What is a round robin?

A round robin is an arrangement of choosing all elements in a group equally in some rational order, usually from the top to the bottom of a list and then starting again at the top of the list and so on.

A simple way to think of round robin is that it is about "taking turns."

To use a metaphor, it’s a bit like dealing cards.

Say you’ve got four players. Using the round robin concept, you would deal a card to player 1, then a card to player 2, player 3, player 4, then repeat the process until the entire deck of cards has been dealt.

Round robin applications

When planning business meetings and events, round robin scheduling can be used to have all attendees take turns presenting their ideas or products.

This ensures that all attendees have an equal opportunity to share their views and be heard, while also minimizing time wasted in the back-and-forth between speakers.

Overall, round robin arrangements allow for a fair and balanced distribution of tasks, resources, or other opportunities among different individuals or groups within a business context.

Benefits of Round Robin Meeting Distribution

Round Robin Meetings Allow for Faster Speed to Lead

First, and most importantly, it increases your speed to lead time.

As you’re probably aware, the faster your sales reps respond to leads, the better their chance is of converting. And in this day and age, you need to be lightning quick.

So it definitely pays to have an ultra-fast sales routing system in place. And that’s exactly what round robin meeting distribution offers.

Most inbound meeting distribution companies are done by going around a group of sales reps whenever a new meeting is booked.

Then, the prospect is routed to a sales rep so the rep can capitalize on the opportunity and have meaningful interactions when the prospect’s interest is likely at its peak.

In some cases, that will be right away just after a prospect has filled out a form, and leads can have a real-time call if they want.

In other cases, it will be at a later time that’s more convenient for the prospect — maybe later that week. The bottom line is that reps can jump on leads while they’re hot and make the most of them.

Considering that it takes more than half of companies (55%) at least five business days to respond, businesses that use round robin meetings can gain a significant advantage over the competition.

Round Robin Meeting Distribution Allows for Fairer Lead Routing

There are several different lead distribution models to choose from, with each having its own subtle nuances. But when you break it all down, there are two main models — round robin and cherry picking.

As I discussed previously, round robin is where leads are assigned to reps in rotational order.

As for cherry picking, it’s where leads are manually assigned to reps based on specific criteria like their expertise, experience, location, commonalities with leads, and so on.

Although cherry picking has its own set of advantages and is the right distribution model in some situations, it’s not always the most fair way to go about distributing leads.

For example, it inherently favors sales reps with more experience and can create an imbalance where newer reps may not get the same quality of leads as senior reps.

This can potentially create friction among team members in the long run, and it can inhibit a new rep’s growth if they’re not given the right opportunities.

Another major advantage of round robin meeting distribution is that it’s designed with fairness in mind.

Reps who book meetings only see the availability of the assigned account executive based on the rules you have configured, and Chili Piper counts the number of meetings each rep receives.

If your primary goal is to give everyone an equal opportunity and level the lead distribution playing field, the round round meeting system is a great way to go about it.

Round Robin Meeting Distribution Automatically Pauses Lead Routing to Reps That are Busy or Away

Another factor that must be considered when distributing leads is the availability of sales reps.

For example, a rep may be out of the office for the afternoon and unable to take meetings after 2pm.

Or maybe they’re on vacation for the week and can’t take any meetings at all.

In situations like these, it’s helpful to pause lead routing so reps don’t get leads they can’t handle.

This ensures there are no disruptions to meetings and leads aren’t left hanging.

Fortunately, pausing lead routing is another feature you’ll find with round robin meeting platforms like Chili Piper.

For times that reps aren’t available for meetings, they can reserve specific blocks directly into their calendar. No sweat.

Here’s an example.

A rep can use vacation rules for round robin on Chili Piper where they modify their regular working hours by enabling Vacation Calibration.

Let’s say this is what their normal working hours look like.

Comprehensive Round Robin Meeting Reporting

Having the right metrics in place is essential for running a successful business.

This is a particularly acute need for SaaS businesses that are pulling in digital analytics from a wide array of sources.

“If you know how to act on key metrics, then SaaS reporting will allow you to foster significant growth in your business and exceed your expectations,” writes Patrick Campbell of ProfitWell. “That only works; however, if those metrics are reliable and readily available.”

Best Project Scheduling Techniques

Calendar

A calendar is a basic outline that connects dates to your project’s task deadlines and milestones. Outlined in calendar cells, you can see all the days when your team members should be submitting completed work and recognize if any dates have not been met or delays have occurred in your project’s scheduling. This formatting does not allow much detail or task assignments and does not display the linked tasks.

Task lists

If you want to go simple, there’s nothing better than creating a list. You can enumerate all your tasks with their expected scheduled completion dates. You can also choose to list applications or documents, which is useful for small teams or smaller projects.

Simulation

If your project involves many uncertain variables and unclear final results, the simulation could help your schedule project management. You will develop your timeline based on assumptions, which will help when you’re not fully aware of all tasks involved in your project yet, or if any details of your scope change. While you may not know all the involved factors, you will want to consider all possible uncertainties and scope adjustments so your schedule is realistic and attainable.

Resource-leveling heuristics

During project scheduling, you may notice that you have room for reshaping your scheduling or how you rely on particular resources. You can hone in on the tasks in your project schedule and adjust your resource use, so they’re not under- or over-used in your project. You can focus your tasks around the resources available, like your team members, so they are contributing a balanced amount of time to your project. The possible harm of this method is that it could lead to longer project timelines and costs.