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Routing ensures that every contact Seam prospects is automatically assigned to the right sales representative. Instead of manually distributing leads, routing rules handle assignment automatically as part of your plays.

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Why Routing Matters

Without routing, automated prospecting creates problems:

Orphan Contacts

Contacts created in CRM with no owner, falling through the cracks

Wrong Rep Assignment

Leads sent to the wrong territory or inbox, causing confusion

Manual Distribution

Someone has to manually assign leads after prospecting

Slow Follow-Up

Delays while waiting for manual assignment before outreach
Routing solves this by automatically assigning contacts the moment they’re prospected, ensuring immediate follow-up from the right person.

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How Routing Works

Routing is configured as part of plays and executes during the workflow:
The routing decision happens before deployment, ensuring contacts arrive in systems with proper ownership already set.

Build Plays with Routing

Learn how routing integrates into automated workflows

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Routing Methods

Seam supports multiple routing methods:
Routes to whoever owns the account in your CRM
  • Most common method for existing accounts
  • Maintains consistent ownership
  • Works for multi-threading plays
Example: All contacts at Acme Corp route to the SDR who owns the Acme account

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Configuration Options

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Within Play Setup

Routing is configured when building a play:
1

Define Trigger and Audience

Set conditions for when the play runs and which accounts qualify
2

Configure Prospecting

Define which personas to find at qualifying accounts
3

Set Routing Rules

Choose routing method (account owner, round robin, custom field, etc.)
4

Configure Deployment

Specify where routed contacts should be sent (CRM, sequences, ads)

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Routing Priority

You can set fallback routing:
  1. Primary: Try account owner first
  2. Fallback: If no account owner, use round robin queue
  3. Default: If no queue assignment, route to manager
This ensures every contact gets assigned even if primary routing fails.

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Integration with Systems

Routing works across your connected tools:

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CRM Systems

  • Routes to account owner field
  • Creates contacts with proper owner assignment
  • Uses custom fields for routing logic
  • Respects existing ownership rules

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Sales Engagement Platforms

  • Routes to correct rep’s SalesLoft inbox
  • Adds to sequences from proper sender
  • Maintains rep-specific cadences
  • Ensures correct email sender
Critical: Routing must happen before deployment to sales engagement tools. If you deploy first and route later, emails will send from the wrong inbox.

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Use Cases

Scenario: High-fit company visits pricing pageRouting Method: Account Owner (if exists) → Round Robin (if new)Flow:
  1. Identify company from website visit
  2. Check if account exists in CRM
  3. If yes: Route to account owner
  4. If no: Create account, assign via round robin
  5. Deploy to assigned rep’s sequence
Result: Immediate follow-up from correct rep within hours
Scenario: Leads from different regions need regional expertiseRouting Method: Geographic/Regional based on country fieldFlow:
  1. Prospect identifies location
  2. Route EMEA accounts to EMEA team
  3. Route APAC accounts to APAC team
  4. Route Americas to appropriate US/LATAM rep
Result: Leads handled by reps with regional knowledge
Scenario: SDRs specialize in specific industriesRouting Method: Custom CRM field based on industryFlow:
  1. Check account industry field
  2. Route SaaS companies to SaaS specialist
  3. Route healthcare to healthcare specialist
  4. Route financial services to finserv specialist
Result: Prospects talk to reps who understand their industry
Scenario: Expand coverage at high-value accountsRouting Method: Account Owner (maintain consistency)Flow:
  1. Identify single-threaded A-tier account
  2. Prospect 4 additional buying committee members
  3. Route all new contacts to existing account owner
  4. Add to multi-threading sequence
Result: Coordinated multi-contact outreach from one rep
Scenario: Form fills and demo requests need quick responseRouting Method: Round Robin for fairnessFlow:
  1. Lead submits form
  2. Seam enriches with additional data
  3. Routes via round robin to available SDR
  4. Immediately adds to high-priority sequence
Result: Even distribution and fast follow-up
Scenario: Complex routing based on multiple factorsRouting Method: Custom logic with conditionsFlow:
  1. If opportunity exists → Route to opportunity owner
  2. Else if account exists → Route to account owner
  3. Else if enterprise size → Route to enterprise team
  4. Else → Round robin to general team
Result: Sophisticated assignment matching your process

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Routing vs. Existing Systems

You have two options for how routing works:

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Option 1: Seam Creates, CRM Routes

Seam creates contacts in your CRM, then existing CRM routing rules handle assignment. When to use:
  • You have complex routing logic already built in Salesforce
  • Your CRM routing includes territory management and role hierarchies
  • You want CRM to remain single source of truth for assignments

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Option 2: Seam Routes, Then Deploys

Seam applies routing rules, then creates contacts with ownership already set. When to use:
  • You want to centralize routing logic in Seam
  • CRM routing is limited or difficult to maintain
  • You need routing to work consistently across multiple systems

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Option 3: Hybrid Approach

Use Seam routing for some plays, CRM routing for others. When to use:
  • Different teams have different preferences
  • Some use cases need custom logic, others work with CRM defaults
  • You’re transitioning from CRM routing to Seam routing gradually

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Best Practices

If your team uses account-based ownership, route by account owner. If you use round robin for inbound, route that way. Mirror your existing model.
Always define what happens if primary routing fails. Don’t create orphan contacts—route to a manager or default queue instead.
Run plays on small audience first to verify routing works correctly. Check that contacts appear with right owners in right systems.
If SDRs have personalized sequences, route to the rep whose sequence they should enter. Don’t separate routing from sequence assignment.
For round robin, check that distribution stays balanced. Some reps might be out of office or at capacity—adjust queues accordingly.
As routing gets complex, document rules so team members understand why leads route where they do. This helps with troubleshooting.
Territory changes, team changes, and ownership models evolve. Review routing rules quarterly to ensure they still match your structure.

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Preventing Common Issues

Problem: Contacts created with no ownerSolution: Always set fallback routing. If primary method fails, route to default queue or manager
Problem: Emails send from wrong rep’s email addressSolution: Route BEFORE deploying to sales engagement tools, not after
Problem: Multiple reps claim same accountSolution: Use CRM account owner as source of truth, not contact-level routing
Problem: Some reps get far more leads than othersSolution: Use round robin instead of custom logic if fairness matters more than specialization
Problem: Rep doesn’t know why they got the leadSolution: Include routing reason in CRM fields or task description (“Routed: Website Visitor - Pricing Page”)

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Common Questions

Not directly. Routing assigns one owner per contact. However, you can create tasks or notifications for additional team members while primary ownership goes to one person.
Routing uses current CRM data. If the account owner field updates to a new rep, future plays will route to the new owner. Existing contacts remain with original owner unless manually reassigned.
Yes. Many CRMs have workflows that trigger on contact creation or owner change. Seam routing can kick off these downstream automations.
Yes. You can route based on existing contact owner (maintains continuity) or override and route based on account owner or other rules.
Yes. Configure your round robin queue to include only active reps. Remove people who are out of office, at capacity, or shouldn’t receive certain lead types.