What's included in a typical managed services retainer?

It depends on the tier, but a standard retainer covers platform updates and compatibility testing, security monitoring and patching, uptime monitoring with alerting, and a monthly allocation of development hours for ongoing improvements. Higher tiers add dedicated account management, performance auditing, and faster SLA response windows. We scope every retainer to the client's actual platform and needs — there's no one-size-fits-all package.

Do we need to have built our site with 40Q to use managed services?

No. We take on managed services for platforms built by other agencies and internal teams regularly. We start with an onboarding audit — reviewing the codebase, the hosting configuration, the security posture, and the deployment setup — so we understand exactly what we're maintaining before we commit to an SLA. If we find issues during the audit, we'll tell you what they are and what it would take to fix them.

What happens if something breaks outside business hours?

Each month, retainer clients have a set number of engineering hours available for ongoing work — new features, content type changes, integration updates, performance improvements, whatever is on the backlog. Unused hours don't roll over, which keeps the retainer lean and predictable. If a piece of work is larger than the monthly allocation, we'll scope it as a separate project rather than quietly burning through hours without warning.

How does the monthly development allocation work?

Carefully — and we discuss it explicitly at the start of every engagement. For organisations with strict data requirements, we can architect AI systems that don't send data to third-party APIs, using self-hosted or private cloud models instead. Our Private / Sovereign AI service is specifically designed for this. For less sensitive use cases, we work with enterprise API agreements and standard data processing terms. We'll flag the tradeoffs honestly.

Can we scale the retainer up or down over time?

Yes. Retainers are reviewed quarterly and can be adjusted up or down based on actual usage and changing needs. If you're in a quiet period, you can reduce the allocation. If you're about to launch a new campaign or product, you can increase it temporarily. We'd rather have a flexible arrangement that works long-term than lock clients into a tier that doesn't fit.

Expertise

Managed Services

Most agencies disappear after launch day. We don’t. 40Q stays on after a project goes live — keeping your platform fast, secure, and current, so your team can focus on the business rather than the infrastructure.

Capabilities

We don’t disappear after launch.

A website or AI system is never truly finished. Platforms update, security vulnerabilities emerge, content grows, and business requirements change. Our managed services practice exists for clients who want a long-term partner — not a one-off vendor.

WordPress & Shopify Platform Maintenance

We handle the ongoing work that keeps WordPress and Shopify platforms healthy — core updates, plugin management, theme maintenance, and compatibility testing after every update. Not just automated updates pushed without testing, but a proper process that catches issues before they reach production. Your editors keep working. Your site keeps performing.

Security Monitoring & Vulnerability Patching

We monitor for threats, apply security patches as they’re released, and maintain the hardened configuration that keeps enterprise WordPress platforms compliant and safe. For WordPress VIP clients, this is built into the platform. For all other clients, we provide dedicated security monitoring as part of our managed service tiers. You’ll know about issues before your users do.

Performance Optimization & Uptime SLAs

Site speed degrades over time as content grows, plugins accumulate, and traffic patterns change. We run regular performance audits, optimise database queries, manage caching configurations, and monitor uptime with alerting that reaches us first. For clients on service level agreements, we commit to response times and resolution windows in writing.

Ongoing Feature Development

Most of our long-term clients have a continuous backlog of improvements — new landing pages, integration updates, A/B tests, new content types, accessibility fixes. Rather than scoping a new project every time, retainer clients get a dedicated allocation of engineering time each month. Predictable cost, consistent velocity, a team that already knows your codebase.

AI System Monitoring & Model Maintenance

AI systems need more ongoing attention than static websites. Knowledge bases need refreshing as content changes, model performance should be monitored as underlying models update, and agentic systems need oversight to catch unexpected behaviour. We provide retainer-based maintenance for every AI system we build — and we can take on maintenance for AI systems built by others.

Frequently asked questions

stay supported

Your site, always current. Your AI, always accurate.

Whether you need light-touch maintenance or a fully managed platform, we’ll scope a retainer that fits. No bloated contracts — just the support you actually need.

Full Consultation See Our Expertise