A new lead should not depend on someone noticing a spreadsheet update. A dependable routing workflow captures the enquiry, assigns an owner and makes the next action visible.
01 / FLIGHT PLAN
Agree on the minimum record
Define the information needed for a useful follow-up: contact details, enquiry source, interest and the original message. Keep optional enrichment separate from the fields required to create the record.
Choose a stable way to recognise duplicate enquiries. The same person may submit a form twice or contact your team through more than one channel.
02 / FLIGHT PLAN
Make ownership explicit
Document routing rules such as service, region, account ownership or team capacity. Include a default queue for enquiries that do not match a rule.
An assignment is not complete until the owner can see the record and the next action. Notifications should link directly to the CRM item rather than sending disconnected copies of the same information.
03 / FLIGHT PLAN
Plan for exceptions
Handle missing contact details, unavailable owners and failed CRM requests explicitly. Keep an exception queue that a teammate can review without searching execution logs.
Make retries safe. A repeated request should not create duplicate leads or send the same follow-up several times.
04 / FLIGHT PLAN
Measure the handoff
Track time from enquiry to assignment and from assignment to first follow-up. Look for unassigned records and leads stuck at the same stage.
Review the routing rules with the team as territories, services and staffing change. A working integration still needs a current operating plan.
Your flight checklist
Create one useful record, make ownership visible and give unmatched or failed enquiries a monitored place to land.