Working with Lead Assignment Rules

What are Lead Assignment Rules?

Definition

Lead Assignment Rules enable you to create rules to automatically assign sales divisions to new lead records.

How can I use Lead Assignment Rules?

When a new lead record is created in the system, Lead Assignment Rules automatically assign the new lead record to specific sales divisions based on the rules you've created in the system.

Where can I find Lead Assignment Rules?

Lead Assignment Rules are located in CRM Setup.

From the Main Menu, click My Profile > App Setup > CRM Setup > Lead Assignment Rules

Navigating Lead Assignment Rules

You are looking at a screenshot of Lead Assignment Rules:

Figure 1. Lead Assignment Rules. 

How can I use Lead Assignment Rules?

What are some common examples of Lead Assignment Rules?

As you begin working with Lead Assignment Rules, you must decide what kinds of rules to create. How will your inbound leads be assigned? Companies often create one kind of rule for each type of lead assignment. 

Some common Lead Assignment Rules include the following:

• Lead Assignment Rules Based on Territory: Leads are assigned to sales reps based on location. Location is configured using data on the Lead Record related to data such as Postal Code, State, Province, or City. 
• Round Robin Based Lead Assignment Rules: Leads are evenly assigned to teams or individuals on a rotating basis. Veloxity creates these assignments using the Lead Assignment Date. 
• Lead Assignment Based on Product Interest: Leads are assigned to reps based on the particular product or service of interest. For example, an automotive sales company may have new vehicles, used vehicles, and commercial vehicles divisions. The Lead would be assigned to the sales specialists within a particular vertical.  This is configured using data on the Lead Record such as the level of service package, product of interest, or company size.
• Lead Assignment Based on Lead Stage: Leads are assigned to sales reps based on their current lead stage in the system. For example, Lead stage could include data on whether the Lead is new, if the Lead needs to be nurtured, or if the Lead is not interested. Different sales reps may be trained to work with Leads at each of these stages. (Configure your Lead Stages in Veloxity CRM to work with Lead Assignment Rules.)
• Tiered Lead Assignment Rules: Leads are assigned to reps based on the potential size of the opportunity. The most potentially profitable opportunities are handled by the most experienced sales reps. This is configured using data on the Lead Record such as company size or the level of the product / service of interest.

How do Lead Assignment Rules work?

• When a new Lead is created, Lead Assignment Rules run, in order, until a rule finds matching criteria and assigns the record to a Sales Division.

• Rules with a lower order value will run before rules with a higher order value. For example, Rule 1 will run before Rule 2.  Rule 2 will run before Rule 3, and so on.

• If no rules find matching criteria, then the Lead is not assigned. (We recommend creating a "Catch All Rule" as the last rule in your system to be sure all Leads are assigned.)

• Only rules marked active will run. 

• Active rules are validated when saved.

• If the rules are not valid, the rules will not be able to be saved until they are fixed or marked inactive. 

Tips for using Lead Assignment Rules

• After configuring your Lead Assignment Rules, create a test Lead for each of the new Lead Assignment Rules you've created. Run the Lead through the system to make sure the Lead is correctly assigned. If the Lead is not correctly assigned, return to this section and adjust your rules. When you are finished, remember to delete the test Lead.

• Create a "Catch All" Last Rule in your system. If the Lead doesn't meet the criteria for any of the configured rules, the Lead will still be assigned and not fall through the cracks.

How can I Create a New Lead Assignment Rule?

Navigate to Lead Assignment Rule Configuration

1. Click Add New Rule.
2. Select New Rule Type. 

What is the difference between the two rule types?

There are two types of rules that can be created. 

• The first type will use terms that compare the Lead's field values to the field values of all Sales Division records. (The Lead fields can also be compared to static values). The rule will look for Sales Divisions that satisfy all of the rule terms and, if it finds any, will assign the Leads to those Sales Divisions. 
• The second type has the user pick specific Sales Divisions to use as parents. The rule terms will compare field values of the Lead to static values. If the terms are satisfied, then the Lead will be assigned to the Sales Divisions that were chosen earlier. This second type of rule can also be created without any rule terms. These rules will always be considered satisfied, so the assignment will always occur if the rule is evaluated. This can be useful as a "default" rule, to ensure that all Leads get assigned to some Sales Division. (Give this kind of rule a large "order" value, to ensure it runs only after all other rules have failed).

You are looking at a screenshot of Selecting a Rule Type to Create a New Lead Assignment Rule:

Figure 2. Selecting a Rule Type to Create a New Lead Assignment Rule.

How can I create a new Lead Assignment Rule? 

1. Enter the Rule Name and Description.
2. Select Sales Division (this only applies if you selected the second rule type "Choose a Specific Parent")
3. Select the Sales Division Selector Operation from the pick list. The Sales Division Selector Operation determines how individuals or teams will be assigned Leads.
   • Round Robin: A basic round robin approach for Lead Assignment to Sales Divisions. Round Robin works across all Sales Divisions provided by the rule definition. 
   • If no sales divisions are provided by the rule, then Round Robin will work with all Sales Divisions in the system and select the Sales Division with the oldest, most recently assigned Lead. 
   • No Selector Operation: Do not use any selector operation. If a single Sales Division matches, use that as the parent. If more than one Sales Division matches, use all of them as the parent. 
4. Create the Rule Term. (See below for more information on creating the Rule Term.)
5. Click Save. 

You are looking at a screenshot of Creating a New Lead Assignment Rule:

Figure 3. Creating a New Lead Assignment Rule. 

How can I create the Rule Term?

Use the following steps to create the rule term:

1. Select the Lead Field from the pick list.
2. Select the Operator (only operators that work with your selected Lead Field will be shown):
   1. =   (an exact match)
   2. ≠   (show results that don't have the value you enter)
   3. is contained in (show results that are contained within a specific value)
   4. contains  (use for fields that include your search string, but sometimes include additional information)
   5. > (greater than)
   6. ≥ (greater than or equal to)
   7. < (less than)
   8. ≤ (less than or equal to)
3. Select Sales Division Field or Value. (Sales Division Field will only be an option when using the first rule type where the Sales Division is not fixed.)
4. Enter the Sales Division Field or Value.

Let's look at an example of creating a rule term for a Tiered Lead Assignment Rule. 

Use this general process to develop your own rule terms.

In a Tiered Assignment Rule, Leads are assigned to Sales Divisions based on the potential size of the Account. The most potentially profitable Leads are handled by the most experienced sales divisions.

The following rule term will route all Leads with a product interest defined as Gold to the specified sales division(s):

Figure 4. Creating the Rule Term.