If you’re still manually assigning leads, you’re probably missing out—on deals, response time, and your team’s sanity. This guide is for anyone who wants to set up automated lead routing in SecondBody and get back to real selling. Whether you’re a sales ops pro or the “accidental admin” who just wants the chaos to stop, you’ll find what actually works, what’s a waste of time, and how to avoid the dumb pitfalls everyone falls into.
Why bother with automated lead routing at all?
Let’s level with each other: if leads sit in someone’s inbox for hours (or days), you’re losing money. Automated lead routing means new leads get to the right rep with zero delay, no matter if it’s 2 a.m. or during your Monday pipeline meeting. It also kills the time-wasting “who owns this?” debates that happen when things are manual.
But don’t expect a miracle. Automated routing is a tool—not a silver bullet. It won’t fix a broken follow-up process, and it can’t make lazy reps care. Still, it’s one of the simplest ways to speed up sales response and reduce dropped balls.
Step 1: Map out your actual lead flow (before you touch any settings)
Don’t skip this. Before you even log in to SecondBody, grab a whiteboard or notebook and write down:
- Where your leads come from (web forms, imports, API, etc.)
- What info you get with each lead (name, company, source, territory, etc.)
- Who should work each type of lead (by territory, product, round robin, or something else?)
- Any exceptions or special cases (VIP accounts, events, etc.)
If you don’t get this clear, you’ll end up arguing with the routing logic later. Trust me.
Pro tip: Actually talk to your sales team about the edge cases—nobody documents these, but they’ll bite you if you ignore them.
Step 2: Clean up your lead fields in SecondBody
Automated routing is only as smart as your data. If your “State” field is a mess (CA, Calif., California, “West Coast”), the rules won’t work. Take 15 minutes to:
- Standardize picklist values for fields like Territory, Lead Source, and Product
- Merge or kill duplicate fields (less is more)
- Make sure all incoming leads are actually populating the fields you need for routing
Don’t obsess over perfection, but if you skip this, you’ll be back here fixing mistakes for weeks.
Step 3: Decide on your routing logic
SecondBody supports a few common routing models:
- Round robin: Distributes leads evenly among active reps. Good for fairness, not great if you have complex territories.
- Territory-based: Routes leads by geography, company size, or vertical. More work to maintain, but worth it as you grow.
- Performance-based: Sends more leads to high performers. Sometimes works, but breeds resentment if not transparent.
- Hybrid: Combo of the above, or with exceptions for certain accounts.
What works: Most teams start with round robin, then add territory rules as things scale. Don’t overcomplicate it on day one.
What doesn’t: Trying to code for every weird exception from the start. Start simple, add edge cases only as needed.
Step 4: Set up lead queues and assignment groups
In SecondBody, you’ll want to create assignment groups that match your routing logic. For example:
- West Coast Reps: Jane, Mike, and Sam
- Enterprise Team: Priya and Tom
- General Pool: Everyone else
Go to Admin > Lead Queues and build out these groups. Only include reps who are actually taking leads—don’t add managers “just in case.”
Pro tip: If you have reps going on vacation or leaving, update these groups often. Stale groups are the #1 reason leads get stuck.
Step 5: Build your routing rules
This is the fun (and sometimes frustrating) part. In SecondBody:
- Go to Automation > Lead Routing Rules.
- Click Create New Rule.
- Name your rule something you’ll understand a month from now. (“Web Leads – West” is better than “Rule 1”)
- Set your criteria (e.g., State = California, Lead Source = Website).
- Choose the assignment group or specific user.
- Set fallback rules (where does the lead go if nobody qualifies?).
Tips: - Put the most specific rules at the top—SecondBody checks rules in order. - Use “catch-all” rules at the bottom so nothing falls through the cracks. - Test each rule with sample data before going live.
What to ignore: Don’t bother with ultra-complex rules that try to handle every possible scenario. If you need more than 5-10 rules to start, you’re probably overengineering.
Step 6: Test everything—don’t trust the system blindly
Automation fails in dumb ways: typos, missing data, or reps who “forgot” to log in. Before you unleash this on your sales team:
- Use test leads to run through every routing path.
- Check that leads actually show up in the right rep’s queue.
- Confirm email/SMS/push notifications fire as expected.
- Try breaking your own system (missing fields, weird edge cases).
Pro tip: Have a sales rep (not just an admin) walk through the process so you’re not missing obvious pain points.
Step 7: Roll out the change (and communicate like a human)
Nobody likes surprise process changes. Before you flip the switch:
- Tell your sales team what’s changing, why, and what they need to do differently.
- Give them a way to flag issues (a Slack channel, group chat, or even just your email).
- Set expectations: this won’t be perfect on day one, and you’ll fix bugs as they come up.
What to avoid: Don’t just send a mass email and hope. If your team is remote, record a quick video or hold a live call.
Step 8: Monitor, fix, and improve
After launch, keep an eye on:
- Lead response times — Are they actually dropping? If not, dig in.
- Leads stuck in queues — If leads are piling up with one rep, figure out why.
- Feedback from the field — The best routing logic is useless if reps ignore it or find workarounds.
Plan to revisit your rules every month or quarter. Don’t set it and forget it. Most teams tweak their routing a lot in the first few months.
What works: Regular check-ins with sales leaders and reps. Automated alerts for stuck leads. Keeping your rules simple so fixes are fast.
What doesn’t: Hoping the system will magically solve all your process issues.
Common pitfalls to dodge
- Overcomplicating rules: Start basic. Add complexity only when you absolutely need it.
- Ignoring data quality: Automations run on clean data. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Not updating assignment groups: People leave, roles change. Review groups monthly.
- Skipping real-world testing: Always check with actual sales reps, not just admins.
Wrapping up
Automated lead routing in SecondBody isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to trip up if you try to do too much, too soon. Start with the basics, get it working, and add complexity only when you have to. Keep talking to your sales team, fix what breaks, and don’t waste time chasing “perfect.” The goal is faster response times and fewer headaches—not a process worthy of a whitepaper.
Keep it simple, iterate, and enjoy having one less manual task to babysit.