If your sales reps are cherry-picking leads or letting hot prospects sit in limbo, it’s time to fix your lead routing. This guide is for sales managers and ops folks who want to stop the finger-pointing and get leads into the right hands—automatically—using Salesrabbit. Skip the spreadsheets, the Slack messages, and the “I thought you were on it” drama.
Here’s how to set up automated lead routing in Salesrabbit, what to watch out for, and what actually makes a difference.
Why bother with automated lead routing?
Manual lead assignment is slow, messy, and—let’s be honest—someone always drops the ball. The faster a rep reaches out, the better your odds of closing. Automated lead routing makes sure every lead gets a prompt follow-up, with zero confusion over who owns what.
Done right, it also:
- Cuts out internal confusion and double-work
- Gets leads to the right rep based on territory, product, or whatever rules you set
- Makes reporting cleaner (no more “unassigned” buckets)
- Frees up your time to focus on coaching, not refereeing
But let’s be clear: automation is only as good as your setup. You’ll need to get your rules, teams, and notifications dialed in. Salesrabbit can help, but it’s not magic—if your data or process is sloppy, so is your routing.
Step 1: Prep your Salesrabbit account
Before you mess with automation, get your house in order. That means:
- Teams and users are current. Remove old reps, update territories, and double-check permissions.
- Lead sources are defined. Know where your leads are coming from (website, cold canvassing, imports, etc.).
- Territory boundaries are mapped. Salesrabbit lets you draw zones on a map—don’t skip this, or your leads won’t route right.
- Custom fields are set up. If you want to route by roof type, product line, or language, add those fields first.
Pro tip: If your account is cluttered with old users, overlapping territories, or junk fields, clean it up now. Otherwise, you’ll spend hours untangling headaches later.
Step 2: Define your lead routing rules
This is where most teams go off the rails. Don’t overthink it—start simple. You can always add complexity later.
Ask yourself:
- Do you route by geography (territory, zip code)?
- By product expertise?
- By lead source (web, referral, event)?
- Round robin (evenly rotating reps)?
Pick one or two criteria to start. Here are common setups:
- Territory-based: Lead goes to the rep assigned to that zone.
- Round robin: First rep gets lead 1, next rep gets lead 2, etc.
- Skill-based: Certain reps get solar leads, others get roofing, etc.
- Lead source: Web leads go to inside sales; door-to-door leads go to field reps.
It’s easy to get lost in the weeds. Unless your team is huge, avoid crazy multi-factor routing at the start.
Step 3: Set up territories and teams in Salesrabbit
If you’re routing by location, get your territories mapped first.
- Go to the “Territories” section.
- Use the map tool to draw each territory. Don’t overlap zones unless you have a good reason.
- Assign reps to each territory. Double-check they’re active users.
- Save your changes.
If you’re using teams (for skills, products, or source), set those up too:
- Navigate to “Teams” in the admin panel.
- Create a team for each group (e.g., Solar Specialists, Roofing, Inside Sales).
- Add reps to each team.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with hyper-granular territories unless you have dozens of reps. Keep it broad at first—tighten it later if you see issues.
Step 4: Configure lead routing automation
Now for the meat of it.
- Go to Settings > Lead Routing (or Automation).
- Click “Add Routing Rule” (wording may differ based on your Salesrabbit version).
- For each rule:
- Set the trigger: e.g., “When a new lead is created”
- Choose criteria: Territory, source, product, etc.
- Assign action: Route to specific rep, round robin among team, etc.
- Set escalation rules if you want leads reassigned after X hours of no action.
Example: Simple territory rule
- Trigger: New lead created
- Criteria: Lead is in Territory A
- Action: Assign to Rep 1 (or rotate among Territory A reps)
Example: Round robin for web leads
- Trigger: New lead from Web form
- Criteria: Any territory
- Action: Assign to next available rep in Inside Sales team
Pro tip: Test each rule with a sample lead. It’s easy to set up a rule that sounds right but doesn’t work as expected—especially if fields are missing or misnamed.
Step 5: Set up notifications and accountability
Routing a lead doesn’t matter if reps don’t see it. Make sure:
- Push notifications or emails are enabled for new leads
- Reps know how (and where) leads will show up—in the app, email, or both
- You have a way to track unclaimed or stale leads (dashboard, report, etc.)
What often fails: Reps missing notifications, or leads winding up in limbo because no one checks the right inbox. Don’t assume everyone reads every alert—explain your expectations.
Step 6: Test your setup with real leads
Don’t just trust the green checkmark. Run through real scenarios:
- Create test leads from all your main sources
- Move a rep out of a territory—does routing adjust?
- Set a lead to “unresponsive”—does the escalation trigger?
Look for:
- Leads going to the wrong rep or unassigned bucket
- Delays in notifications
- Any bottlenecks or confusion on the sales floor
Pro tip: Have a rep walk you through what they see on their device. Sometimes the admin view and rep view are not in sync.
Step 7: Monitor, adjust, and don’t overcomplicate
Check reports after a week or two:
- Are all leads being assigned?
- Is response time actually improving?
- Any reps overloaded while others are idle?
If you see issues, tweak your rules—but resist the urge to add a ton of complexity. Most routing failures come from trying to account for every edge case, not from keeping it simple.
Honest takes: What works, what flops, what to skip
What works:
- Clear, simple routing rules (territory, round robin)
- Consistent rep notifications
- Periodic reviews to update teams and territories
What doesn’t:
- Overly complex rules (“If in zone B AND roof type is metal AND lead source is trade show…”)
- Relying on reps to self-assign leads
- Ignoring lead aging and escalation (stale leads = lost deals)
What to skip:
- Manual assignment for every lead (unless you like busywork)
- Custom scripts or API hacks unless absolutely necessary (Salesrabbit’s built-in routing is enough for most)
Keep it simple and iterate
Automated lead routing in Salesrabbit isn’t rocket science, but sloppy setup leads to lost deals and frustrated reps. Start basic, test with real leads, and tweak as you go. The goal is fast response, not a Rube Goldberg machine. If you’re not sure where to start, use territory-based or round robin—get leads moving, then refine.
Your future self (and your sales team) will thank you.