Routing rules
Send each visitor to the right rep, such as the owner of an open deal or the rep for a territory, and test the rules on a real lead.
Routing rules put each buyer in front of the rep best placed to close them, such as the owner of an open deal or the rep for their territory, the moment they engage. Rules sit in order on a line. A visitor travels down the line until a rule matches them, and the first match wins. A visitor no rule matches falls to the catch-all at the end, which assigns round robin across the team.
This article covers the four lines and how to add and order a rule. It ends with testing the line on a real lead.
What do you need before you start?
- Your team set up. See Your team and calendars.
- An admin in your workspace. Only admins can add or change rules.
- Your CRM connected, for rules that use CRM owners, open deals or target accounts. See HubSpot or Salesforce.
What are the four lines?
Go to Inbound → Routing and open the Rules tab. Pick the line you want to work on at the top:
| Line | What it routes | If nothing matches |
|---|---|---|
| Meetings | A booked slot on a rep's calendar. | Nobody goes unassigned. If no rep can take it, your organization's calendar offers times and the team is alerted. |
| The second line | Requests for someone to reach out. | If nobody engages in time, the visitor is offered meeting times instead. |
| Escalations | Questions the agent couldn't answer. | Every escalation reaches a person: the owner first, then the team. |
| Relays | A live rep for a hot visitor. | Whoever is at the keyboard first. |
A rule can apply to several lines, so the same rule can appear on more than one.
How do you add a rule?
Start from a template
On the Rules tab, select New rule. Pick a template, such as Open deal → their owner or Territory → round robin, and select Use template. Or select Build from scratch.
Say who it matches
In the rule editor, give it a Name, then pick Who:
- Everyone, Known in your CRM, Target accounts, Customers or Has an open deal.
- Visiting specific pages: list the pages, one per line.
- Territory or Industry: type the regions or industries, separated by commas.
- Company size: pick 1–200, 201–1,000 or 1,000+.
For Territory, Company size and Industry, when ShowPilot doesn't know the answer yet, the agent asks the visitor before routing. It never guesses.
Pick the signals
Under On, pick which signals the rule applies to: Meetings, Callbacks, Hot leads, Escalations or Form submits. Leave all of them unselected to apply the rule to every signal.
Say who gets them
Under Gets, pick who takes the visitor:
- Their CRM owner
- One rep
- Round robin — these reps
- Round robin — all reps
If the rule depends on an answer from the visitor, If they don't answer decides who gets the lead when the answer never comes: Try the next rule, SDR pool takes it or The team takes turns.
The line at the top of the editor, Reads as, spells out the rule in a sentence. Check it, then select Add rule.
Put it in order
Select a rule on the line to expand it. Use Move up and Move down to change its place. Rules higher on the line are checked first. You can also Pause a rule, Edit rule or Delete… it from here.
Test it
Before you rely on a new rule, run a real lead through it. You can send a real lead through the line without assigning anyone or sending anything.
- On the Rules tab, select Test the line.
- Pick one of your recent leads, or type an email address and select Run.
- The rule that claims the lead expands and shows who gets it and why. Rules the lead passed show no match. The facts ShowPilot used, such as tier, location and size, show in the test panel.
- If the lead is held, the rule needs an answer ShowPilot doesn't have, and on your site the agent would ask the visitor for it first.
To replay a lead from Activity, select Send through the line on its row.
Can any rep claim a conversation?
Admins can turn on Open claim (first-come-first-serve) under Coverage on the Rules tab. Any available rep can then claim a routed conversation, and the first to claim it wins.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| You can't add or change rules | Only admins can add or change rules. |
| A lead went to the catch-all instead of your rule | Run it through Test the line. Rules the lead passed show no match, and the test panel shows the facts ShowPilot used. |
| A test shows the lead as held | The rule needs an answer ShowPilot doesn't have. On your site, the agent would ask the visitor for it first. |
| A rule that routes to the CRM owner never fires | The CRM owner may not have a ShowPilot account. See Your team and calendars. |
| A rule seems to be skipped | Check its place on the line, since the first match wins, and that it isn't paused. |
Frequently asked questions
Does the agent guess a visitor's territory or company size?
No. For Territory, Company size and Industry, when ShowPilot doesn't know the answer yet, the agent asks the visitor before routing.
Does testing a rule assign the lead or send anything?
No. Test the line shows who would get the lead without assigning anyone or sending anything.
What happens to a visitor no rule matches?
They fall to the catch-all at the end of the line, which assigns round robin across the team.
Can one rule cover several lines?
Yes. A rule can apply to several lines, so the same rule can appear on more than one.