If you’re running a sales team and tired of leads getting lost or always landing in the wrong inbox, you’re not alone. Routing leads “by hand” is a recipe for delays, confusion, and missed deals. This guide is for sales managers, admins, or anyone who wants to set up lead routing rules in Vanillasoft to actually improve sales efficiency—not just tick a box for management.
Let’s cut through the noise and walk through how to actually get this done, what’s worth setting up, and what to skip.
Why Lead Routing Matters (and Why Vanillasoft Does It Differently)
First, the basics: lead routing is the system that decides who gets each new lead. Done right, leads go to the right person, fast. Done wrong, you get cherry-picking, slow follow-up, and unhappy sales reps.
Vanillasoft isn’t just another CRM. Its “queue-based” routing is different from the usual shared list or round-robin approach. Instead of reps picking from a pile, leads are served up one at a time based on the rules you set. This means no one can cherry-pick easy leads or ignore the tough ones.
But, like any tool, it only works if you set it up thoughtfully. Here’s how.
Step 1: Map Out Your Lead Routing Needs
Before you touch a single setting, figure out what you actually need. This isn’t busywork—it’ll save hours later.
Ask yourself: - How many salespeople are on your team? - Are some reps specialized by territory, product, or deal size? - Do you want to prioritize certain types of leads? - Are there “VIP” leads that should always go to a senior rep?
Pro tip:
Don’t try to automate everything at once. Start simple. You can always add complexity later.
Step 2: Prep Your Data
Vanillasoft’s routing rules are only as smart as your data. If your lead records are missing key fields (like state, company size, or source), you can’t route leads accurately.
Checklist before you start: - Make sure your imported leads have all the fields you plan to route by. - Clean up any messy data (e.g., “California,” “CA,” and “Calif.” should be consistent). - If you’re unsure which fields matter, look at how you assign leads today—what info do you use?
What to skip:
Don’t bother creating routing rules based on data you don’t actually collect. Guessing leads to frustration.
Step 3: Get to Know Vanillasoft’s Routing Options
Vanillasoft gives you a few main ways to route leads:
- Round Robin: Evenly assigns leads to reps, one after another.
- Workflow Routing (Queues): Assigns leads based on rules you set—like geography, product, or lead score.
- Priority Routing: Pushes certain leads to the front of the line (e.g., hot web leads).
What works:
- Use round robin if your team and leads are pretty much interchangeable.
- Use rules-based queues if you want more control (most teams do).
- Priority routing is great for “hot” leads or special cases.
What doesn’t:
Don’t overdo it with ultra-granular rules. You’ll just create confusion and headaches for yourself down the road.
Step 4: Set Up Your Routing Queues
Here’s where you actually build the rules.
4.1. Create Your Queues
- Go to your Vanillasoft admin dashboard.
- Find the “Queues” or “Lead Routing” section. (Exact menu names change, but it’s usually under “Projects” or “Leads.”)
- Click “Add Queue” or similar.
4.2. Define Assignment Rules
Think of queues like buckets. Each queue has its own rules for which leads it gets and which reps can work those leads.
- Assign by territory:
E.g., Leads from California go to your West team. Set a rule for “State = CA.” - Assign by product interest:
E.g., If the lead’s “Product” field says “Widgets,” send to Widget Team. - Assign by lead score:
E.g., High-score leads go to your closers.
Pro tip:
Start with broad rules, then break them down if you see bottlenecks or reps getting overloaded.
4.3. Assign Reps to Queues
- Each queue needs assigned users. Drag and drop reps into the right queues.
- Don’t put a rep in every queue unless you want them to see every lead. (Common mistake.)
- You can set “weights” if you want some reps to get more leads than others (e.g., new rep gets fewer leads while ramping up).
4.4. Set Lead Priority (Optional)
- You can flag urgent leads to jump the line—useful for web forms, inbound calls, or VIPs.
- Don’t abuse this, or everyone will want their leads marked “priority.”
Step 5: Test Before You Go Live
This step gets skipped way too often. Don’t trust your setup until you’ve run a few test leads through it.
How to test: - Add dummy leads that match your routing rules. - See which rep gets each lead and check if it matches your plan. - Ask a couple of reps to log in and confirm what they see.
If something’s off: - Double-check your field names and data values. Typos or mismatches (e.g., “NY” vs. “New York”) are the usual culprits. - Make sure reps are assigned to the right queues.
Step 6: Roll It Out and Get Feedback
Your setup isn’t finished until you see it in action. Roll it out to the full team, but keep a close eye for the first week.
What to watch: - Are any reps getting overloaded or left out? - Are leads getting routed as expected? - Are “hot” leads being followed up immediately, or are there delays?
Quick fixes:
Most issues are either missing queue assignments or messy data. Tweak as needed—don’t be afraid to make changes fast.
Step 7: Maintain and Improve
Lead routing isn’t set-and-forget. As your team changes or your lead sources evolve, revisit your rules.
- Review routing logic monthly or quarterly.
- Watch for reps “gaming” the system (e.g., skipping tough leads—Vanillasoft’s queues help, but nothing’s perfect).
- Ask your team what’s working and what’s annoying. They’ll tell you.
What to ignore:
Don’t chase every little complaint. If 90% of leads are flowing right, you’re winning.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and Where Teams Go Wrong
What works: - Simple, clear rules everyone understands - Clean, consistent data fields - Regular check-ins and tweaks
What doesn’t: - Overly complex rules (“If lead is in Texas, and revenue is $2M–$3M, and favorite color is blue, send to Bob”) - Ignoring feedback from the front line - Setting it up once and hoping for the best
Common mistakes: - Assigning everyone to every queue—defeats the purpose - Forgetting to update rep assignments after staffing changes - Not testing with real data
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Setting up lead routing in Vanillasoft isn’t rocket science, but it does take a little planning and a willingness to adjust. Start simple, get it working, and improve as you go. The best systems aren’t the most complicated—they’re the ones your team actually uses (and that get leads to the right people, fast).
If you hit snags, don’t overthink it. Clean up your data, check your rules, and ask your team what’s really happening. Iterate, don’t overbuild. You’ll see results—and fewer lost leads—sooner than you think.