A client asks about a promise made last month. Their new account manager has the contract, but the explanation is still in somebody else's inbox. An account-manager handover should transfer the current relationship, commitments and judgement needed to run an existing account. It is different from onboarding a new client or transferring a newly won sale into delivery.
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash.
Start with what the incoming manager needs to do next, then work backwards to the evidence. A folder full of history is useful only if someone can identify the current agreement.
Build a current account picture
Use a short account note with these fields:
Client objective and what the current engagement covers.
Named decision-maker, day-to-day contact and approval route.
Promised deliverables, dates and outstanding client inputs.
Current commercial record and owner of commercial questions.
Open concerns, disputed expectations and commitments under discussion.
Next meeting, immediate decisions and links to authoritative records.
Separate facts from interpretations. “The client rejected the last two concepts” belongs beside the feedback. “They are difficult” gives the next manager a label without a useful action.
Transfer the reasoning, not every message
Ask the outgoing manager to explain the account's three most important unresolved questions. What has been tried? What does the client believe will happen? Which decision should the new manager avoid making without checking?
Keep sensitive material within approved access arrangements. Record where authorised credentials are managed instead of putting passwords in the handover document. Confirm that the incoming manager can reach the files before the outgoing manager leaves the account.
Test the handover with a real next action
In an illustrative agency, a new manager inherits a quarterly campaign. The outgoing manager explains that the client approved the campaign direction but has not approved the revised production estimate. The handover identifies who can confirm that estimate before production is booked.
Have the new manager describe the next action back to the outgoing owner. Questions reveal gaps that a signed checklist can miss. Agree who handles unexpected historical questions and when that temporary support ends.
Make the transfer visible to the client
Introduce the new manager with the next agreed step and a clear effective date. Avoid making the client reconstruct their account during the introduction. Check the first promised action afterwards and correct missing context while the old owner is still available.
Related guidance: guide to working with an external operations partner.
If account changes repeatedly interrupt client delivery, Hili Consulting can help design a handover that transfers working knowledge alongside files and responsibilities.
