Further support
🟦 How long-term collaboration can be structurally mapped with Leadtime
This text provides background information. What types of text are there?
From project to partnership
How to seamlessly transition to ongoing customer support after billing
The completion of a project is often a milestone - but rarely the end of the collaboration. Many digital service providers experience a smooth transition into long-term support after the successful completion of an initial project. This is precisely where a tried and tested best practice approach comes into play: the transition from an individual project to a separate, ongoing project.
Phase 1: Clean completion of the initial project
In Leadtime, the first customer project is created as an individual project. It has a clear goal, a defined end and is set to the status "billed" after completion. In this status, the project is no longer actively used for operational work:
- No more new tickets are created.
- The project remains archived and traceable.
- However, invoices can still be generated from it, e.g. for hosting, license fees or flat-rate support contracts.
This clear separation creates order - both in the project structure and in communication with the customer.
Phase 2: Create a new, ongoing project
Parallel to the completion of the initial project, a new project with the type "ongoing" is created in Leadtime. This project is open, without a fixed end date, and is used for further operational collaboration in day-to-day business.
Typical scenarios:
- The customer spontaneously submits new tickets.
- Regular further development or technical support is provided.
- Billing is based on time and effort or via 👉 Express offer
The advantage: The new project is clearly separated from the initial project, but retains the contextual connection. This maintains an overview - both for your own team and for the customer.
Why this approach proves its worth
- Structure instead of chaos: historical and current work are clearly separated.
- Billing security: subscriptions and maintenance packages continue to run without being inadvertently blocked by the project structure.
- Flexibility: The ongoing project provides an ideal basis for new requirements without the legacy burdens of the initial setup.
- Customer loyalty: The transition from project to ongoing partnership is smooth and professional.
Conclusion
A project ends - the collaboration does not. By clearly marking the completion of a project in Leadtime and simultaneously creating a new, open project for support, you create a reliable structure for sustainable customer relationships. This turns a successful individual project into a long-term service model - without any organizational proliferation.