A finished website and completed registrations do not yet prove operational readiness. Walk through the first customer's journey from the first question to the completion of the service.

Check every handover

Who receives the enquiry, clarifies the task, agrees the terms and schedules the work? What information goes to the person carrying it out? Check not only the normal path but also missing information, rescheduling and changes to the request.

Run through an order with the team

Do a practice order from enquiry to handover of the result. Check the availability of people, materials and time, and that everyone understands the scope of the service. Check separately who tells the customer if the terms change. The rehearsal should show that the team can deliver what was promised, not just that the form or integration works.

How to rehearse with a test enquiry

Prepare a sample enquiry with enough information and send it along the same route as a customer would. Check receipt, assignment to someone responsible, clarification, agreement and handover to delivery. The test should end with a visible result in the final system, not just a message saying it was sent. Do not create real payments or obligations unless necessary. Everyone involved should know it is a test. Note every point where a verbal explanation was needed that is missing from the normal process.

Which failures to test before accepting customers

Repeat the scenario with incomplete information, a moved date and someone unavailable. Find out who notices the problem and how work continues. Check that the website's promises match the team's actual availability and resources. Administrative and professional requirements are assessed separately. If the rehearsal reveals a critical gap, schedule a fix and test exactly the affected path again. Readiness is built from confirmed stages, not from the feeling that all the main pages and materials already look finished.

What to check

  • Check the channel for incoming enquiries.
  • Check that materials and resources are ready.
  • Clarify who is responsible for delivery.
  • Plan how to handle questions after handover.

Example situation

An enquiry may leave the website successfully but never reach the person responsible. The rehearsal must end with confirmed receipt and action by the team.

Next step

It is safer to accept your first order after checking the whole process, not just the visible marketing part.

Official information on this topic

Checklists and examples are organisational recommendations. Requirements depend on the procedure, the city and your situation; check them with the relevant office before you act. Please discuss legal and tax questions with an authorised professional.

This article was prepared with the help of AI. The example illustrates the approach and does not describe a client case.