# What is round robin lead assignment?

> Round robin lead assignment hands new leads to sales reps in a fixed turn, one each. How it works, a worked example with three reps and when to use weights.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-07
- **Category**: Lead generation
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/round-robin-lead-assignment

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Round robin lead assignment gives each new lead to the next sales rep in a fixed order, then starts again at the top. With three reps, lead 1 goes to the first, lead 2 to the second, lead 3 to the third and lead 4 back to the first.

## How it works

1. Put your reps in an order.
2. Each new lead goes to the next rep in that order.
3. Skip anyone marked away, on leave or off shift.
4. After the last rep, go back to the first.

It is fair and easy to explain.

## Worked example with 3 reps

Say a travel desk has three reps: Priya Shah, Karan Mehta and Asha Rao. Ten leads arrive on Monday. Karan leaves at 15:00.

| Lead | Time | Goes to | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09:40 | Priya | Start of order |
| 2 | 10:05 | Karan | Next |
| 3 | 10:20 | Asha | Next |
| 4 | 11:15 | Priya | Back to top |
| 5 | 12:30 | Karan | Next |
| 6 | 14:10 | Asha | Next |
| 7 | 15:25 | Priya | Karan has left, so skip him |
| 8 | 16:00 | Asha | Next present rep |
| 9 | 17:45 | Priya | Next |
| 10 | 18:20 | Asha | Next |

Priya ends with 4 leads, Asha with 4 and Karan with 2, which matches the hours each worked. The names and times are made up.

## Weighted round robin

Sometimes reps should not get equal shares. A new rep might take one lead for every two a senior rep takes. Weighted round robin repeats names in the order: Priya, Priya, Asha, Priya, Priya, Asha.

Set weights by capacity, not by who closes most, or top closers get more leads than they can call fast.

## Where it goes wrong

- **No skip rule.** Leads go to someone on leave and wait a day.
- **No check on contact.** A rep can be assigned leads they never call. Pair round robin with a time limit, after which the lead moves on.
- **One queue for different products.** Route by product or client first, then round robin inside each group.

Round robin needs leads to arrive somewhere the team watches, such as a shared channel. See our [Slack lead notifications guide](/guides/how-to-get-facebook-lead-notifications-in-slack) and the [speed to lead](/glossary/speed-to-lead) target to pair it with. We make Marxx. When a rep presses Mark contacted on a Meta lead in Slack, the message shows everyone who reached out. See [Marxx in Slack](/features/slack).

## FAQ

### Is round robin better than first come, first served?

Round robin spreads leads evenly. First come, first served can be faster, but one eager rep may take more than they can call.

### Can round robin work in a WhatsApp or Slack group?

Yes, if the order is written down and everyone follows it. A tool that assigns automatically removes the guesswork.

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