Shotgun Referrals
Send the same referral to multiple partners at once — first to retain the client wins, the others are automatically released.
Shotgun is one of the four algorithms VerdictFlow's auto-routing rules use to distribute leads. Instead of trying firms one at a time, a shotgun referral offers the same lead to a group of partners simultaneously. Whichever partner retains the client first wins the referral; the rest are automatically released.
Where it sits among the four algorithms
| Algorithm | How it picks | Cascades on decline? |
|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | Even rotation across firms | Yes — moves to the next firm in rotation |
| Priority Based | Top-down by your specified order | Yes — falls back to the next firm |
| Weighted | Random by percentages you assign | Yes — falls back to the next highest weighted firm |
| Shotgun | All firms at once | No — every firm sees it at the same time |
If you want sequential, polite distribution with a fallback chain, use one of the other three. Shotgun is the right call when speed matters more than personal handoff.
When to use it
- Time-sensitive cases — when the client needs to be contacted today, not next week.
- Common case types — when many of your partners can handle the matter and you want to reward speed.
- Geographic flexibility — when the lead can be served by any of several partners in a region.
For higher-touch or specialized cases, a single-partner referral or a Priority Based rule is usually a better fit.
How it works
You can fire a shotgun referral two ways:
Manually, from the lead's detail page:
- Click Refer.
- Pick Shotgun instead of selecting a single partner.
- Choose the partners you want to include (typically 2–5 — fewer means more attention per partner, more means faster response, up to a max of 10).
- Set the fee terms and any notes.
- Send.
Automatically, via an auto-routing rule with Shotgun selected as its algorithm. Any lead matching the rule's conditions gets sent to the whole firm group at once — no manual step required.
Either way, all chosen partners receive the referral at the same time. Each of them sees the same lead snapshot, the same fee terms, and the same notes — there's no playing favorites.
What "first to retain wins" means
- Each partner can accept the referral, but accepting is just the first step. The clock that matters is when the client is actually retained.
- The first partner to mark the lead as Retained wins the case.
- All other partners are automatically notified the case is taken and the referral is closed for them — no awkward "sorry, we went with someone else" conversations on your end.
Why shotgun doesn't cascade
The other three routing algorithms (Round Robin, Priority Based, Weighted) cascade through your firm list when a partner declines or times out — they keep moving down the line until someone accepts. Shotgun skips that mechanic entirely because every firm already received the lead simultaneously. If they all decline, the lead falls into Manual Review the same way it would after a fully-cascaded rule runs out of firms.
Tracking
The shotgun referral shows up on the lead's timeline as a single referral with multiple recipients. You can see at any time:
- Which partners have viewed the referral.
- Which have accepted (committed to working it).
- Which has retained the client.
- Which were closed out automatically when someone else won.
Next steps
- Auto-routing rules — how shotgun fits with the other three algorithms, and how to set up a shotgun rule.
- Sending referrals — the standard single-partner flow.
- Adding firms — grow the network you can shotgun across.