Not firing means the rule never ran. That differs from running and choosing wrongly. Check the trigger first. Then the entries.
Causes and fixes
- The rule is not the active one. Only one rule per object can be active. Fix: activate the rule you mean.
- The lead was created without asking for it. Imports and API calls, including third-party form tools, only run the rule if they ask for it. Native Web-to-Lead uses the active rule itself. Fix: set the option on the import or the API call. See Web-to-Lead not assigned and imports and API.
- The lead was edited, not created. The rule does not run again on its own. Fix: re-run it on purpose. See rules that only run on create.
- No entry matched. The lead then goes to the default owner. Fix: add a final entry. See the default owner.
- A flow set the owner afterwards. The rule ran. You see another owner. Fix: see a flow overriding the rule.
Check it yourself
Create a test lead the way real leads arrive, then read its owner history. The first change shows whether the rule ran. See how to test a rule.
If the rule ran and chose badly, read seven causes of a rule not working.
The free scan checks your export for:
- a missing active assignment rule
- an active rule with no entries
- entries that can never match
- more than one system setting the Lead owner
No export access? Paste your rule entries instead.
Decide from the owner history
Create a test lead, then read its first owner change.
- No owner change at all: the rule did not run. Look at causes 1 to 3.
- An owner change made by the rule, then another: the rule ran and something moved it. Look at cause 5.
- The owner is the default owner: the rule ran and no entry matched. Look at cause 4.
A worked example
A made-up case: leads from a landing page all stay with the web form user. Leads typed in by reps are assigned correctly.
The rule works. The landing page creates the lead without asking for the rule. That is cause 2. Set the option on the form, then submit one test lead.
Steps
- Create a test lead the way real leads arrive.
- Read its owner history.
- Match what you see to the three cases above.
- Fix that cause, then test again.
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.
Or check it now. The free scan reads your Salesforce export in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.