Sales leads piling up in someone’s inbox—or worse, getting lost in the shuffle—is a headache nobody needs. If you’ve got more than one sales rep, you’re probably already feeling the pain of manual lead assignment. That’s where automated lead routing comes in. This guide is for anyone who wants to stop playing traffic cop and start making sure every hot lead goes to the right person, right away. We’ll walk through exactly how to set up automated lead routing using Refer, what to watch out for, and a few things I wish someone had told me before I started.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You Actually Need
Before you touch any settings, take five minutes to sketch out what you’re trying to solve. Automated lead routing is only useful if you know what “the right person” means for your team.
Ask yourself: - Do you want leads distributed evenly, or should certain reps get certain territories or industries? - Are there VIP customers or big deals that need special handling? - Does anyone need to approve assignments, or is it fully hands-off? - How are you tracking lead response time and accountability?
Pro tip: Write down your basic rules on paper first. It’ll make setup way easier and save you from fiddling endlessly with logic later.
Step 2: Prep Your Team and Data
There’s no point in setting up automation if your data is messy or your team doesn’t know what’s coming.
Make sure: - All sales reps are users in Refer, with correct roles and permissions. - Lead data is consistent—things like territory, industry, or lead source should use dropdowns, not free text. - You’ve cleaned up old, duplicate, or stale leads (otherwise, the system might route junk).
What usually goes wrong: Teams skip this step and end up with leads going to the wrong people, or worse, nobody at all. Garbage in, garbage out.
Step 3: Explore Refer’s Lead Routing Features
Refer’s lead routing isn’t magic, but it is flexible. You can set up rules based on almost any field: location, company size, industry, lead source, and so on.
Here’s what you can do out of the box: - Assign leads round-robin (even distribution) - Route by territory, vertical, or custom fields - Set up exceptions for VIP accounts or key reps - Pause routing to a user (vacation, out sick, overloaded, etc.)
What not to bother with (at first): Overly fancy logic, like multi-step workflows or AI-powered prioritization. Keep it simple until you know what your team actually needs.
Step 4: Set Up Your First Lead Routing Rule
Let’s get into the meat of it. Here’s a step-by-step for setting up automated lead routing in Refer:
4.1. Go to Lead Routing Settings
- Log in to Refer as an admin.
- In the sidebar, find ‘Settings’ > ‘Lead Routing’ or similar. (Names may change, but you’ll find it under admin controls.)
4.2. Create a New Routing Rule
- Click ‘New Rule’ or ‘Add Routing Rule.’
- Give your rule a clear name, like “North America SMB” or “Inbound Round Robin.” Don’t get cute—future you will thank you.
4.3. Define the Trigger
- Pick what conditions send a lead into this rule. Common triggers:
- Lead source is "Website"
- Territory is "West Coast"
- Industry is "Healthcare"
- You can combine multiple conditions if needed.
4.4. Choose the Assignment Logic
- Round Robin: Picks the next available rep in a list. Easiest to start with.
- Weighted Distribution: Give more leads to experienced reps (if Refer supports this).
- Specific User or Team: For named accounts or special cases.
Heads up: If you choose round robin, make sure reps are actually available to take leads. If someone’s on vacation, pause their assignments, or you’ll have angry customers and grumpy staff.
4.5. Set Up Exceptions and Fallbacks
- What happens if no rule matches? (Usually, you can send leads to a default “catch-all” rep or admin.)
- Do you need to skip weekends, holidays, or after-hours?
- If you want managers to approve certain leads, now’s the time to add that step.
4.6. Save and Test the Rule
- Save your rule, but don’t set it live just yet.
- Use Refer’s “test” or “preview” mode if available. Drop in example leads and see where they end up.
- Double-check that VIPs or high-value deals go to the right place.
What goes wrong here: Typos, overlapping rules, or forgetting to set a fallback. Always run a few dummy leads through the rules before flipping the switch.
Step 5: Activate Lead Routing and Monitor Closely
Now that you’ve set up and tested your rules, it’s time to go live.
- Activate your routing rule(s) in Refer.
- Tell your sales team what’s changing. If they don’t know, you’ll get confusion (and complaints).
- For the first week, keep an eye on assignments. Check if any leads are unassigned, misrouted, or stuck.
Pro tip: Set up a simple report or dashboard in Refer to see: - Number of leads assigned per rep - Unassigned or “stuck” leads - Average response time
If you spot issues, fix them fast. The first few days are when most mistakes pop up.
Step 6: Refine and Adjust (Don’t “Set and Forget”)
No lead routing setup is perfect out of the gate. After a couple weeks, look at: - Are leads actually being followed up on quickly? - Is anyone getting too many or too few leads? - Are special cases (big deals, VIPs) handled right? - Is anyone gaming the system, skipping leads, or “cherry-picking”?
If something’s off: - Update rules, add new ones, or tweak assignment logic. - Don’t be afraid to kill rules that aren’t working—less is usually more. - Talk to your team. They’ll spot issues faster than any dashboard.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over automating every edge case. Manual overrides exist for a reason.
Step 7: Keep It Simple and Document Everything
The more complicated your routing gets, the harder it is to maintain. Stick to a handful of clear rules. Document them somewhere everyone can find. When people leave or change roles, you’ll be glad you did.
Checklist for each rule: - What triggers it? - Who gets the leads? - Are there exceptions? - Who owns the rule (who to ask if it breaks)?
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Not cleaning up user lists: Ex-employees or test users still get leads. Audit your user list regularly.
- Overlapping or conflicting rules: Leads get assigned twice or not at all. Try to keep rules mutually exclusive.
- Lack of transparency: If reps can’t see why they got (or didn’t get) a lead, you’ll get pushback. Add notes or comments to assignments when possible.
- No fallback for edge cases: Always have a catch-all rule or admin backup.
A Few Honest Observations
- Automation saves time, but it won’t fix broken sales processes or lazy follow-up. Routing is just step one.
- Don’t get seduced by fancy features until you’ve nailed the basics. The simplest rules usually work best.
- Regular review (monthly or quarterly) keeps your routing from going stale.
Wrapping Up
Automated lead routing in Refer can take a lot of grunt work off your plate—if you keep it straightforward and stay on top of it. Start with the basics, get feedback from your team, and tweak as you go. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. A few solid rules, tested and updated now and then, beat a complicated mess every time.