Handoff moves a conversation from agent/SDR handling to the AE with full context: one click, the AE gets the thread, the account dossier, and a suggested first message. The prospect never repeats themselves.
When handoff fires
Manually (Hand off button on any conversation), by rule (positive reply on A-tier account → auto-handoff to account owner), or by the agent's escalation judgment (negotiation-adjacent topics).
What the AE receives
The full thread, the account context panel (ICP, signals, engagement history across all contacts), the qualification answers gathered so far, and an agent-drafted transition message ready to edit and send.
The transition message
Best practice: the new sender acknowledges the transition naturally ("Priya shared your conversation — the pricing question is my department"). The agent drafts this; cold handoffs where the AE starts from scratch measurably lose momentum.
Post-handoff
The conversation moves to the AE's queue; the agent stops touching this contact but continues working other contacts at the account under deal-support rules (see Stage-change workflow patterns).
