# SaaS sales handoff and acceptance kit

Define one transition at a time. Keep facts, interpretations, promises, and unknowns separate. The example is fictional.

## Transition definition

- Process owner and version:
- Sending stage and owner:
- Receiving stage and owner:
- Customer next step this transfer enables:
- Trigger and evidence:
- Readiness requirements:
- Response or review expectation appropriate to coverage:
- Responsible owner before acceptance:
- Fallback or escalation owner:

## Handoff record

| Field | Context | Confirmed, interpreted, or unknown | Source or follow-up owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer goal | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Current workflow | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Reason for acting | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Requirements and compatibility | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Relevant participants | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Work already completed | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Promises and agreed terms | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Open questions | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Next action and date/condition | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

Include only relevant information and suitably accessible source references.

## Acceptance

- Receiver:
- Review date:
- Outcome: accept, request missing detail, or return with reason:
- Missing detail and owner:
- Ownership effective from:
- Customer-facing introduction owner:
- Next-action owner:
- Return or escalation reason:

A sent record is not automatically accepted. Preserve responsibility while a transfer remains unresolved.

## Fictional introduction

“Alex will help check the webhook-to-ticket workflow we discussed. Alex has the compatibility questions and sample scenario from our demo. The next step is the agreed setup review; I’ll stay available for offer terms.” Use an introduction like this only after the receiving owner accepts the handoff and receives the context.

## Exception walkthrough

| Scenario | Who notices | Who acts | Customer next step | Evidence of resolution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missing requirement | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Receiving owner unavailable | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Transfer returned | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |
| Customer circumstances change | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in | Fill in |

## Review

- Eligible transfers and observation window:
- Sent, accepted, returned, and completed counts:
- Completion definition:
- Return reasons and stalled records:
- Recurring upstream information gap:
- Change to qualification, discovery, demo, or scope:
- Owner and review condition:

Fictional calculation: 15 accepted / 20 eligible transfers = 75% acceptance. This is arithmetic, not a target or evidence of revenue. Track completion of the customer's next step separately.

## Missing-detail response

- Detail absent from the submitted record:
- Response: return/request detail, or accept and own the open question:
- Owner until acceptance:
- Owner after acceptance:
- Next review condition:
- Customer-facing next step while this is resolved:

If an unavailable capability was promised, resolve the scope with the customer before presenting implementation as ready. Leaving a record untouched is not an ownership decision.


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Original resource by Jon Bishop. CC BY 4.0. Illustrative examples are not customer results.