If you’re still assigning sales leads by hand, you’re wasting time. And if you’ve tried to automate it with clunky tools, you know how frustrating it can get. This guide is for sales ops folks, team leads, or anyone tired of leads falling through the cracks. We’ll walk through how to automate lead routing in Alignedup without the fluff—just what works, what doesn’t, and what to skip.
Why Bother Automating Lead Routing?
Manual lead assignment is slow and messy. People get busy, things slip, and leads wait hours (or days) for a reply. Automated lead routing gets leads to the right person, right away. You’ll:
- Respond faster (which means more deals)
- Keep reps’ workloads balanced
- Avoid the “hey, who owns this?” email chain
But automation isn’t magic. Bad rules or overcomplicated setups can make things worse. The goal: set up routing that’s just smart enough to help, but not so complicated that you’re debugging it every week.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Lead Routing Rules
Before you touch a single setting, get specific about how you want leads assigned. Don’t just copy what you’ve always done. Talk with your sales team. Ask questions like:
- Do you route by territory, product line, or deal size?
- Who covers which regions? (And are those regions up to date?)
- Should VIP or high-value leads get special treatment?
- How do you handle round-robin assignments?
Pro tip: Write these rules down. If you can’t explain them in one page, they’re too complicated. Simple rules are easier to automate and fix.
Step 2: Set Up Your Teams and Users in Alignedup
Before you can route anything, Alignedup needs to know who’s who.
- Add your sales reps and managers. Make sure every active seller has an account.
- Group reps into teams (if you use teams). For example, by territory, product specialty, or vertical.
- Double-check user info. Typos in emails or missing roles can break automation later.
What to ignore: Don’t bother setting up teams for every possible scenario. Start with what you’ll actually use. You can always tweak teams later.
Step 3: Clean Up Your Lead Data
Automated routing is only as good as your data. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Standardize fields: Make sure fields like “State,” “Country,” or “Industry” are consistent. “CA” and “California” are not the same to a computer.
- Fill in missing info: If you route by company size but half your leads lack this field, fix it. (Or pick a different rule.)
- Ditch unnecessary fields: Extra data just clutters things up. Focus on what you need for routing.
Heads-up: If you get leads from multiple sources (website, events, imports), map them to the same field names in Alignedup. Otherwise, your rules won’t fire.
Step 4: Build Your Lead Routing Rules
This is where the magic (or the headaches) happen. In Alignedup, you’ll use their automation or workflow builder—usually found under settings or admin.
A. Start Simple
- Basic round-robin: Assign new leads evenly to a list of reps. Perfect when all reps can handle any lead.
- By territory or region: Use the “State” or “Country” field to send leads to the right team or person.
- By product or vertical: Route based on product interest or industry.
B. Layer on Complexity (Carefully)
If you need more, add rules step by step:
- VIP leads: If “Lead Score” is over X, assign to your senior rep.
- Skip out-of-office reps: If a rep is marked as unavailable, route to the next in line.
- Fallback rules: If data is missing, send to a catch-all queue or admin for review.
What works: Start with just two or three rules. See where things break, then add more.
What doesn’t: Don’t try to automate every edge case from day one. You’ll drive yourself nuts with exceptions.
Step 5: Test With Real Leads (Not Just Test Data)
Most routing mistakes only show up once real leads start flowing.
- Route a batch of “test” leads with real-world data. See who gets what.
- Check for misrouted or unassigned leads. Look for leads stuck in limbo—usually caused by missing data or typos in rules.
- Ask reps for feedback. Did they get leads they shouldn’t? Did some leads go missing?
Pro tip: Try breaking your own rules. See what happens if a lead has a blank “State” or a weird value.
Step 6: Set Up Notifications and Follow-Up
Automation is useless if no one knows they’ve got a new lead.
- Email or in-app alerts: Make sure reps get notified (not just a silent assignment).
- Reminders for untouched leads: Set up a reminder if a lead isn’t acted on within X hours.
- Manager alerts: If a lead sits unassigned or untouched, loop in a manager.
What to ignore: Don’t blast the whole team with every new lead. Only notify the person who owns it.
Step 7: Keep an Eye on Routing Performance
Set it and forget it? Not quite. Even the best rules get stale.
- Track lead response times: Are leads getting follow-up fast?
- Spot workload imbalances: Are some reps drowning while others wait?
- Look for routing failures: Any leads stuck unassigned or bouncing between reps?
Schedule a monthly review. It doesn’t have to be fancy—just a quick look at the key numbers and a chat with the team.
Common Pitfalls (And How to Dodge Them)
- Overcomplicating rules: If you need a flowchart to explain routing, you’re doing too much.
- Bad data: If your fields are a mess, no automation will save you.
- Ignoring feedback: If reps are complaining, listen. They’re the first to spot problems.
- Not updating for team changes: When reps join, leave, or go on vacation, update your routing. Otherwise, leads go to a black hole.
What About Integrations?
If you use other tools (Slack, marketing automation, calendars), Alignedup usually offers integrations. Just watch out for:
- Integration lag: Sometimes, lead data arrives before the integration updates. Leads can get routed wrong if info is out of sync.
- Over-notifying: Don’t send a Slack ping, email, and carrier pigeon all at once.
- Zapier (or similar tools): Handy for custom workflows, but test thoroughly. One bad zap and leads start going missing.
When Automation Isn’t Worth It
If you’re a tiny team (think: three reps, ten leads a week), manual assignment may actually be faster. Automation shines when:
- You’re scaling up
- You have lots of leads
- You want to guarantee fairness
Don’t feel pressured to automate just because you “should.” Do it when it solves a real problem.
TL;DR: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Automating lead routing in Alignedup isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little setup and regular fine-tuning. Start simple, test with real leads, and listen to your team. The best setups get the right leads to the right people—without anyone needing a PhD in workflow diagrams.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Set up your routing, watch how it works, and tweak as you go. Your sales team—and your leads—will thank you.