212 #1030951 | 3:32
Allows changes to Mail Campaigns after they have started.
- Removes need to recreate campaigns due to small mistakes
- Makes campaigns more practical to use
- Signals continued investment in this feature area
You can now restrict Pipeline Stages at the Opportunity Type level | v2.212 #1027853 | 4:58
Restricts pipeline stages based on opportunity type.
- Keeps sales workflows cleaner
- Avoids irrelevant stage options
- Useful for more structured sales processes
Added the option to use the incoming webhook service for QuickBooks Online webhook processing | v2.212 #1021654 | 8:39
Adds webhook processing options including delayed and retry handling.
- Helps manage high webhook volume
- Reduces risk of dropped events
- ⚠️ May introduce delays depending on configuration
Added in the ability to hide certain tickets from the change calendar | v2.212 #1017196 | 13:21
Adds the ability to hide tickets from the change calendar.
- Useful for sensitive or internal tickets
- Helps reduce noise in calendar views
- Currently tied to the “Sensitive” flag
Service Users are Subscribed to has been added as an option to Distribution Lists and User Lists | v2.212 #1013148 | 13:55
Adds Service Users as a selectable option in distribution and user lists.
- Expands targeting logic
- Improves automation flexibility
- Useful for advanced filtering scenarios
You can now send Mail Campaigns from Sales Mailboxes | v2.212 #1011772 | 14:54
Allows campaigns to be sent from sales mailboxes.
- Improves branding and ownership
- Separates sales vs support communications
- ⚠️ Be cautious of Microsoft send limits
A warning will now be shown on an action and the ticket will be updated if an action email will fail to send | v2.212 #1010891 | 16:49
Adds a warning when an action email will fail.
- Improves visibility into email failures
- Helps prevent missed communications
- Updates ticket automatically with failure state
Added the ability to map relationship types for parent, child, and sibling assets in SQL imports | v2.212 #1010659 | 18:17
Adds asset relationship mapping during SQL imports.
- Preserves structure during migrations
- Supports complex asset environments
- Useful for onboarding/import projects
Added isRunning to Halo Asset Discovery integration | v2.212 #1010606 | 18:54
Adds an isRunning field to asset discovery.
- Helps track discovery state
- Useful for monitoring and automation
- Adds visibility into background processes
Additional rule types have been added to qualification matching criteria for custom fields | v2.212 #1009694 | 19:02
Expands qualification matching with custom field rules.
- Enables more advanced routing logic
- Supports complex assignment scenarios
- ⚠️ Often overkill for most MSPs
Ticket details can now auto-refresh when a background automation completes | v2.212 #1003085 | 25:29
Allows ticket view to auto-refresh after automation runs.
- Keeps UI in sync with backend updates
- Eliminates need for manual refresh
- ⚠️ Not enabled by default — turn this on
Added 'Update Currency' to Quotes | v2.212 #992111 | 29:17
Adds ability to update currency values on quotes.
- Supports multi-currency environments
- Updates cost and price together
- Improves quote accuracy
Added option to make a Knowledge Base's negative feedback comment mandatory | v2.212 #991702 | 30:41
Requires comments for negative KB feedback.
- Improves feedback quality
- Helps refine documentation
- Useful for KB governance
New default setting for showing grandchildren in child ticket lists | v2.212 #990317 | 30:49
Adds control for showing nested tickets.
- Improves visibility in projects
- Useful for multi-level ticket structures
- Configurable behavior
Improvements to AI report analysis | v2.212 #987946 | 31:27
Enhances AI reporting capabilities.
- Can now be scheduled
- Can be embedded in PDFs
- ⚠️ Still not widely used in practice
Added a setting to restrict knowledge base article amendments to owners only | v2.212 #982079 | 33:06
Restricts KB edits to owners only.
- Improves control over content
- Prevents unintended edits
- Supports structured documentation workflows
Added a global setting to allow users to translate actions on the portal when using Azure AI Translator | v2.212 #978595 | 33:22
Adds translation support in the portal.
- Useful for multilingual environments
- Improves accessibility
- May not be necessary for all MSPs
Added the setting 'Secondary Asset MAC address field' to the Splashtop integration | v2.212 #978176 | 34:08
Adds secondary MAC address support.
- Helps with multi-adapter devices
- Improves asset matching
- Integration-specific enhancement
You can now set character limits on memo and rich text custom fields | v2.212 #976975 | 34:39
Adds character limits to text fields.
- Prevents overly large inputs
- Improves data consistency
- Helpful for structured data entry
Added additional fields to assist with reporting on OLAs and rules | v2.212 #976953 | 34:47
Adds more fields for OLA and rule reporting.
- Improves internal tracking
- Supports more detailed reporting
- Still primarily useful for advanced setups
Added the setting 'Prevent email responses from continuing the approval flow' at approval step level | v2.212 #974172 | 39:10
Prevents approvals from email replies.
- Avoids accidental approvals
- Forces structured approval process
- Improves workflow control
Added a setting to the Custom Field configuration to copy values to grandchild tickets when updated | v2.212 #970536 | 40:25
Extends field copying to deeper ticket levels.
- Maintains consistency across ticket hierarchy
- Useful for projects and task trees
- Reduces manual updates
Added Primary Asset as a criteria for Runbooks | v2.212 #970066 | 40:41
Adds primary asset as a runbook condition.
- Enables asset-based automation
- Improves targeting of runbooks
- Useful for device-specific workflows
Added $-AgentID as an available $ variable for Database Lookups | v2.212 #961283 | 40:48
Adds AgentID variable for lookups.
- Expands database query capabilities
- Useful for advanced automation
- Improves flexibility in integrations
Added reports and dashboards to configuration change tracking | v2.212 #959264 | 40:55
Adds reporting changes to config tracking.
- Improves audit visibility
- Helps track admin changes
- Pairs well with settings search feature
Filter Profiles can now be used on Child Ticket lists | v2.212 #922698 | 42:56
Adds filter profiles to child ticket views.
- Reduces clutter (especially closed tickets)
- Improves usability in projects
- Strong practical improvement
Added multiple settings to the 'Other Open Tickets' views | v2.212 #882375 | 45:18
Adds more configuration options to other open tickets view.
- Improves visibility of related tickets
- Can be moved to its own tab
- Enhances day-to-day ticket context