I’ve been in Customer Success for over 13 years, and guess what? The Sales-to-CS handoff still sparks drama in way too many orgs. Even when teams have a so-called "process," it’s often just a check-the-box exercise. People go through the motions to say they "did what they were told," but if we’re missing the insights, we’re missing the point.
I still hear CSMs venting about Sales:
Sales won’t meet with CSMs because they’re “too busy.”
Sales doesn’t provide the insights needed for kickoff in time.
The handoff form is incomplete or useless.
The info shared is incorrect or outdated.
Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s frustrating when you feel like you’re doing all the heavy lifting. But instead of finger-pointing, let’s talk about how to fix it—for everyone, including Sales.
1️⃣ Get Tight on the What
Customer Success teams want a lot of info from Sales. But let’s be real—some of it isn’t relevant, some is already documented elsewhere, and some should come directly from the customer.
💡 Tip: Go back to your handoff process and only make mandatory the information that only Sales can provide at this stage.
Specific use cases
Customer goals
Business pain points
Org chart & key stakeholders
Tech stack & integrations
2️⃣ Figure Out the Where
Where do insights from the Sales process actually live? (Spoiler: it’s not just the CRM.)
💡 Tip: Look beyond Salesforce. Insights are scattered across:
Call Recordings: Gong, Chorus, Update.Ai, Avoma
Marketing: HubSpot, Marketo, webinar attendance
Surveys: Typeform, Google Forms, Qualtrics
Document Sharing: Docsend, Dropbox, Box
Sales Engagement: Salesloft, Outreach
Demos/Trials: Did they test-drive the product?
3️⃣ Align on the Who
Sales isn’t responsible for spoon-feeding CSMs every detail. But someone is responsible for capturing and sharing insights.
💡 Tip: Use a RACI framework for ownership clarity:
Customer Overview: Sales (R), CSM (C)
Pain Points & Goals: Sales (R), CSM (I)
Stakeholder Map: Sales (A), CSM (R)
Use Cases: Sales (R), CSM (C)
Contract Details: Sales (A), CSM (R)
4️⃣ Optimize the How
Tech should be your best friend, not your biggest headache.
💡 Tip: Make customer data accurate, accessible, and automated.
Require key fields in the CRM
Standardize inputs (drop-downs > open text fields)
Integrate systems so data flows seamlessly
Use AI to summarize call notes & insights (Gong, ZoomInfo)
5️⃣ Enable the Team—Together
Most orgs design a process and then… never enable it properly. Sales and CS operate in silos, then wonder why things break.
💡 Tip: Roll out process changes together.
Pilot the new process with a few Sales & CS reps before scaling
Have the pilot team train their peers
Call out foreseeable issues (time constraints, process gaps) before they derail things
Don’t “set it and forget it”—adjust as you go
Final Thought
Let’s not lose sight of the goal: CS needs the right insights to deliver a stellar customer experience. Fixing the handoff isn’t just about Sales or CS—it’s about setting customers (and your company) up for success.
This is an easy place to start. Now let’s make it happen.
Comments