If your sales team spends more time playing phone tag than actually talking to prospects, you’re not alone. Getting inbound calls to the right person—fast—makes a big difference in closing deals. But all those buzzwords and “AI-powered” solutions? Most of them just add complexity. This guide is for anyone who wants to use call routing in Close to actually make sales calls more efficient, not just check a box for management.
Why Call Routing Actually Matters
Let’s skip the marketing fluff. Here’s why call routing is worth your attention:
- Faster connections: The sooner a lead talks to the right rep, the better your odds of closing.
- Less wasted time: No more “Sorry, wrong person, let me transfer you.” That’s not just awkward—it’s lost momentum.
- Happier reps: Reps spend more time selling, less time sorting calls.
But here’s the catch: if your routing isn’t set up thoughtfully, you’ll just frustrate everyone, prospects included.
What Close’s Call Routing Features Really Do (and Don’t)
Before you start rewriting your whole phone process, know what’s possible:
What you get: - Route inbound calls by team, user, round-robin, time of day, and availability. - Set fallback options (voicemail, transfers, etc.). - See routing history and missed call reasons. - Integrate with workflows, so calls drive follow-up tasks.
What you don’t: - No magic AI that reads minds or “automatically closes deals.” - Not a full-blown call center suite—if you need advanced IVR trees or complex call queues, look elsewhere.
Bottom line: Close gives you flexible, practical routing—enough to cover most sales use cases, without the bloat.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Call Routing in Close
Here’s how to cut the nonsense and get sales calls to the right people.
1. Map Out Your Actual Call Flows
Don’t start in the software. Grab a whiteboard or notepad. Ask:
- Where do inbound calls really need to go (by product, region, team)?
- Who’s responsible for which types of calls?
- What happens if no one answers?
Pro tip: Keep it simple. The more complicated the routing, the more things break—and the harder it is to maintain.
2. Set Up Teams and Users in Close
You can’t route anything if your teams and users aren’t organized.
- Make sure each sales group is set up as a Team in Close.
- Assign users to the right teams. Double-check for people who handle multiple lines.
- Confirm everyone’s call availability settings (set your hours).
What to skip: Don’t bother making a team for every little niche. Start broad, then refine if you see bottlenecks.
3. Configure Inbound Numbers and Routing Rules
Now, set up your inbound numbers. In Close, you can buy and assign numbers, or port in existing ones.
- For each number, pick your routing option:
- Direct to user: For dedicated rep lines.
- Round-robin within team: Good for shared leads or general inquiry lines.
- Team routing with fallback: Route to a team, then to backup user or voicemail if no answer.
- Adjust routing by time of day if you have reps in multiple time zones.
Pro tip: Test each scenario yourself. Call the number after hours, during lunch, and at peak times. See what actually happens.
4. Set Up Voicemail and Missed Call Workflows
Even with great routing, calls will get missed.
- Record real, human-sounding voicemails (skip the robotic scripts).
- Set up Close to create follow-up tasks for missed calls.
- Decide who gets notified for voicemails and missed calls—don’t spam your whole team.
What doesn’t work: Generic “We’ll call you back” messages. Prospects know you probably won’t.
5. Train Your Team, Don’t Just Announce the Change
A lot of call routing fails because reps don’t understand the new flow:
- Do a quick walkthrough in a team meeting.
- Show them how to update their availability (so they don’t get calls when they’re busy).
- Explain what happens if they miss a call—and how follow-ups are tracked.
Pro tip: Make it easy for reps to give feedback. If something’s confusing, fix it quickly.
6. Monitor, Tweak, and Actually Use the Data
Set it and forget it? That’s a recipe for missed opportunities.
- Check Close’s call routing reports weekly: Who’s missing calls? Are voicemails piling up?
- Ask your team: Are calls getting through? Any weird routing loops?
- Adjust rules as you see real-world issues—don’t wait for a quarterly review.
What to ignore: Vanity metrics like “average ring time” unless you have a real problem. Focus on what helps your team talk to more leads, faster.
What Works (and What Usually Doesn’t)
Works Well
- Simple routing rules: The fewer hops, the better.
- Clear fallback: No dead ends—always have a next step if a call isn’t answered.
- Real-time tweaks: Don’t wait for IT—adjust routing yourself as needs change.
Doesn’t Work
- Overcomplicated trees: Routing by every possible criteria sounds clever but usually backfires.
- Ignoring rep availability: Don’t send calls to people who aren’t working.
- “Set and forget”: What worked last quarter probably won’t work forever.
Stuff to Ignore
- Fancy dashboards with a million call stats.
- “AI” features that claim to predict who should take a call.
- Over-engineered IVR menus (“Press 2 for...”)—unless you have a giant team.
Quick Tips to Get More from Close’s Call Routing
- Rotate who’s “on call” for general lines: Prevents burnout, keeps response times fast.
- Use call notes and tags: Helps track why calls came in and spot patterns.
- Test from the outside: Have someone call in as a mystery shopper now and then.
Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
You don’t need a degree in telephony to get call routing right. Start with the basics, get feedback, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s making sure your best leads reach your best reps without a bunch of wasted steps. If you’re spending more time fiddling with routing rules than actually selling, it’s time to simplify. Let the software do its job, and keep your focus on closing deals.