Introduction to Distribution Engine

Distribution Engine Overview

What is Distribution Engine?

Distribution Engine is NC Squared’s Salesforce-native routing & assignment tool.

Distribution Engine automatically assigns records to the right people or queues inside Salesforce - including Leads, Cases, Contacts, Opportunities, Accounts, and custom/standard objects - using configurable rules and real-time availability.

Distribution Engine distributes work to the right people or queues through teams and distributors, which control eligibility and routing logic directly inside Salesforce.

Each assignment is fully logged, with data available for monitoring, analytics and reportingDistribution Engine for Sales overview

Take the tour of Distribution Engine

What can you do with Distribution Engine?

If you’re looking to understand what can be done with Distribution Engine, and how to do it, here’s a handy list of quick links:

1. Install Distribution Engine and set up access

Set up Distribution Engine in Salesforce so records can be automatically routed using rules, availability, and ownership logic.

Installation Process: Get Distribution Engine installed in a sandbox or production org and ready to route records.
What’s in the Package: See what’s included after install and where each core feature lives in Salesforce.
Permissions: Assign the right permission sets so admins, managers, and users can work in Distribution Engine without friction.

2. Build teams that receive assignments

Define which Salesforce users are eligible to receive routed records through Distribution Engine.

Distribution Teams Introduction: Create Distribution Teams to define who is eligible to receive work.
Team Members: Manage team membership over time - add reps, remove leavers, or pause someone temporarily.
Dynamic Team Members: Define rules that will dynamically manage team members rather than managing them manually

3. Classify records before they’re routed

Use Distribution Engine’s Classifier to enrich, match, and categorise records before routing occurs.

Classifier Overview: Automatically classify records as they enter Salesforce so they can be routed correctly from the start.
Territories - Assign records to territories based on geography, account data, or custom logic — without relying on Salesforce Enterprise Territory Management.
Lead Matching - Match inbound leads to existing Accounts, Contacts, or Opportunities to prevent duplicates and support account-based routing.
Custom Classification - Classify records using any Salesforce field or combination of fields to drive downstream routing logic.
Auto-Conversion - Automatically convert or de-duplicate leads according to rules.

4. Create distributors (routing rules) to assign work

Control how Distribution Engine assigns records to users or queues using configurable routing rules.

Distributors Introduction: Choose the right distributor type (standard vs manual) based on your routing needs.
Standard Distributor Settings: Configure, clone, and test routing rules so records land where you expect.
Distribution Methods – Introduction: Pick the matching algorithm - round robin, load balancing, sticky assignment, lookup/related owner, and more.
Queues: Wire those queues into Distribution Engine so inbound work automatically enters routing.

5. Control who gets what with filters, tags, weighting & caps

Refine Distribution Engine routing so records are assigned based on skills, attributes, and capacity.

Distributor Team Member Filters: Route work by skills or attributes, so the most appropriate rep gets each record.
Distribution Tags – Introduction: Introduce tag-based routing (region, seniority, industry, product line) to segment distribution.
Tag Collections: Group and assign tags at scale, keeping routing tidy as the team grows.
Capping by Tags: Set workload limits per person or group to prevent overload and keep distribution fair.

6. Manage working hours and availability

Ensure Distribution Engine only assigns records to users who are available to work them.

Distribution Availability: Make sure Distribution Engine only assigns records to people who are actually available.
Team Member Distribution Hours: Define team-wide hours and tailor them per rep where needed.
Shift Hours: Build reusable shift patterns to cover rotating schedules with less admin effort.
Out of Office: Pause routing to individuals instantly when they’re away or training.
Distribution Holidays and Regional Holidays: Automatically block distribution for teams or regions during holidays.
User Availability Toggle: Let reps switch availability on/off in real time without needing an admin.

7. Track ownership, follow-up, and SLAs after assignment

Distribution Engine doesn’t stop at assignment - it helps you track follow-up, enforce response times, and recover work that isn’t actioned.

Action Tracking: See whether assigned records are being worked and measure time-to-first-action automatically.
SLAs: Define and monitor SLAs so teams respond to leads and cases within agreed timeframes.
Rejection & Reassignment: Allow users to reject assignments when they’re not a fit and return records to routing without manual intervention.

8. Update related records automatically after assignment

Object Sync: Keep related records aligned by syncing ownership automatically after a reassignment.

9. Monitor and troubleshoot distribution

Gain visibility into how Distribution Engine is routing records and identify issues quickly.

Distribution Settings: Control global routing behavior - including starting, stopping, and scheduler options.
Distribution Analytics: Track volumes, trends, fairness, and speed of assignment over time.
Distribution Engine Dashboard: Use a prebuilt Salesforce dashboard to monitor routing health at a glance.
Distribution Engine Details Object: Understand why something was routed by viewing assignment context on the record.
Reports – Leads and Distribution Logs and Salesforce Reports: Create custom reports on distribution activity for ops and leadership.
Change History: Audit routing and availability changes so nothing happens in a black box.

10. Improve user experience with the widget

Give users in-record tools to manage availability and work assigned by Distribution Engine.

Widget & Inline Page: Give reps an in-record workspace to manage availability, pull records, and review assignments.

11. Fine tune performance with advanced features

Scale and optimise Distribution Engine for complex routing and high-volume environments.

Advanced: Unlock enterprise patterns like queue-to-queue routing or trigger-based distribution.
Advanced Settings: Fine-tune Distribution Engine for complex org logic and edge cases.
Tuning Distribution Engine: Optimize performance when you’re routing at high volume.

Who is Distribution Engine for?

Distribution Engine is for any Salesforce-based team that needs to automatically route work to the right owner quickly and fairly - without manual triage.

Who uses Distribution Engine?

SDRs / Sales teams routing inbound Leads to available reps by territory, round robin, or account rules.
Service and Support teams assigning Cases based on priority, language, skill, or shift coverage.
RevOps / Salesforce admins who want routing fully inside Salesforce with transparent logs and analytics.
Any team with custom objects needing automated ownership and availability-aware handoffs.

What Makes Distribution Engine a Top Choice for Lead Routing

Rule-based logic routing – Route by geography, product interest, lead score, and rep availability to match the right lead with the right person

Speed to lead with automatic assignment – The faster a lead gets assigned, the higher your conversion rates (those first minutes matter)

CRM and workflow integrations – Ensure leads flow smoothly into your existing tech stack without friction

Analytics and feedback loops – Track routing effectiveness, monitor rep workload, and measure actual conversion outcomes

Scalability and flexibility – Build systems that let you adjust routing rules and handle volume changes as you grow

FAQs

How does Distribution Engine work?

Who is Distribution Engine for?

Any Salesforce-based org that needs automated routing for Leads, Cases, or other objects - especially sales, service, and RevOps teams.

What kinds of routing can be done with Distribution Engine?

It supports round robin, load balancing, sticky/duplicate handling, skills-based routing with tags/filters, queue-to-queue models, and ownership-based routing such as lookup/related owner methods (tier-dependent).

Does it respect working hours and time zones?

Yes - capacity and eligibility are controlled by team/member hours, shifts, holidays, and out-of-office entries.

How do I track whether routing is working well?

Use Distribution Analytics, the DE Dashboard, Distribution Logs, and Salesforce reporting to monitor volumes, trends, and action SLAs.

Can it update related records after assignment?

Yes - Object Sync can automatically realign child-record ownership to match the newly assigned parent.