Separate demo requests, referrals, partner introductions, and low-intent questions. Give each source an owner, first-action target, and fallback.
Make the handoff observable
Record received time, assigned time, first attempt, and outcome in the CRM. Review misses by source and shift coverage when a channel repeatedly waits.
Escalate with context
Include the account, request, attempted action, and decision needed. The assistant protects momentum while the sales owner keeps judgment.
Set tiers from intent and capacity
Define coverage, holidays, fallback ownership, and what counts as first action. A relevant reply or routing step is more useful than an empty acknowledgment. Review tiers with the team that must meet them.
Diagnose misses fairly
Measure received, assigned, first attempt, and outcome times by source and tier. Separate assignment delay from seller delay. Sample misses for missing data, unclear ownership, coverage gaps, and unrealistic targets. Set a lead response SLA by measuring the current receipt-to-first-human-response interval for each relevant source. Name the clock owner, business hours, exception path, and evidence that proves a response occurred.
Test the rule with an after-hours lead and a duplicate submission. If the queue cannot meet the proposed interval, show the owner the observed constraint and agree on a narrower promise before publishing the SLA.
