A Lead-Routing Checklist for Small Sales Teams

A Lead-Routing Checklist for Small Sales Teams

When everyone can see a lead, often nobody takes it. Clear routing rules make sure every enquiry has an owner within minutes.

Last reviewed: November 2026.

The checklist

1. One owner per lead. Every new lead gets exactly one person responsible.
2. Simple rules first. Route by service, location or language before anything clever.
3. Round-robin for equal leads. Share leads evenly when any team member can handle them.
4. Priority for high-value enquiries. Large or urgent requests go to your most experienced person and trigger a faster alert.
5. A backup. If the owner does not act within your target time, alert a second person.
6. Out-of-office handling. Skip people who are away, automatically.
7. After-hours rules. Decide whether after-hours leads get a booking link, a next-morning assignment or both.
8. One place to look. The lead, its history and the next task live in the CRM, not in someone's inbox.

What to measure

• Time from enquiry to first contact.
• Leads with no activity after a day.
• Conversion rate by source and by owner, to spot where help is needed.

Review monthly

Rules drift as the team changes. Check the routing rules whenever someone joins, leaves or changes role.

How we help

We set up routing, alerts and follow-up in the CRM you already use. See CRM automation and connecting web forms to your CRM.