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CRM Handoff Worksheet: What to Verify Before Recommending
Record the client’s workflow, handoff rules, access needs and reporting tests before comparing HubSpot, Bigin and Pipedrive.
Resource overview
The short answer
Before recommending a CRM, document how the client’s inquiry moves between people and teams, what information must follow it, who can act on it, and how progress will be reviewed. Then test those requirements in the specific product and plan under consideration. Vendor documentation describes useful differences, but does not establish account-specific fit or performance.
This guidance is based on selected vendor documentation, not hands-on product testing or measured client outcomes.
Record the client’s acceptance requirements
| Worksheet item | Record for this client | Acceptance test and evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow and stages | List the inquiry stages, the team responsible at each stage, and the event that ends one team’s work and starts the next team’s. | Ask the client to walk through a representative inquiry. Record the agreed stage names and handoff point; compare them with a configured example rather than assuming a generic sales pipeline matches. |
| Record and handoff model | Specify whether work should continue on one record or whether a separate record is needed for the receiving team. List the information that must be available after handoff. | Demonstrate the handoff and inspect the resulting record or records. Record whether required details are present and linked as expected; do not assume that creating a connected record copies particular fields. |
| Ownership and access | Name the roles that need to view, edit, assign, or restrict access to each workflow’s records. | Test the intended roles and permissions in the account. Record what each role can see and do; vendor documentation describes controls, but the client’s exact access setup still needs verification. |
| Next action and follow-up | Define what counts as the next action, who owns it, and what the team expects to see when reviewing an inquiry. | Use a representative record to schedule or complete an activity where the product supports it. Record how the next step appears and whether the client’s team can use it as intended. |
| Reporting and review | Write down the specific progress questions the client needs answered, including how handoffs or pipeline changes should be interpreted. | Run the relevant report using a test workflow and record its scope and any exclusions. Do not treat a visible dashboard or report as proof that it answers the client’s question. |
| Plan and integrations | List required integrations and the product edition the client is considering. | Verify availability and terms for the exact plan and account, then test required integration behavior. The cited feature pages do not establish current plan entitlement or account-specific integration behavior. |