Introduction
This guide walks you step-by-step through how to create and configure lead routing rules so your leads are automatically assigned to the right agents.
Lead routing allows you to define how incoming leads are distributed across your team based on rules like location, source, or rotation.
Before You Start
Before creating a routing rule, make sure:
- You have admin permissions or access to routing settings
- Your agents are added to the system
- You understand which routing level you want to configure:
- Company
- Office or Team
- Personal
Routing behavior depends on lead ownership level, which determines which routing rules apply.
Navigate to Lead Routing Settings
- Go to your Settings
- Choose the level you want to configure:
- Company Lead Routing
- Office Lead Routing
- Personal Lead Routing
- Locate Lead Routing under Lead Settings
Each level controls how leads are distributed within that ownership scope.
Important Note: If your account admin has set all leads to be Company Owned then no leads will go through Personal or Office/Team lead routing rules.
Create a New Routing Rule
- Click Add New
- Give your rule a clear name (example: “Phoenix Buyer Leads – Round Robin”)
Clear naming helps when reviewing routing logs later.
Rule Conditions
Next, decide which leads should match this rule.
Common Conditions
- Lead Source
- Location / ZIP Code
- Tags
- Other lead attributes
Routing rules evaluate incoming leads against these conditions and assign them if they match.
Important: Some fields (like tags) may include options such as “Match Exactly” or “Empty or Match Exactly”, which determine how strictly leads must match the rule.
Set the rule's Working Hours. This is the day(s) and time(s) that this rule is routing leads. If a lead comes in outside of the working hours, that lead will be routed via the next rule.
Assignment Method
Next, decide how the lead should be assigned once it matches the rule.
Option 1: Round Robin
Distributes leads evenly across a group of agents.
Best for:
- Fair distribution across a team
- Ensuring all agents receive equal opportunity
How it works:
- Each new lead is assigned to the next agent in the rotation
- The system cycles through agents continuously
Note: Editing a round robin rule resets the rotation and starts a fresh cycle.
Option 2: Next Up
Assigns leads to the next available agent based on availability or queue order.
Best for:
- Teams using live coverage (ISA teams, call routing)
- Prioritizing agents who are currently ready to respond
How it works:
- Agents are placed in an order or availability queue
- The next eligible agent receives the lead
Use this when you want speed-to-lead rather than equal distribution.
Option 3: Blast Alert
Sends the lead to multiple agents at the same time and allows one to claim it.
Best for:
- High-speed environments where response time is critical
- Teams where multiple agents can compete to respond
How it works:
- The lead is immediately notified to a group of agents
- The first agent to respond or claim the lead becomes the assignee
This is ideal for hot leads or high-intent inquiries.
Select Agents
Add the agents who should receive leads from this rule.
Important limitation: Agents must belong to the correct office or ownership scope to be selectable in that routing level.
Confirm Rule Order
Lead routing rules are evaluated in order, from top to bottom.
This means the system will:
- Check the first rule
- If the lead matches, it is assigned immediately
- If it does not match, the system moves to the next rule
- This continues until a match is found
Only the first matching rule is applied. No additional rules will be evaluated after a match is found. Click the hamburger icon to move a lead routing rule.
Best Practice: Specific → General
Always organize your rules from Most specific → Most general
Recommended Structure
-
Highly targeted rules
- Example:
- Source = Website
- ZIP Code = 85001
- Tag = Luxury
- Example:
-
Mid-level rules
- Example:
- Location-based routing
- Team-specific routing
- Example:
-
Fallback rule (catch-all)
- Example:
- All leads → Round Robin
- Example:
Test Your Routing
Before relying on your rule:
- Create a test lead that matches your criteria
- Confirm it is assigned correctly
Review Routing Logs
Use Routing Logs to verify and troubleshoot.
Routing logs show:
- Which rule was applied
- Why the lead matched (or didn’t match)
How to Edit / Pause / Reorder / Delete Agent Lead Routing Rules
1. Navigate to Settings
2. Click on Lead Routing under Lead Distribution
3. Choose the tab for the role you want to set up rules for (Agent, Lender, Assistant, Custom Roles, etc. You can add/edit/delete these roles under Settings > Agent > Agent Roles).
4. Adjust the rule by doing any of the following:
(a) Pause / Resume an agent lead routing rule
(b) Edit an agent lead routing rule
(c) Copy an agent lead routing rule
(d) Delete an agent lead routing rule
(e) Drag and drop to reorder agent lead routing rules (order is important with agent lead routing rules)
Lead Routing Notifications
If you would like to see what lead notifications look like when received by the agents on your team, please see the following article: Lead Routing Notifications.
Working Hours & Vacation Mode
A Team Owner/Admin can set “Working Hours” or toggle “Vacation Mode” for every user under Settings > users > Agent List > Working Hours. Agent lead routing rules will not distribute leads to agents who are not in their working hours or have “Vacation Mode” toggled on. If all agents in a rule are not in their working hours, the next applicable rule would grab the lead, or it would end up at the Default Rule.
Individual agents can also control their “Working Hours” or “Vacation Mode” in Settings >Profile > Working Hours.
Along with working hours, be sure to make sure everyone has the same time zone for lead distribution to be accurate:
Default Rule
The Default Rule is the “catch-all” rule that will take effect if the lead matches no other criteria from the previous rules on the list. If no rules are created, the default rule will route the incoming leads. Click the edit button to update the default rule. The default rule is found at the very bottom of the “Agent Routing” page and includes the following rules to distribute:
- Assign Directly
- You can choose to assign directly to a specific user or a specific lead pond (see Lead Pond)
- Next Up or Blast Alert
- If either of these two options is selected, leads can be distributed by these two methods but only to those who are not added in any of the previous lead routing rules that come before the Default Rule.
Lead Routing to Different Roles
Lofty also has the feature to lead routes to any of the different roles available on a lead. The default roles are the following:
- Agent
- Assistant
- Lender
Up to ten additional roles can be created by the Team Owner/Admin under Settings > Agent > Agent Roles (see Custom Roles). Any additional role that is listed here will appear in the lead profile page under the “Assigned To” section and a lead routing rule can be set up to assign a use to that slot. The same options are available under each role (lender must be sent to a lender-type account) and can be adjusted by selecting the name of the role and setting up the rule. These are optional and do not have to be set up.
*Please note that currently there is no way for a husband/wife or another duo (or more) relationship to be automatically assigned to every lead together. The lead routing rules for the assistant or other custom roles can be used to automatically add users to those slots, but it will not take into consideration what is happening in the other rules.
Lead Routing and Auto Emails
The following are only sent after lead routing is complete and a person is in the primary "Agent" role of a lead profile. The emails will be sent by the individual in the "Agent" role of a lead profile. You will want to keep this in mind when setting up lead routing rules because any delays in the lead routing to distribute leads will keep these from being sent.
- Welcome Email
- Welcome Text
- Smart Plan Emails / Texts
- Property Alerts
- AI Assistant Engagement
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at <support@lofty.com>, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by chat with us through your Lofty CRM.

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