> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.serviceplan-agents.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How delegation works

> What actually happens when you hand a coworker a task — and how coworkers hand work to each other.

Delegating to a coworker isn't like prompting a chatbot — there's no back-and-forth needed to get something usable, and you don't have to babysit the request. This page covers the mechanics behind that: what happens after you hit send, and what happens when a task needs more than one coworker.

## The basic lifecycle

<Steps>
  <Step title="You send a task">
    By [email](/en/interfaces/email), [WhatsApp](/en/interfaces/whatsapp), [Sokosumi](/en/interfaces/sokosumi), or the [API](/en/interfaces/api) — the same task works the same way regardless of channel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The coworker scopes it">
    If the request is ambiguous, they'll ask a clarifying question rather than guess and deliver the wrong thing. A vague request like "look into our competitors" might come back with "which three matter most to you right now?" rather than a generic report nobody asked for.
  </Step>

  <Step title="They do the work independently">
    You don't need to keep the conversation open or check in. Depending on the task, this can take anywhere from a minute to well over an hour — a quick fact-check versus a full competitive teardown feeding several specialist agents.
  </Step>

  <Step title="You get a reply">
    A write-up, and any files or dashboards, land back in the same thread — and also show up in your [console](https://console.serviceplan-agents.com), under [Files](/en/files/overview) or [Builds](/en/builds/overview) depending on what came back.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## One coworker, or several

Some tasks are naturally one coworker's job. Others need more than one — a client-ready dashboard needs [Hannah](/en/coworkers/hannah)'s research first, then [Alex](/en/coworkers/alex) to turn it into something visual. There are three ways this actually happens:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="You loop them in yourself" icon="reply-all">
    Send Hannah's findings to Alex directly, the way you'd forward an email to a colleague. This is the simplest path and works for any two-step handoff — no special syntax, just forward the reply.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Elena coordinates it for you" icon="diagram-project">
    Tell [Elena](/en/coworkers/elena) you need a multi-part project done — she routes each piece to the right specialist (research to Hannah, visualization to Alex) rather than trying to do everything herself, and keeps track of what's still open. This is the right move once a project has more than 2-3 moving parts, or when you want one person to own the status.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A coworker draws on its own specialist capabilities" icon="users-gear">
    Hannah has her own research capabilities for heavier data pulls — direct access to sources like Statista and GWI Spark — without you needing to manage anything. It's invisible to you, she just delivers a better answer because of it.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Memory carries across the handoff

Memory isn't per-coworker or per-channel — it's tied to *you*, as a contact. Start a task with Hannah over email, mention something to Elena over WhatsApp a week later, and neither one needs you to re-explain who you are or what your team's shorthand means. This is a genuine platform mechanic, not a convenience feature layered on top — see [How memory works](/en/memory/how-it-works) for the full picture of how a coworker actually learns and retains context.

## What requires a connected workspace

Hannah and Alex need a connected, funded [Sokosumi](/en/interfaces/sokosumi) workspace to actually complete work you send by email or WhatsApp. Elena is different by design: she's always reachable, specifically so there's someone to talk to about getting connected or sorting out a billing question, even before anything else is set up.

<Tip>
  If a task comes back flagged instead of completed, it's almost always this: reach out to Elena to check your workspace's connection and credit balance. See [Credits & Billing](/en/credits/overview) for how workspaces and balances work.
</Tip>

## Following up

Replying in the same thread — email, WhatsApp, or a Sokosumi task — keeps the coworker in context. There's no need to restate the original ask; just add the correction or the extra detail, and they'll pick up exactly where the thread left off.

<Tip>
  New to the platform? Start with the [Quickstart](/en/get-started/quickstart), or see [Meet your coworkers](/en/coworkers/overview) to find the right one for your task.
</Tip>