The handover from sales to delivery is where promises get lost

4 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Introduction

A job is won on the strength of a conversation, and then delivered by somebody who was not in it. Whatever was agreed informally — the timing that mattered, the concern about disruption, the small thing promised in passing — reaches the delivery team only if somebody wrote it down and passed it on.

When that fails, the customer experiences it as a broken promise, and they are right. From their side there is no distinction between the person who sold and the person who delivers; they dealt with one business. The handover is therefore a step in the customer's experience rather than an internal administrative matter, and it deserves the same attention as the sale.

1. The handover from sales to delivery must carry the promises, not just the specification

The core point.

What was agreed matters as much as what was measured. Specifications transfer easily and commitments made in conversation do not. This is why the same job can be delivered correctly and still disappoint.

2. Write down every commitment at the time

The prerequisite.

Anything said during the sale that the customer will expect. These are the items that cause disappointment, and they exist only in somebody's memory unless recorded immediately. Five minutes after the conversation is the only reliable moment to capture them.

3. Include the concerns, not only the requirements

The half most often lost.

A worry about noise, a pet, a deadline, a previous bad experience. The delivery team cannot accommodate what they do not know about. Accommodating a stated concern is also one of the cheapest ways to produce a good review.

4. Use a consistent format

The practical mechanism.

Same fields every time: scope, price, dates, commitments, concerns, contact. A handover that depends on somebody remembering to mention things is one that will vary. One page is enough.

5. Have a conversation, not just a document

The addition.

Five minutes between the person who sold and the person delivering. Tone, context and the awkward detail transfer in conversation and rarely survive a form. Make it a standing step rather than something done when the job looks complicated.

6. Introduce the customer to whoever takes over

The continuity.

A short message naming the person and confirming the details. Customers dislike being passed to a stranger who appears to know nothing about them. Two lines is enough and it prevents the most common complaint about handovers.

7. Make sure the promises were realistic

The check that prevents most failures.

Whoever delivers should confirm the dates and commitments are achievable before the customer is told. A promise made in a sale and rejected in delivery is the worst possible sequence.

8. Keep the seller involved briefly

The relationship point.

A check-in early in the work from the person who sold reassures the customer and catches a mismatch while it is still easy to correct.

9. Feed delivery problems back into selling

The loop.

Where a commitment repeatedly causes difficulty, that is something being oversold. This information exists in delivery and almost never reaches the person making the promises.

Be careful about commitments made verbally and never confirmed. Anything material should appear in writing to the customer as well as internally, because a dispute later turns on what was recorded rather than what was said.

Conclusion

Treat it as part of the customer's experience rather than an internal formality.

Record every commitment at the moment it is made, pass on the concerns as well as the requirements, use the same handover format each time, hold a short conversation alongside the document, introduce the customer to whoever takes over, have the delivery side confirm that the promises are achievable before anybody is told, keep the person who sold involved briefly at the start, and feed recurring delivery problems back to whoever is making the commitments.