An SLA is a promise: a lead gets a first response within a set time. Routing sets who must keep it. Something must act when they do not.
Four parts
- The clock starts when the lead is created, or when it is assigned. Choose one and write it down.
- The clock stops at the first real activity: a call, an email or a status change. Decide which ones count.
- A check runs after the target time. If the clock is still running, the lead moves on.
- Someone is told, and the move is recorded.
How to build the check
Salesforce escalation rules are set up for cases. Check Setup for leads. See escalating untouched leads. A record-triggered flow with a scheduled path can do the same job. It runs after your target time, tests the clock and reassigns.
Scheduled paths can run late. Leave a margin and do not promise the minute.
Where it goes wrong
- The next owner is someone who is away. See routing when reps are on leave.
- The move creates a second owner change that another flow reverses.
- Nobody checks that the SLA is met. See measuring lead response time.
Count it yourself
SELECT COUNT(Id) FROM Lead WHERE IsConverted = false AND Status = 'New' AND CreatedDate < LAST_N_DAYS:1 AND CreatedDate = LAST_N_DAYS:7Use your own default status. Leads still new after a day have missed any target you set.
The free scan cannot count response times. It checks the setup behind it.
How a router handles the wait
LeanData describes time-based actions in its own words. Source: LeanData, time-based actions, read on 18 October 2026, article dated 2 April 2025.
- A Hold Until node pauses the lead and tracks how long action takes.
- If the rep does not act, the record goes to a notification node.
- After a further wait, the lead can go to a manager or be reassigned.
- A Time-to-Action Tracker object records each record held in the node.
The same four steps work in a flow. Wait, test, tell, move.
Write the SLA down
| Decision | Your answer |
|---|---|
| When does the clock start? | On create, or on assignment |
| What stops it? | A call, an email, a status change |
| Who is told when it runs out? | A named manager |
| Who gets the lead next? | A named person or queue |
Leads that wait in a queue are covered in leads stuck in a queue.
Have it checked every night instead.
Routing Forensics connects as a read-only user and checks this, and the rest of your routing, against your real leads. Three design partners get a free health report on their own CRM, free for 90 days: what is leaking, where, and what it is worth. Apply for a place.
The free scan cannot count response times. It reads your routing setup in your browser. Scan your Salesforce or HubSpot routing. The nightly check, open to design partners, counts it.