Is Distribution Engine worth it: Feature comparisons, Prices & Reviews

We examine the features of Distribution Engine and compare it to other lead distribution solutions to help you select the best solution for your business.
Nabilah Basuki
Nabilah Basuki

Digital Marketer

Reading time: 5 minutes

Having an automated lead distribution software is key to driving conversion. And the statistics don’t lie.

Using automated lead distribution improves conversion rates by up to 107%.

That being said, many software provides similar basic features. This can make it difficult for businesses to decide which software to purchase.

Let’s take a look at one of them and see how it fares among the others.

Contents

What is Distribution Engine

While doing your research to find the right lead distribution software for your business, you might have come across a software called Distribution Engine.

Unlike other automated lead distribution systems, Distribution Engine is actually an application built into Salesforce. You can find it on Salesforce’s AppExchange app store.

As with other lead distribution solutions, it relies on lead routing rules in order to assign leads to the right sales rep.

A Brief review of Distribution Engine’s features

What Distribution Engine does right

1. Built directly into CRM tool

Distribution Engine is a native application in Salesforce. This also means that the software is run and managed by Salesforce servers.

This brings multiple advantages for users such as the lack of downtime for synchronizing data into the CRM tool since it’s built into the system.

Another advantage is that since it is integrated with Salesforce’s CRM you don’t have to worry about making copies of your data to backup

2. Lead routing rule that reduces team fatigue

Some typical lead routing rules include round-robin distribution which distributes leads based on your sales reps’ availability.

Apart from this, Distribution Engine has a unique lead routing rule built into its algorithm.

With its Weighting and Capping feature, sales reps have the freedom to manage their workload by limiting the number of leads that can be routed to them.

This reduces the strain placed on your sales reps and prevents fatigue. In turn, your sales reps can focus more time and effort on a smaller number of leads.

While Distribution Engine has a unique feature or two, it might not be the software for your business. Here’s why.

What Distribution Engine lacks

1. Complicated User Experience (UX)

Creating a smooth UX for your users is essential once it comes to software design.

Your users will experience a lot of difficulties when learning how to use your product if the layout of your software is not intuitive. They may even end up canceling the subscription.

 

Comments about Distribution Engine’s UX.
Comments about Distribution Engine’s UX. Source: G2.

 

According to reviews about Distribution Engine, it’s difficult to check on your sales reps performance. Adjusting your software’s settings is also complicated.

This can be a disruption to regular business operations as too much time would be spent trying to navigate the tool itself.

2. Lacks oversight over the entire lead management process

Having a good system that handles every step in the lead management process is necessary if you want to increase your lead conversion rates.

These include lead generation, lead nurturing, and lead distribution.

You need a clear overview of all your inbound marketing and sales processes to accurately pinpoint a specific part of your sales process to improve.

But all Distribution Engine does is lead distribution. This makes it difficult to keep track of other steps in your overall lead management process.

Distribution Engine competitors

Kronologic - A lead distributing meeting scheduler

How Kronologic distributes leads.
How Kronologic distributes leads.

 

Kronologic is a meeting scheduler that allows you to send out meeting invites to your leads. Two things will happen once your lead accepts the invite.

This alternative to Distribution Engine will first distribute your leads to the right sales rep once they agree to the meeting.

A meeting is then automatically scheduled on the calendars of the lead and your sales rep. Following which, Kronologic distributes leads using rule-based lead routing. Some of such routing rules include round robin distribution and other customized ones.

Ricochet360 - All in one CRM and Lead management software

The dashboard of Ricochet 360.
The dashboard of Ricochet 360.

Ricochet360 is a lead management CRM software that automates your inbound and outbound sales processes. Its Lead Assignment feature allows users to automate the lead distribution process based on routing rules. These include availability and the skillset of sales reps.

Richochet360 is also a CRM tool. This means that the Distribution Engine competitor can also streamline and automate marketing processes. This includes automated marketing campaigns like email drip sequences to nurture your leads.

Zendesk Sell - Create Distribution Pools to facilitate lead routing

Zendesk Sell (formerly known as BaseCRM) is a sales CRM software that captures and nurtures incoming leads to generate more conversion. It collects leads information using its lead capture form. Users can create a distribution pool for the leads using a round-robin system.

 

How Zendesk assigns a distribution pool during lead conversion.
How Zendesk assigns a distribution pool during lead conversion.

 

Your sales reps are grouped into Distribution Pools. Leads are assigned to each pool based on specific lead routing rules and round-robin routing.

Novocall - Call distribution call management software

Novocall is a software that automates a call between a lead and your sales rep. It is integrated with your sales reps’ schedules.

This allows leads to pick specific time slots directly from your sales reps’ schedules for a call-back to be scheduled. Your leads no longer have to wait for indefinite amounts of time before receiving a call-back.

How Departments distribute leads based on language and location.
How Departments distribute leads based on language and location.

 

Novocall’s Departments feature distributes your leads to specific sales reps based on predetermined lead routing rules. These include the location of the lead and the language the lead speaks.

Comparing Distribution Engine and its competitors

Now that we’ve seen what lead distribution capabilities the competitors have, let’s see how they fare in terms of their other features and prices.

Other features

Features
Companies
Kronologic
Novocall Conversations
Ricochet360
Zendesk Sell
Lead Distribution




Lead Tracking



Lead Scoring


Customizable lead routing rules


Lead Management


Click-to-Call


Call Tracking


Scheduling System


Calendar Integration


Report and analytics




CRM Integration



Pricing Plans

Plan
Companies
Kronologic
Novocall Conversations
Ricochet360
Zendesk Sell
Basic
Not Provided
$39
$135
$19
Professional
Not Provided
Custom
$175
$49
Enterprise
Not Provided
Custom
Custom
$99

Conclusion

Hopefully, this guide provided you with enough information about the various Distribution Engine competitors.

But which software is the one for you?

In reality, that’s really up to you.

If you are simply looking for a meeting scheduler that helps distribute leads to your sales reps, Kronologic may be the one for you.

But if a bulk of your inbound leads contact your company via phone calls, then a holistic call management software like Novocall fits your needs better.

To learn more about how we can help your drive conversions, get started with us today!

Nabilah Basuki
Nabilah Basuki

Nabilah is a digital marketer at Novocall.

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