Inspect the customer’s path
Inventory domain registration, DNS, hosting, source files, content rights, images, forms, email delivery, analytics, call-number routing and backups. For each, record the business-authorized owner, current access, transferable materials and ongoing cost responsibility. Account access and contractual ownership may differ; document both without guessing the legal answer.
A worked example
Fictional handoff: the owner receives website source code but the form still sends through the former agency’s account. The site remains online, yet inquiries stop after that account is closed. A complete transition record would identify the form handler, delivery provider, destination and a tested replacement before the old dependency ends.
Choose the next action
Ask for readable operating notes, a deployment procedure, a URL inventory and a list of outstanding issues. Move access using the provider’s normal authorized process, never shared passwords in a spreadsheet. Define who can approve the cutover and what evidence establishes that contact paths continue to work. Keep original files and permissions in approved storage.
Check whether it worked
Test the public site and a controlled delivery case after transition. Confirm renewal and billing ownership through the relevant accounts, and check that the new maintainer can publish an authorized routine correction. Close unresolved dependencies explicitly. If a contractual transfer is disputed, record the practical continuity issue and seek appropriate agreement rather than making unsupported ownership claims.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Asset, account and purpose
- Access versus ownership
- Transition materials and dependency
- Cutover and rollback owner
- Verified continuity or unresolved item
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
Talk through your next step →For a general editorial question, email Chris. Please leave out customer details. Questions are private, and no response time is promised.