Key takeaways
- First check whether the problem is the agency or missing inputs on your side. A new agency won't fix a missing brief.
- Secure admin access and export data before you give notice, not after.
- Your company should own the ad accounts, Meta business portfolio, analytics, domain and WhatsApp Business number.
- In the Gulf, add the WhatsApp number, Arabic copy files and creator permits to the handover list.
Agency handover checklist
Fill one row per asset. Mark each one secured, in progress or at risk before you give notice.
| Asset | Who should own it | Do this before you give notice | Risk sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads account | Your company, with your own admin login | Confirm a person at your company has admin access in Access and security. Note which manager account is linked. | The account was created inside the agency's manager account and nobody at your company is an admin. |
| Google Analytics 4 and Tag Manager | Your company | Check you are an administrator on the GA4 property and the Tag Manager container. Export the reports you rely on. | You only see screenshots in a deck. |
| Meta business portfolio (Pages, Instagram, ad account, pixel or dataset) | Your company's portfolio, with the agency added as a partner | Check someone at your company has full control. List every asset the agency can reach. | Your Page or ad account sits in the agency's portfolio, not yours. |
| WhatsApp Business number | Your company's WhatsApp Business Account | Find out which provider (Solution Partner) hosts the number and whose account it is in. Ask how two-step verification will be turned off for a move. | The number sits in the agency's account and they can't say how it moves. |
| Domain and DNS | Your company, at a registrar in your name | Get the registrar login. Note who controls DNS and where email (MX) records point. | The domain is registered in the agency's name. |
| Website and landing pages | Your company | Get admin access to the site and any landing page tool. Take a full backup. | Landing pages live in the agency's tool account. |
| Creative files and copy (English and Arabic) | Your company, per the contract | Request the source files: designs, videos, ad copy, Arabic copy, brand files. | Only exported images, no source files. |
| Reports and raw data | Your company | Download monthly reports and raw exports for the period you paid for. | Data is "available on request" only. |
| Tools and subscriptions in the agency's name | Agreed in writing | List tools (scheduling, reporting, call tracking). Decide which you will replace. | Tracking breaks the day the agency's tool account closes. |
| Creators and permits | Your company's records | Keep the list of creators used and their permit details. | Nobody can tell you which creators ran your ads. |
Use Print or save this sheet under the table to keep a copy. Follow Voyuma on X at @getvoyuma.
Is it the agency, or the inputs?
Switching costs time. A new agency needs to learn your offer, your customers and your accounts, so make sure you are fixing the right problem.
The problem is likely the agency when:
- Reports show activity but no actions or next steps, after you have asked for them.
- Dates slip without notice, more than once.
- You can't get names for the people working on your account.
- Answers about who owns your accounts or data stay vague.
The problem may be on your side when:
- There is no written brief with one goal, one main channel and one number to judge.
- Approvals take weeks, or nobody at your company can say yes.
- Tracking was never set up, so nobody can see what worked.
If the second list sounds familiar, write the brief first, whatever the Digital Marketing job is. Our guide to brief a digital marketing job before you spend has a one-page checklist. Then give your current agency one review against it. If the same problems come back, you will switch with a clear brief for the next agency, which is the best start you can give them.
The order of moves
The order matters more than the speed.
- Read your contract. Find the notice period, what it says about files and data, and any fee tied to handover. This is not legal advice; if the terms are unclear, ask a lawyer before you act.
- Secure admin access. Use the checklist. Fix any row marked at risk while the relationship is still normal.
- Export what you need. Reports, raw data, creative source files, Arabic copy, audience lists you are allowed to keep.
- Brief the next agency. Send the same brief and your handover checklist. Ask them what they need on day one.
- Give notice in writing. List what you expect to receive and by when.
- Remove the old agency's access. Only once the new setup works and the handover list is complete.
On Google Ads, a person with admin access to your account can remove a linked manager account from Access and security. The account keeps its own campaign history after the unlink, according to Google Ads Help. On Meta, only someone with full control of your business portfolio can remove a partner, which is why row three of the checklist comes before notice.
If you want a second pair of eyes on your handover list before you send notice, message us on WhatsApp.
The Gulf details most switch guides miss
Your WhatsApp number. If your enquiries come in on WhatsApp, this is the asset you can least afford to lose, and it may have been set up through the agency's provider. Meta's documentation says a number can move from one WhatsApp Business Account to another and keep its display name, quality rating and approved high-quality templates. Two-step verification must be turned off first, and if the old provider controls the account, they have to do it. Ask about this early.
Arabic copy. Arabic ad copy, landing page text and social captions take real work to write well. Ask for the source files, not only the published posts, so the next team starts from your approved wording.
Timing. Avoid a handover in the weeks before Ramadan, Eid or a major sale. Plan the switch so the new team has time to learn the accounts before your busy period.
Creators. If creators ran content for you, keep the list and their permit details in your own records. The next agency will need them.
What to ask the next agency
Use the same questions you would use for any agency, with two added for a switch: "What do you need from us on day one?" and "What will you check first in the accounts we hand over?" A good answer is specific: access, tracking, the last few months of reports and the brief. Our questions to ask a digital marketing agency before you sign cover the rest, and whether an agency can guarantee results shows how to put commitments in writing this time.
If part of the problem was manual reporting or leads lost between WhatsApp and sales, that can be a workflow fix as well as a marketing one. That is AI Integrations & Solutions work, scoped on its own.
Bring the checklist to your first call
Fill in the checklist before you speak to anyone new. When you are ready to talk about the job, book a call and bring the brief and the checklist. You can read how we approach Digital Marketing work at Voyuma before we talk.