# Sales-to-Customer Success handoff

> Canonical page: https://wayhatch.com/workflows/sales-to-cs-handoff/
> Evidence label: Conceptual blueprint with a synthetic example, full guide. Definitions: https://wayhatch.com/about/evidence-labels/
> Updated: 26 October 2026 (2026-10-26). Publisher: wayhatch, wayhatchai@gmail.com
> Team: Sales · with Customer Success

A handoff record for every closed-won deal, with each commitment traced to its source, then a joint kickoff led by the account executive and the CSM.

## Outcome

One handoff record per closed-won deal: what was sold, every commitment with its source, the stakeholder map, success criteria in the customer’s words, known risks and the first milestone with a date. The account executive writes it, the CSM accepts it, and both run the kickoff.

## Downloads

- [Handoff record template](https://wayhatch.com/downloads/sales-to-cs-handoff-template.md): Markdown · 4 KB
- [Synthetic example](https://wayhatch.com/downloads/sales-to-cs-handoff-example.md): Invented deal, Markdown · 7 KB
- [Fictional deal records](https://wayhatch.com/downloads/sales-to-cs-handoff-input.json): The example’s inputs, JSON · 4 KB

## Before you start

- A closed-won definition both teams accept.
- A named account executive and an assigned CSM for each new customer.
- Read access to the signed order form, deal notes and sales emails.
- An agreed deadline for the handoff, counted from closed-won.

## Inputs

| Input | What it provides | If missing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Signed order form and contract | Products, quantities, term, start date | Do not hand off until it is filed |
| Opportunity record and notes | Stage history, pains, decision process | Ask the account executive; mark gaps |
| Sales emails and call notes | Promises made outside the contract | Ask the account executive to list them |
| Mutual action plan, if used | Agreed dates and owners after signature | Draft the first milestone at kickoff |
| Stakeholder list | Sponsor, champion, users, approvers | Mark roles unconfirmed |

## Steps

1. **Trigger the handoff at closed-won** (Account executive). When the order form is signed, open a handoff record from the template and attach the contract. Fill in the deal summary and what was sold from the order form, quoting product names and quantities exactly. For an expansion deal on an existing customer, update the current success plan instead of opening a new record.
2. **Build the commitment register** (Account executive or assistant). List every promise made during the sales process with its source: contract clause, email, call note or proposal. Mark each one as contracted or not in the contract. Anything said only in an email or a call stays visible until someone decides it.
3. **Map stakeholders, success criteria and risks** (Account executive). Name the sponsor, champion, day-to-day users and anyone who can block the rollout, each with a confirmed or unconfirmed role. Write success criteria in the customer’s own words, list known risks and propose a first milestone with a date.
4. **Review, resolve and accept** (CSM). Read the record before the internal handoff call. Challenge vague success criteria and every commitment outside the contract. The sales manager decides whether an uncontracted commitment is honoured, amended or declined, and the CSM signs off only when each one has an owner.
5. **Run the joint kickoff** (Account executive and CSM). Both attend the customer kickoff. Play back the success criteria and first milestone for the customer to confirm or correct, introduce the CSM as the owner from here, and record any change in the handoff record and the success plan.

## Automation candidates

| Candidate | Needs | Watch for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Open the record at closed-won | Stage change, signed order form attached | Deals reopened or split after close |
| Prefill deal and product fields | Order form lines match the product catalogue | Custom terms, bundles, free-text lines |
| Flag possible commitments in emails | Authorised mailbox access, keyword list | Promises made by phone or in person |
| Create the review and kickoff tasks | Named CSM, agreed deadline | CSM not yet assigned |

## Where an agent could help

Compare the order form with sales emails and call notes and flag statements that look like commitments, citing each source. The account executive confirms them, the sales manager decides on anything outside the contract, and no message goes to the customer.

## Human review

- Check products, quantities and dates against the order form.
- Confirm every commitment has a source and a decision.
- Confirm stakeholder roles with the account executive.
- Keep success criteria in the customer’s words.
- Accepting the record does not approve any customer message.

## Limitations

- No retrieval, integration or agent has been built for this workflow.
- No time savings or outcomes are reported.
- Commitment flagging cannot find promises that were never written down.

## If you pilot it, measure

| Measure | How |
| --- | --- |
| Handoff timeliness | Closed-won to CSM sign-off |
| Commitment coverage | Promises found after sign-off, not in the record |
| Repeated questions | Kickoff questions the record already answered |
| Milestone accuracy | First milestone met on the agreed date |
| Time to first value | Closed-won to the first agreed outcome |

Next workflow: [Customer health and renewal risk](https://wayhatch.com/workflows/customer-health/)