The Problem with Handoffs: How to Stop Requests from Getting Bounced Around

If you work in Planning, Building, or Public Safety, you’ve probably dealt with this situation:

A resident calls or emails with a question, gets transferred, then transferred again - ultimately escalating what was just a simple inquiry.

Handoffs are frustrating for residents, but they also create hidden work for staff. Every transfer, forward, or “try calling this other number” adds time, increases the chance of inconsistent information, and leads to more follow-ups.

The good news is you don't need a brand-new system to reduce handoffs. In many cases, it comes down to a few repeat issues and simple communication standards.

Ways to Route Requests Faster and More Consistently Across Departments

1) Identify your Top Handoff Topics and Questions

Before writing new scripts or changing anything, get clear on what is actually driving handoffs.

Most departments only have a handful of repeat handoff topics, such as:
permit status, inspections, zoning basics, etc., etc.

How to measure these repeat sources of confusion quickly:
Pick a single week of emails, tickets, or 311 requests and mark each time something was forwarded, transferred, or reassigned - then tally your top topics.

This report doesn't need to be perfect, but just a shortlist of topics where residents are getting stuck in a loop of never-ending transfers.

2) Standardize a Universal Response for Next Steps

Many handoffs end on a low note because the resident hears that you don't have the answer, and nothing else.

Even if you cannot solve the request directly, a better standard is for the resident to walk away with a clear, respectful next step in mind.

Here is a simple response you can standardize across staff:

“Thanks for reaching out. This inquiry is handled by [Department]. The fastest way to get help is [phone/email/link]. If you include [key detail], it helps them respond more quickly.”

This simple response can prevent escalations and back-and-forth's, that keep the resident from guessing to do what's next.

3) Decide When to Warm-Handoff Vs. Redirect

Not every handoff needs to be treated the same.

While some requests are easy to redirect with a link, others could benefit from a warm handoff - especially when the resident is stressed, confused, or has already been bounced around.

A warm handoff can be as simple as sending the request to the right team with context, so the resident doesn't have to start over.

Here is a script that works well:

“This is handled by [team]. I’m going to send them the details you shared so you don't need to repeat yourself. If you do not hear back by [timeframe], here is the best contact: [info].”

This keeps the resident from feeling dismissed and reduces the odds they follow up multiple times by making them feel heard in their inquiry process.

4) Create an Ownership Map for Gray-Area Requests

Handoffs are not a result of staff not wanting to help, most of the time the request genuinely sits between teams.

Examples are everywhere:

• code enforcement vs inspections
  
• planning vs permitting vs engineering
  
• public safety vs nuisance complaints

Luckily, the fix can be as simple as creating an internal ownership map accessible to all staff, so knowing who requests belong to becomes easy.  

This can be started with a one-page list that includes:

• topic
  
• owner
  
• the best updated link or form
  
• what residents should include
  
• a note for edge cases

5) Standardize What Residents Should Include

Even when a resident finds the right team for their inquiry, follow-ups can still be generated if they didn't include the information staff need to help.

One of the easiest ways to reduce handoffs and reduce back-and-forth is to standardize a short “what to include” checklist for common request types.

Examples:

• permit status: permit number, address, project type
• noise complaint: location, time pattern, general description
• records request: document type, timeframe, delivery preference
• inspection scheduling: address, permit number, best availability window

Add these prompts anywhere residents initiate contact (email templates, auto-replies, web form descriptions, phone scripts) to prevent future rework.

Where Acta Can Help

Reducing handoffs usually comes down to making it easy for staff to find the right answers fast, identifying areas of repeat inquiries and keeping guidance and public-facing language consistent across departments.

Acta helps reduce handoffs by:

• Keeping pre-approved templates ready to send for high-volume questions
• Making policies, SOPs, and “how we do this here” guidance easy to find in the Acta Operations Manual
• Supporting consistent responses across the team, even when someone’s out or new
• Tracking inquiry topics using our analytics dashboard to see where the highest areas of resident confusion are coming from

If you're curious to learn more about our products from our Smart Response System, an Outlook add-in that allows staff to send consistent information, to Ask Acta AI, a browser-embed software that conducts accurate parcel research instantly - feel free to respond to this email or visit our website to schedule quick demo!