Post-launch support: how to set a warranty period and a maintenance plan

The project is delivered, the final invoice is out, and a week later the client writes: "One of the forms stopped sending emails." You fix it. Two weeks after that there is another message. Without a stated policy, unpaid support grows quietly and nobody agreed to it. This post shows how to set a warranty period, separate fixes from new requests, and offer a maintenance plan.

What a warranty period is

A warranty period is a fixed window after delivery in which you correct defects in the agreed work at no charge. It has a start date, an end date and a clear definition of what it covers.

It is not open-ended support. It is a promise that what you delivered works as specified. Clients value it because it removes the fear of paying twice for something that was supposed to work. You benefit because the free work has a limit.

Define what counts as a defect

Most disputes come from one question: is this a defect or a change? Write the answer into your agreement.

• A defect is something that does not work as described in the agreed scope. A contact form that does not send is a defect.
• A change request is something new or different. Moving the form to another page is a change.
• An external issue comes from something outside your work, such as a hosting change, a plugin update by the client, or a third-party service going down.

Put these three definitions beside your scope statement. If a request is a change, you can respond as described in how to say no to out-of-scope requests.

Choose a length

Pick a period that matches how long real problems take to appear. A small website with a few forms may need only 30 days. A system with many integrations may need longer. Choose a number you can explain and stick to it.

State the period in calendar days and tie it to a clear event, for example "30 days from the date the client approves final delivery." Record that date in your close-out notes. The project close-out steps are a good place to log it.

What unpaid support costs

Say a project is priced at $12,000 and you work at $100 an hour. You have no warranty limit, and the client sends small requests for three months, about 6 hours of work each month.

That is 6 x 3 = 18 hours. At your rate, 18 x 100 = $1,800 of unbilled work. As a share of the project fee, that is 1,800 / 12,000 = 0.15, or 15%.

Nobody did anything wrong in this example. The client reasonably asked, and you reasonably helped. The cost came from having no boundary, and it landed on your margin.

Offer a maintenance plan for what comes after

When the warranty ends, give the client a clear option for continued support. A maintenance plan is a small monthly package with a set number of hours.

Say clients in this kind of project send about 4 requests a month, each taking about 1.25 hours. That is 4 x 1.25 = 5 hours. At $100 an hour, a 5-hour plan is 5 x 100 = $500 a month, or 500 x 12 = $6,000 a year.

Decide three terms in advance:

• What is included. For example, fixes, small content updates and software updates.
• What happens to unused hours. Either they expire at month end or roll over once. Expiring hours are simpler to run.
• The rate for extra hours. A higher rate for work beyond the plan, such as $120 an hour, encourages clients to choose a plan. The figures here are examples, so set your own.

For more on structuring monthly packages, see how to structure a monthly retainer.

Introduce the plan before the warranty ends

Do not wait for the last day. Raise the plan about a week before the warranty ends, with a short message that explains the end date and the next step:

"Your 30-day support period ends on the 14th. After that, fixes and updates are billed hourly. If you would like us to keep covering them, a monthly plan of 5 hours is $500. Let me know and I will send the details."

The message is factual and offers a choice. It does not pressure the client. A client who has just had their problems fixed quickly is the most likely to say yes.

Log support time anyway

Even free warranty work should be tracked. Record each request, the time spent and whether it was a defect, a change or an external issue. After a few projects you will see how much warranty work a typical project needs, which helps you set a better length next time and price new projects with realistic support time. HireOrSell can record time against a project on its paid plans, and you can check the pricing page for current plan details. A spreadsheet works as well.

Link it to renewals

A maintenance plan also gives you a natural point to talk about ongoing work. If the client stays on the plan, the same conversation can lead to a larger retainer later. See how to renew a retainer client for how to handle that step.

This post is general information, not legal advice. Warranty and liability terms differ by place and contract, so have a qualified person review your wording.

Next step

Open your standard agreement and check whether it states a warranty period, a definition of a defect and what happens afterward. If any of the three is missing, write it in with your own numbers. Then price a maintenance plan from your real support history, so the next project closes with a clear answer to what happens after launch.