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Working Shared Leads with Sierra Lead Ponds (Agent Guide)

How to find, work, and claim leads from shared ponds

 

Are you a Manager or Primary Manager? Looking to set up Lead Ponds instead of working them?
Visit: Setting Up and Managing Sierra Lead Ponds (Manager Guide)

Summary

Lead Ponds in Sierra make it easy for teams to collaborate on unassigned leads. Instead of routing every new lead directly to one agent, you can hold them in a shared “pond” — giving multiple team members a chance to review, claim, and work those leads quickly.

This guide explains what Lead Ponds are, how they function, and how agents and managers use them day to day.

Table of Contents

  1. What Lead Ponds Are

  2. Why They’re Useful

  3. Accessing Lead Ponds

  4. Understanding Lead States

  5. How to Work Pond Leads

  6. What Agents Can Do (Based on Permissions)

  7. Best Practices

  8. Troubleshooting Common Issues

  9. FAQs

What Lead Ponds Are

A Lead Pond is a shared space in your Sierra CRM where multiple agents can access a pool of leads that haven’t yet been assigned to anyone. You might think of it as a “waiting room” for new or unclaimed leads — visible to a group, but owned by no one until claimed.

Common use cases include:

  • New inbound internet leads
  • Inside sales or ISA teams
  • Long‑term nurture or re‑engagement pools
  • Reassigned or unclaimed opportunities

Why They’re Useful

Lead Ponds give your team flexibility and accountability.

  • Faster Response Times: Any available agent can grab a new lead instead of waiting for it to be assigned.
  • Fair Distribution: Everyone in the pond has equal access, so lead volume stays balanced.
  • Team Collaboration: Managers can easily see who’s engaging with pond leads and how quickly they’re being claimed.
  • Built-in Transparency: Every claim and follow-up is tracked within the lead record for full visibility.

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Accessing Lead Ponds

You’ll find all shared Lead Ponds under your Manage Leads tab.

  1. Navigate to Leads > Leads Dashboard.
  2. Select the Ponds view at the top of the page.
  3. Choose a specific pond from the dropdown to see all leads currently available.

 💡 If you don’t see any ponds listed, your manager may not have granted access yet. Contact your team leader to confirm your permissions.

Understanding Lead States

State What it Means Who Can See It
Not Working The lead is unclaimed and open to everyone in the pond All agents in the pond
Working The lead has been claimed by an agent and is being actively worked. It is hidden from other agents. That agent + managers
Pending Approval The agent has requested to claim the lead, but manager approval is required before ownership transfers. Agent + managers

Important: If a claim request is submitted, the time limit no longer applies while the request is pending. The lead remains locked until a manager approves, denies, or the agent returns it to the pond.

Agents can resubmit a claim request if a previous request was denied or needs to be reconsidered.

Working Pond Leads

Starting Work on a Lead

Any permitted contact action—such as calling, texting, or emailing—moves a lead into Working status and temporarily locks it.

While working a lead:

  • The lead counts toward your maximum working lead limit
  • Other agents cannot access the lead
  • You are expected to follow up promptly

Claiming a Lead

Claiming converts a shared lead into an owned lead.

Depending on team settings you may be able to claim immediately, or you may need to submit a claim request for manager approval

When you find a lead you want to work:

  1. Open the lead from the pond list.
  2. Click Claim Lead in the top-right corner.
  3. If approval is required, the lead will move to Pending Approval until your manager reviews it.

Once approved (or immediately, if no approval is needed), the lead becomes part of your personal pipeline under My Leads.

Returning a Lead to the Pond

Leads can return to the pond in three ways:

  • You manually return the lead
  • The working time limit expires
  • A manager reassigns the lead

Returned leads move back to Not Working and become visible to all pond agents again.

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What Agents Can Do (Based on Permissions)

Agent permissions are controlled by managers and may vary by pond. Depending on your access, you may be able to:

  • Add or remove tags
  • Edit listing alerts or saved searches
  • Add leads to call lists (bulk actions place leads into Working)
  • Contact leads via approved channels (call, text, email, onsite message, voicemail)

Any allowed communication places the lead into Working status.

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Best Practices

  • Work only leads you intend to follow up on immediately
  • Avoid holding leads without activity
  • Claim leads promptly if you intend to own them
  • Return leads you cannot work so others can follow up
  • Treat Working as temporary—not ownership

Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • Leads seem unavailable: You may be at your maximum working lead limit.
  • Claim button missing: The lead may already be Working or Pending Approval.
  • Approval taking time: The lead remains locked until a manager reviews or you return it to the pond.

FAQs

  • Why can’t I see a lead another agent is working?
    Working leads are hidden to prevent duplicate outreach.

  • Does Working mean I own the lead?
    No. Ownership only happens after the lead is claimed.

  • Why did a lead disappear from my view?
    It may have been claimed, returned to the pond, or reassigned by a manager.

  • Can I resubmit a claim request if it was denied?
    Yes. Claim requests can be resubmitted if circumstances change.

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