# Quarterly business review template

> A quarterly business review (QBR) is a regular meeting in which a vendor or service provider reviews results with a customer and agrees the next quarter. This template has six slides: the customer's outcome, their results, adoption by site, the status of every commitment, the plan to renewal and the decisions needed. It is built for the customer version of the QBR, where the goal is trust and a shared plan, not a product tour.

- Source: https://ai-presentations.com/templates/quarterly-business-review/
- Updated: 21 October 2026
- Language: English
- German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/vorlagen/quarterly-business-review/

For customer success managers, account managers and agency leads who run quarterly reviews with a client or customer.

## Slide by slide

### 1. Title: the customer's outcome

A QBR is about the customer's result, not your product. A title that names their outcome sets the tone before the first number appears.

- Customer name and the quarter
- The outcome in one line, such as “a quarter of fewer delays”
- Who the review is prepared for, with their role, and the date

### 2. Results

Outcomes first, in the customer's own KPIs. If the customer cannot recognize the numbers, they will not trust the rest of the review.

- Four KPIs the customer set as goals, not your usage statistics
- The change against last quarter or a baseline
- Active users against licenses, as a plain fact

### 3. Adoption

Shows where the value is real and where help is needed. Highlighting the weak spot yourself builds credibility and turns a problem into an agreed action.

- Usage by site, team or product area as a chart
- The weakest spot highlighted, with the reason
- A takeaway sentence that says what you will do about it

### 4. Commitments

Accountability builds the trust that renewals depend on. A running list shows what you promised last quarter and what happened, including the items that slipped.

- Each commitment with status, date and a short note
- Amber items with the reason and the new date
- What you are still waiting for from the customer

### 5. Plan for next quarter

Turns the review into a shared plan. A timeline that ends at the renewal date makes the next three months the path to it.

- Three or four milestones with their months
- Which are done and which depend on the customer
- The renewal or planning session at the end

### 6. Decisions needed

Every QBR ends with asks, owners and dates. Without them the meeting produces goodwill and nothing else.

- Two or three asks, each with an owner and a date
- A named person on your side to follow up
- The date of the next review

## Example deck

The example is about Lindhoven Site, an invented company. Every figure in it is invented too.

1. Kessler Bau and Lindhoven Site: a quarter of fewer delays. Results, adoption and the plan for Q4. Prepared for Petra Kessler, COO · 9 October 2026
2. Site reports now arrive the same day, and rework is down by a third: Reports filed same day 91% (+38 pp vs. Q2); Rework hours per site −34% (Q3 vs. Q1); Active users 212 (of 240 licenses); Median time to answer 2.1 h (−1.4 h)
3. Berlin has 64 weekly active users, Leipzig 17; Leipzig is the one to watch. Leipzig started in August. After the October on-site training we expect it to match Cologne by December.
4. Four of five Q3 commitments delivered: Commitment, Status, Note
5. Three steps to full adoption before the renewal: Oct Leipzig on-site training; Nov Subcontractor access; Dec Board-ready quarterly report; Jan Renewal and 2027 roadmap
6. Two things we need from you. Legal review of subcontractor access by 31 October (Petra Kessler). Nominate a site champion for Leipzig by 16 October (Petra Kessler)

## QBR agenda: a 60 minute example

A 60 minute QBR fits six blocks, one for each slide of the template. The split is a suggestion: cut a block rather than rush all of them. The slide titles come from the example deck, which uses an invented customer.

| Minutes | Block | Slide in the template | Who leads |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 5 | Welcome and goal | Kessler Bau and Lindhoven Site: a quarter of fewer delays | Account lead |
| 15 | Results against the customer's goals | Site reports now arrive the same day, and rework is down by a third | Account lead |
| 10 | Adoption by site | Berlin has 64 weekly active users, Leipzig 17; Leipzig is the one to watch | Customer success |
| 10 | Commitments | Four of five Q3 commitments delivered | Account lead |
| 10 | Plan for next quarter | Three steps to full adoption before the renewal | Customer success |
| 10 | Decisions and owners | Two things we need from you | Account lead and customer success |

## QBR preparation checklist

Start ten working days before the meeting. Each task has a day and an owner, and the last one is a rehearsal of the decisions slide.

| When | Task | Owner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 working days before | Pull usage, support and delivery data | Customer success |
| 7 working days before | Agree the three messages the deck must land | Account lead |
| 5 working days before | Draft the deck, one claim per slide | Account lead |
| 3 working days before | Send the deck as a pre-read | Account lead |
| 1 working day before | Rehearse the decisions slide | Account lead and customer success |

## Customer QBR or internal quarterly business review?

In customer success and agency work, a QBR is a review with a customer: results, adoption and a shared plan. Inside a company the same name can mean a leadership review of the quarter. This template is the customer version.

For the internal reading, the steering committee and board presentation templates are the closer fit.

| Aspect | Customer QBR (this template) | Internal quarterly business review |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Audience | The customer's sponsor and users | The leadership team |
| Purpose | Results, adoption and a shared plan | Strategy and scorecard review |
| Core slide | Commitments and the decisions needed | Scorecard and exceptions |
| Length | 6 to 10 slides, 45 to 60 minutes | Varies by company |

## Tips

- **Start with their numbers.** Use the KPIs the customer put in the business case or the contract, not your usage statistics. “Reports filed the same day: 91%” is a result; “logins: 5,300” is only activity.
- **Show the weak spot yourself.** If one site or team lags, highlight it on the adoption chart and bring a plan. A customer who finds the weakness on their own starts to doubt the rest of your numbers.
- **Keep a running commitments list.** Carry the list from quarter to quarter and show every commitment, including the ones that slipped, with the reason and a new date. Customers remember promises, and a list that includes the misses is more credible than one that is always green.
- **Send it as a pre-read.** Send the deck two or three days ahead, so the meeting is used for decisions. A QBR that is read aloud wastes the hour the customer has set aside for you.
- **Get the budget owner into the room.** A review that only the day-to-day users attend cannot decide anything. Ask for the person who signs the renewal, and put their name on the title slide.
- **End on the ask.** Close with two or three decisions, each with an owner and a date, instead of “any questions?”. The next QBR should start by checking those items.

## Common mistakes

- A product tour with feature screenshots instead of the customer's results
- Activity numbers such as logins or page views that the customer never asked for
- Numbers without a baseline, so nobody can tell whether 91% is good
- Hiding slipped commitments, which the customer remembers anyway
- Ending with “any questions?” and no dated actions

## Brief for the AI

A complete brief for the AI. Replace the [placeholders] with your facts.

```text
Create a 6-slide quarterly business review for [customer name], prepared by [our company] for [contact name, role]. Quarter: [Q3 2026]. Slide 1: title that frames the quarter around the customer's outcome. Slide 2: four results in the customer's own KPIs, [reports filed the same day 91%, rework hours down 34%, active users 212 of 240 licenses, median time to answer 2.1 hours], each with its change. Slide 3: adoption by [site] as a column chart with the weakest site highlighted and a takeaway on what we will do. Slide 4: a table of this quarter's commitments with status and notes, including the ones that moved. Slide 5: a timeline for next quarter that ends at the renewal. Slide 6: the two or three decisions we need from the customer, each with an owner and a date. Use action titles and a clean business style. Use only the figures I give; mark anything missing as a placeholder.
```

[Open this brief in the editor](https://app.slaide.de/registrieren?prompt=Create+a+6-slide+quarterly+business+review+for+%5Bcustomer+name%5D%2C+prepared+by+%5Bour+company%5D+for+%5Bcontact+name%2C+role%5D.+Quarter%3A+%5BQ3+2026%5D.+Slide+1%3A+title+that+frames+the+quarter+around+the+customer%27s+outcome.+Slide+2%3A+four+results+in+the+customer%27s+own+KPIs%2C+%5Breports+filed+the+same+day+91%25%2C+rework+hours+down+34%25%2C+active+users+212+of+240+licenses%2C+median+time+to+answer+2.1+hours%5D%2C+each+with+its+change.+Slide+3%3A+adoption+by+%5Bsite%5D+as+a+column+chart+with+the+weakest+site+highlighted+and+a+takeaway+on+what+we+will+do.+Slide+4%3A+a+table+of+this+quarter%27s+commitments+with+status+and+notes%2C+including+the+ones+that+moved.+Slide+5%3A+a+timeline+for+next+quarter+that+ends+at+the+renewal.+Slide+6%3A+the+two+or+three+decisions+we+need+from+the+customer%2C+each+with+an+owner+and+a+date.+Use+action+titles+and+a+clean+business+style.+Use+only+the+figures+I+give%3B+mark+anything+missing+as+a+placeholder.&utm_source=ai-presentations.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=template%3Aqbr&utm_content=markdown)

## Frequently asked questions

### What should be in a QBR?

A QBR covers four things: the customer's results against the goals they set, how the product or service is being used, the status of what you promised last quarter and the plan for the next one. End with decisions that each have an owner and a date. Leave out feature tours and usage statistics the customer never asked for.

### How long should a QBR be?

Plan 45 to 60 minutes for the meeting and six to ten slides. Send the deck ahead as a pre-read, so the time goes to questions and decisions. If the review needs more than ten slides, move the detail into an appendix.

### Who should attend a QBR?

Invite the day-to-day contact and the person who owns the budget or signs the renewal, plus your account lead and someone who can decide on your side. A review without a decision-maker on the customer side turns into a status update. If the budget owner cannot attend, send them the pre-read and a two-line summary.

### Is a QBR the same as an internal quarterly review?

The name is used for two things. In customer success and agency work it is a review with a customer, which is what this template covers. Inside a company it can also mean a quarterly review of a team or business unit, which looks more like a board update or a quarterly report.

### Can the AI build a QBR from our usage data and our own template?

Yes, as a first version. Give the AI the usage export as Excel or CSV, a report as PDF or Word and your company's .pptx; it reads the values, plans the pages with you and builds the new slides in the design of your file. You check every figure before the review.

### Are the numbers in this template real?

No. Lindhoven Site, Kessler Bau and all figures are fictional. The numbers agree across the slides: the five sites add up to the 212 active users, and 38 of 40 site managers trained is the training commitment.

## Related pages

- [Project status report](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/project-status-report/): Report overall status, progress KPIs, schedule, workstreams, budget and risks on 8 slides, and ask sponsors for the decisions you need. With an example deck.
- [Steering committee](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/steering-committee/): A steering committee presentation template with 8 slides: status headline, key figures, schedule, budget bridge, workstreams, risks and the decisions you need.
- [Roadmap](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/roadmap/): A roadmap presentation template with 8 slides: outcomes, now-next-later, release timeline, Gantt chart, capacity, dependencies and the decisions you need.
- [Sales deck](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/sales-deck/): A sales deck template with 9 slides: the buyer's problem, solution, alternatives, proof, business case, pricing, rollout and next steps.

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