# What is lead routing?

> Lead routing sends each new lead to the right person or team by rules such as product, city, language or turn. Common rules, examples and mistakes.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-06
- **Category**: Lead generation
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/lead-routing

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Lead routing is the set of rules that decides who handles each new lead. A good routing rule means every lead lands with one named person who can help, the moment it arrives.

## Why routing matters

Without routing, leads go to a shared inbox or group chat where everyone sees them and nobody owns them. Some get two calls, some get none. Routing names an owner up front.

It also matches the lead to the right skill. A Pune flat buyer should reach the Pune team.

## Common routing rules

| Rule | Sends the lead by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product or form | Which form or ad the lead came from | Visa form to the visa desk, holiday form to holiday sales |
| Location | City, state or pin code the lead gave | Mumbai leads to the Mumbai branch |
| Language | The language the lead picked | Tamil speakers to the Chennai caller |
| Value | Budget or plan size from a form question | Budgets over INR 50 lakh to the senior advisor |
| Turn | Next person in a fixed order | Round robin across three callers |
| Client | Which client account the ad belongs to | An agency sends each client's leads to that client's channel |

Most teams combine two rules. First by product or client, then by turn inside that group.

## A worked example

Say Northwind Escapes runs two Meta lead forms: "Goa monsoon getaway" and "Dubai family trip". It has four callers.

1. The form picks the team. Goa leads go to Priya Shah and Karan Mehta. Dubai leads go to Asha Rao and Imran Sheikh.
2. Inside each team, leads alternate. Lead 1 to Priya, lead 2 to Karan, lead 3 to Priya.
3. If the owner is on leave, the lead skips to the next person.
4. If nobody marks the lead contacted in 15 minutes, it goes to the team lead.

The names are made up. Step 4 is the one teams forget.

## Where routing happens

Routing can live in your CRM, in an automation tool, or simply in where the alert goes. An agency that posts each client's leads in that client's own channel has already routed by client. Our [guide to Slack lead notifications](/guides/how-to-get-facebook-lead-notifications-in-slack) covers the setup, and [Slack for an ad agency](/guides/how-to-set-up-slack-for-an-ad-agency) covers channels. We make Marxx, which sends each client's Meta leads to that client's default Slack channel. See [client workspaces](/features/client-workspaces).

## FAQ

### What is the simplest routing to start with?

One channel or inbox per product or client, plus a fixed order of callers inside it. Add rules only when a real gap shows up.

### What if a routed lead is never called?

Add a fallback. After a set time with no contact, the lead goes to a team lead, who calls or reassigns it.

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