Agency Onboarding
Part of Agency renewal decisions
Ending an agency engagement with a clear handover record
Close an agency engagement with a record of accepted work, live activity, files, accounts, information, invoices and open items.
Close an agency engagement with a record of accepted work, open items, transfers and owners of remaining actions. The record is useful even when no replacement agency has been chosen. What the agency must supply depends on the agreement and relevant licences.
Confirm the final work
Record the agreement, notice given, effective end date and work due before then. State which live or scheduled items the agency may maintain during the remaining period and when it must seek a new instruction. Seek advice before relying on a disputed termination right or fee; an operational record cannot settle the dispute.
List unfinished work by deliverable and version. Agree whether each item will be completed, handed over unfinished, paused or omitted through an approved change. Name the client person who can accept it. Keep approved work distinct from drafts and scheduled material.
Keep one closure register
| Item | Record to keep | Acceptance question |
|---|---|---|
| Work and approvals | Deliverable, version, status and approver | What was accepted, and what remains open? |
| Accounts and access | Account ID, client administrator and agency access | Can the client manage each required account? |
| Materials | Files due, locations and licence limits | Can the agreed recipient open and use them? |
| Live activity | Campaigns, schedules, budgets and next action | Who monitors or pauses each item after exit? |
| Measurement | Definitions, reporting period, source and known gaps | Can later readers interpret the figures? |
| Commercial close | Invoices, credits and supplier commitments | What still needs reconciliation? |
| Information | Material held, agreed treatment and owner | What return, retention or disposal remains? |
The register helps the parties check closure. It does not create rights to source files, platform accounts or third-party material beyond their arrangement.
What to include in the closure register by category
- Work and approvals
- Deliverable, version, status, approver
- Accounts and access
- Account ID, client administrator, agency access
- Materials
- Files due, locations, licence limits
- Live activity
- Campaigns, schedules, budgets, next action
- Measurement
- Definitions, reporting period, source, known gaps
- Commercial close
- Invoices, credits, supplier commitments
- Information
- Material held, agreed treatment, owner
Record access and information outcomes
Have a named client administrator confirm the access needed to manage each important system. Record the account and date checked. Keep any outstanding access or transfer task open with an owner; do not describe a planned check as complete.
Once ongoing access needs are settled, record removal of outgoing permissions that are no longer required. A separate transition plan can handle detailed cutover to a new provider.
Ask the agency to identify client information it still holds and what the agreement requires at exit. Where personal information is involved, have the business’s privacy owner assess permitted retention, return, destruction or de-identification. Australian Privacy Principle duties depend on whether an entity is covered, what it holds and why it may retain it. Do not assume every copy must be deleted at once.
Handover process for agency engagements in Australia
- Confirm client administrator and required system accessRecord account ID and date checked
- Remove outgoing permissions no longer neededEnsure access is revoked post-transition
- Identify personal information retained by the agencyAssess under Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
- Determine permitted actions: return, retain, destroy, or de-identifyGuided by APP 5 (use and disclosure) and APP 11 (security)
- Document final decisions and assign ownershipMaintain traceability for compliance with ATO and privacy laws
Accept the closure position
Review the package while the agency can answer questions. Mark each register item accepted, open with an owner and date, or disputed. Keep evidence of the check, such as a file location and version, access confirmation or invoice under review.
Finish with a dated note identifying completed obligations, remaining exceptions, their owners and the location of the handover record. That gives a later team a clear starting point without implying that every open item has been resolved.
