Handoff Friction is the organizational dysfunction that occurs when people are transferred between departments, systems, or team members—losing context, momentum, and trust in the process.
What Gets Lost
Context:
- Relationship history
- Previous conversations
- Understood needs
- Established trust
Momentum:
- Forward progress
- Decision velocity
- Implementation speed
- Natural flow
Trust:
- Relationship continuity
- Confidence in organization
- Willingness to engage
- Future openness
Common Causes
- Marketing to Sales handoffs
- Sales to Service transitions
- Support ticket routing
- System-to-system transfers
- Team member changes
The Cost
Each handoff creates:
- Customer frustration
- Repeated explanations
- Relationship damage
- Slowed progress
- Increased abandonment
The Alternative
Reduce handoffs through:
- End-to-end ownership
- Cross-functional teams
- Unified systems
- Relationship continuity
- Seamless experiences
The best handoff is no handoff—maintain relationship continuity throughout the journey.