If you're running account-based marketing (ABM), you know getting meetings to the right reps is half the battle. You want every high-value account to get white-glove treatment—and you don't want leads bouncing around or falling through the cracks. That's where advanced routing rules in Chilipiper come in. This guide is for revenue ops folks, marketing ops, or anyone who wants to make their ABM process actually work, without headaches or hand-waving.
Let’s get into the nuts and bolts.
1. Understand What “Advanced Routing” Actually Means
Before you start clicking around, let’s clear up some jargon. “Advanced routing” in Chilipiper just means you’re using more than simple round-robin assignments. You’re routing based on things like:
- Account ownership in your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- Account tiering or segmentation (e.g., “Tier 1” gets VIP treatment)
- Geography, industry, or custom fields
- Existing relationships (don’t send a Fortune 100 lead to your newest SDR)
Honest take: If your team is tiny or you’re not doing true ABM, you probably don’t need “advanced” routing. For everyone else, it’s how you avoid angry reps and missed revenue.
2. Prep Your CRM and Chilipiper Integration
Chilipiper’s routing is only as smart as your data. If Salesforce (or whatever CRM you use) is a mess, your routing will be too.
Checklist:
- Account Ownership: Make sure every account in your CRM has a clear owner. If there’s no owner, routing can’t work.
- Lead-to-Account Matching: If you get a lot of inbound leads, set up lead-to-account matching so new leads are tied to the right accounts.
- Custom Fields: Decide how you’ll segment accounts (tier, region, vertical, etc.), and make sure those fields exist and are up to date.
- Sync Chilipiper: Double-check your Chilipiper-CRM connection. If you’re using Salesforce, test a few records to confirm Chilipiper sees the latest data.
Pro tip: Don’t try to fix data problems inside Chilipiper. Clean them up in your CRM first—it’ll save you hours of frustration.
3. Map Out Your Routing Logic on Paper First
Don’t jump into the app yet. Sit down with sales and marketing and figure out:
- Who should get what? (e.g., Tier 1 accounts go straight to AEs, Tier 2 to SDRs)
- What happens if no owner? (fallback rules)
- How do you handle special cases? (named accounts, territories, etc.)
- What does “VIP” mean, exactly? (Be concrete, not fuzzy)
Draw this out. Seriously. Use a flowchart or just scribble boxes and arrows. You’ll find edge cases you hadn’t thought about.
Ignore: Overly complex rules for the sake of being “advanced.” If you need a PhD to explain the routing, you’ll end up breaking it.
4. Build Your Router in Chilipiper
Here’s where you get your hands dirty. In Chilipiper, “Routers” are the brains behind who gets what meeting.
Step 4.1: Create a New Router
- Go to the Chilipiper dashboard and click Routers.
- Hit + New Router.
- Give it a clear name (e.g., “ABM Meeting Routing – Q2 2024”).
Step 4.2: Set Your Object Type
- Decide if you’re routing based on Leads, Contacts, or Accounts. For ABM, you’ll usually want Accounts or use lead-to-account matching.
Step 4.3: Add Routing Rules
This is the meat of it. Here’s how to set up common ABM rules:
A. Route by Account Owner - Add a rule: “If account owner exists, assign to owner.” - Map the owner field from your CRM.
B. Route by Account Tier - Add a rule: “If Account Tier = 1, assign to Tier 1 AE pool.” - You can set up separate queues for each tier.
C. Route by Geography or Vertical - Use the relevant CRM field (e.g., Region = EMEA) as a condition. - Assign to the right team or rep.
D. Handle Unmatched Leads - Always add a fallback: “If no account owner, assign to SDR pool” or “Notify admin.”
E. Special Logic - For things like “existing open opportunity” or “named account,” add those as separate rules at the top (Chilipiper checks rules in order).
Pro tip: Keep the rule order logical. Chilipiper runs rules top to bottom, so put the most specific first.
Honest take: Don’t get fancy for no reason. Most teams need 3-5 rules, not 20.
5. Assign Reps and Set Up Queues
Once your rules are in, you need to tell Chilipiper who’s actually in each “bucket.”
- Create Queues: For each team (e.g., Tier 1 AEs, Tier 2 SDRs, EMEA reps), make a queue.
- Add Users: Assign the right reps to each queue.
- Set Distribution: Decide if you want round-robin, weighted (more meetings to certain reps), or “ownership” routing.
Pro tip: For ABM, “ownership” routing is usually best—meetings go to the account owner. Use round-robin only for generic or unassigned leads.
6. Build the Handoff Experience
It’s not just about routing in the backend. The handoff matters:
- Personalized Booking Links: Use Chilipiper’s dynamic links so prospects always see the right calendar.
- Routing from Forms: Integrate your web forms (Marketo, HubSpot, etc.) so when someone submits, Chilipiper triggers routing instantly.
- Fallback Handling: If no one is available (out of office, calendar full), decide if you want to show alternative times, route to a backup, or show a “contact us” message.
What works: Transparent, fast handoffs with no “we’ll get back to you” limbo.
What doesn’t: Forcing prospects to pick from a giant pool of calendars, or having leads wait for manual assignment.
7. Test Every Scenario (and Break It On Purpose)
Don’t trust that your rules work just because you set them up.
How to test: - Create test records in your CRM for every routing scenario (Tier 1, Tier 2, no owner, etc.). - Submit test meetings through your forms. - Check who gets assigned and make sure the calendar booking flows work. - Try breaking things: What happens if a field is missing? If the owner is on vacation? You want to catch weird edge cases now, not after a deal goes sideways.
Pro tip: Involve a real rep in testing. They’ll spot what’s confusing to the end user.
8. Monitor, Adjust, and Don’t Set It and Forget It
ABM teams change. Reps move, territories shift, and your best-laid routing rules will rot if you ignore them.
- Set a reminder: Review routing rules once a quarter.
- Monitor volume: If some reps are overloaded and others are starved, tweak your queues or rules.
- Get feedback: Ask AEs and SDRs what’s working and what’s not.
Ignore: Fancy dashboards if no one looks at them. The best signal is when reps complain (or stop complaining).
Honest FAQs
Q: Do I need to use every advanced feature?
No. Use the basics well. Only add complexity when you actually need it.
Q: What if my CRM data is a mess?
Fix it first. Chilipiper isn’t a magic wand for bad data.
Q: Can I route based on custom fields?
Yes, as long as the field is synced to Chilipiper.
Q: Should I build separate routers for each region or product?
Sometimes. But default to “one router to rule them all” unless you have a real reason.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Advanced routing in Chilipiper can make your ABM run like a well-oiled machine—or turn into a tangled mess if you overthink it. Start with clear, simple rules. Test them. Don’t be afraid to tweak as your team and strategy evolve. Remember: the goal is to get the right meetings to the right reps, not win an award for complexity.
Happy routing. Now go block off some calendar time for yourself—you've earned it.