Could your team run the website without its agency?

The agency has sent over a password list, a backup and a spreadsheet of renewal dates. Before you sign off, give the folder to the colleague who will own the website on Monday morning. Can they receive an enquiry, recover an account and find someone who can put the site back online? Book a rehearsal while the outgoing agency can still fill the gaps.

Put the person taking over at the keyboard

At Merebridge Recruitment, our fictional agency, the operations manager takes the keyboard and the developer watches. They use a fresh browser profile so a saved login cannot quietly get them through a test. The manager opens the registrar from a trusted bookmark, signs in with a business account and finds the domain’s renewal date. There is no need to change a live DNS record to prove any of this.

The recovery screen shows a masked phone number ending in 74. Nobody in the business recognises it. The developer identifies a former contractor. They add a second authorised administrator, enrol a company-controlled recovery method and test it before removing the old one. The handover sheet records who completed the test and where the recovery instructions are kept. Passwords and backup codes belong in the business password manager.

Follow one enquiry until a person sees it

Choose a journey that pays the bills. For Merebridge, that means an employer asking for help filling a vacancy. From a phone, the manager submits a clearly labelled test enquiry, then asks the recruitment desk to find it and reply. A green thank-you message proves only that the browser reached the confirmation screen.

In the rehearsal, the desk receives nothing. The agency finds the entry in the website inbox and discovers that the notification still goes to a former employee. After correcting the destination, the manager repeats the whole journey and checks that the reply arrives. Record both ends of the test. Delete the dummy enquiry afterwards so it cannot enter the sales pipeline.

Ask to see a restored copy

Give the incoming maintainer a recent backup and a separate, access-controlled test environment. Disable outgoing mail and integrations there before running the copy. Ask them to open a recently edited page, check its images and find a known test entry. A database export alone will not bring back uploaded files. Note the backup date, what the restore included and how long it took. Keep the old hosting account available until you’ve checked for enquiries submitted between the backup and the switch.

Make the sign-off specific

End the meeting with three columns headed “Passed”, “Still open” and “Owner and retest date”. At Merebridge the registrar recovery test passes and the second enquiry reaches the desk. A missing image folder keeps the restore open. The developer supplies the folder and the incoming maintainer repeats the restore. Only then does the manager close that item.

Use the domain and website handover checklist to record who can act if a change fails. Put the signed sheet somewhere accessible even when the website is down. On Monday morning your colleague should have a named contact, a tested login and a way to recover the service.