Inbox Rotation Best Practices

Create fair, efficient inbox rotation strategies that distribute leads evenly and maximize team performance.

Choosing the Right Rotation Type

Equal Distribution

Best for:

  • Teams with similar experience levels
  • Standard lead distribution
  • Simplicity and transparency

Custom Distribution

Best for:

  • Mixed experience levels (senior gets 40%, juniors get 30% each)
  • Part-time vs. full-time reps
  • Testing new reps (start at 20%, increase over time)

Selecting Rotation Periods

Daily Rotation

Use when: High volume (50+ leads/day), need daily balance

Pros: Fair daily workload, quick rebalancing

Cons: More management overhead

Weekly Rotation

Use when: Medium volume (100-500 leads/month), weekly quotas

Pros: Aligns with sales weeks, easier to track

Cons: Can be unbalanced within a week

Monthly Rotation

Use when: Low-medium volume, monthly performance reviews

Pros: Matches quota periods, simple

Cons: Long time to rebalance if uneven

Lifetime Rotation

Use when: Very low volume or long-term fairness priority

Pros: Set and forget, ultimate fairness

Cons: Takes longest to balance

Pro Tip
Start with weekly rotation - it's the best balance for most teams.

Rotation Team Sizing

Optimal Rotation Size

  • 2-5 members: Ideal (easy to manage, fair distribution)
  • 6-10 members: Good (may need custom percentages)
  • 10+ members: Consider multiple rotations by territory/product

Minimum Volume Requirements

For fair distribution, you need enough volume:

  • 2-member rotation: Minimum 20 leads/period
  • 3-member rotation: Minimum 30 leads/period
  • 4-member rotation: Minimum 40 leads/period
  • 5+ member rotation: Minimum 50 leads/period

Rotation Naming

Use Clear, Descriptive Names

  • ✅ "Inbound Demo Requests - Sales Team"
  • ✅ "SMB Leads - West Coast Reps"
  • ✅ "Enterprise - Senior AEs"
  • ❌ "Rotation 1"
  • ❌ "Test"

Monitoring Rotations

Weekly Distribution Checks

  1. Go to Analytics → Rotations
  2. Check each rotation's distribution chart
  3. Verify fairness (no member >40% unless intentional)
  4. Investigate any 0% members

Monthly Performance Reviews

  1. Export rotation data
  2. Share with team showing fair distribution
  3. Collect feedback on workload balance
  4. Adjust percentages if needed

Adding/Removing Members

Adding a New Team Member

  1. Add user in HubSpot with Sales Hub Pro
  2. Have them connect email
  3. Sync data in AutoSeq
  4. Add to rotation strategy
  5. Start at lower percentage (20%) if testing
  6. Increase over 30-60 days as they ramp up

Removing a Team Member

  1. Remove from rotation in AutoSeq FIRST
  2. Wait 24 hours for any pending enrollments
  3. Then deactivate in HubSpot
  4. Monitor to ensure no failed enrollments

Common Mistakes

Too Many Members in Rotation

Problem: 10 members, only 50 leads/month = 5 leads each

Fix: Split into multiple rotations or reduce members

Wrong Rotation Period

Problem: Daily rotation with only 10 leads/week

Fix: Use weekly or monthly for low volume

Not Monitoring Distribution

Problem: Unnoticed imbalance for months

Fix: Set weekly calendar reminder to check