--- title: "Lead routing follows written rules." description: "Route inquiries to an eligible owner. Compare round robin lead distribution with first to claim, then test reassignment for unclaimed leads." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems/lead-routing" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Lead routing follows written rules. To keep a lead from reaching the wrong person, define eligibility before choosing an assignment method. Lead routing uses the inquiry source and your coverage rules to find an owner. Round robin lead distribution and first to claim serve different handoffs. [Send your brief](/work#send-your-brief) ## Decide who is eligible. A source rule identifies the inquiry type. Coverage area can exclude people who do not serve the location. A price rule can apply a qualification your business has documented. These rules run before distribution. We work with all popular CRMs. The written scope checks which fields your CRM exposes. If a required field is missing, the inquiry goes to the fallback owner for review. The system does not guess. ## Choose round robin or first to claim. Round robin lead distribution assigns the next eligible person in a recorded order. The rule states how availability affects that order. It also states when someone returns to the rotation. First to claim offers an inquiry to eligible people for a defined window. One accepted claim closes that window. A later claim must not overwrite the accepted owner. The test checks competing claims against the same lead. ## Reassign an unclaimed lead. Set the claim window in the written scope. When it expires, the function checks whether the lead has an accepted owner. An unclaimed lead moves according to the reassignment rule. A claimed lead stays with its owner unless a separate rule permits a change. If no eligible person remains, the fallback owner gets an exception. Every reassignment keeps its reason in the history. ## Make the decision inspectable. The routing record keeps the rule used and the resulting owner. Your people can compare a disputed assignment with the source inquiry. A correction changes the written rule before another run uses it. The handoff includes acceptance checks your people can repeat. A duplicate event must not advance the rotation again. A missing field must produce a visible exception. ## Test the assignment decision. This is a test layout for the written scope. It describes expected behavior, without claiming a customer result. Acceptance checks for this function. Test condition Expected record An eligible inquiry arrives. Rule used and assigned owner. Two people claim one inquiry. One accepted owner with the claim time. An inquiry stays unclaimed. Reassignment reason and next owner. The same event arrives again. Existing assignment retained without advancing the rotation. ## Explore AI operations. - [AI operations](/ai-systems) - [Speed to lead](/ai-systems/speed-to-lead) - [Lead routing](/ai-systems/lead-routing) - [Lead follow up system](/ai-systems/lead-follow-up) - [Lead reporting](/ai-systems/lead-reporting) - [Business context](/ai-systems/business-context) ## Put the failing handoff in the brief. 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