Short answer
Shared: any rep takes the next lead, and owners are just a label. Owner first: reps get their own leads before anyone else's, but still help with the rest. Owner only: reps call only their own leads and unowned ones. A release timer can open overdue leads to everyone.
Every contact can have an owner, the rep responsible for them. You can set it by hand, from a workflow, from your CRM, or automatically with round robin or balanced assignment. The campaign's Lead owners setting decides what owners mean while dialing.
The three modes
| Mode | In the app | Who may call a lead | Order for each rep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared | "Anyone takes the next lead" | Every agent on the campaign | Normal queue order |
| Owner first | "Agents get their own leads first" | Every agent on the campaign | Own leads first, then everyone else's |
| Owner only | "Only the owner calls their leads" | The owner. Unowned leads go to anyone. | Own leads, then unowned ones |
Shared
Owners are ignored for dialing. This is the fastest way to work a big list, and the right default for most outbound teams: no lead waits for a particular person.
Owner first
Each rep works their own book first. When they run out of due leads of their own, they keep dialing everyone else's instead of sitting idle. Use it when reps get credit for their own leads but you don't want idle time.
Owner only
Reps never call a lead someone else owns. Use it when ownership is strict: commission splits, licensed advisors with their own clients, or account managers working their own accounts. Unowned leads are still open to everyone, so new leads don't pile up while they wait for an owner.
The release timer
Owner only has a risk: if the owner is on vacation, their leads sit. Set Release to everyone after (minutes). Once a lead has been overdue that long, any eligible agent may call it.
For example, with a release time of 120 minutes, a lead due at 10:00 that the owner hasn't called by 12:00 opens up to the whole team.
Leads owned by a deactivated user are always released, so removing someone never strands their book.
Owners and callbacks
Callbacks follow their own rule: the rep who booked one gets it first, wherever they're dialing. After a grace period (15 minutes by default) it can go to someone else, unless your callback policy says callbacks belong to the booking agent only. See who gets a callback if the agent is busy.
Which should you pick?
- Speed to lead, one big pool: Shared.
- Reps keep their own book but help when free: Owner first.
- Strict ownership or a commission split: Owner only, with a release time.
Pair Owner first or Owner only with automatic assignment, so new leads get an owner without a manager doing it by hand.