---
description: Learn about the configuration, best practices and use cases when implementing the Assign To Step.
title: Step: Assign To
image: https://assets1-proxy.respond.io/api/v1/image/assets%2F11f7a662b80a4675973850b067c01fa5%2F3f43c48b21b24f4e8b02b100c0c8fab0
---

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4. Step: Assign To

# Step: Assign To

![Avatar](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/2Y6LIr15mC1nj8MgftMVT5/6ffeea71593277f0fc29dafd1c1de9b9/Serene_Avatar.svg)

Shing-Yi Tan

· 29 Oct 2025

2 min read

This Step assigns the Contact to:

* A specific user
* A user in a specific Team
* A user in the Workspace
* Unassigns the Contact
![](https://assets2-proxy.respond.io/ph8r57dk1q9w/4NMvMa4eJguKGg5MYViLNj/cb3f9207f2b91a5ca3fd968e037eb5aa/ezgif-18e5a572e1e8c3.gif?w=431&fm=avif)

## Configuration

There are two key configurations in the Assign To Step:

* **Action**
* **Assignment Logic**

In **Action**, Contacts can be directed to one of four assignment actions:

* **A specific user**: Contact assigned to a chosen User
* **A user in a specific Team**: Contact assigned to anyone in a chosen Team
* **A user in the Workspace**: Contact assigned to any User in the Workspace
* **Unassign**: Contact is removed from their assigned User or Team

Once you’ve selected an Action, decide how you want to distribute your Contacts across your Users with Assignment Logic.

In **Assignment Logic**, you can choose one of two options:

* **Assign to users round-robin**: New Contacts assigned equally to every User in turn
* **Assign to the user with least open Contacts**: Contacts assigned to the User with the fewest open Contacts

> These options are only available for A User in a specific Team and A User in the Workspace assignment options.

## Advanced Settings

There are two settings you can use that are independent of each other:

* **Only assign to online users**: Contacts assigned to Users who are currently online.
* **Only assign to users with fewer than XX open contacts assigned to them**: Contacts will be assigned to Users with fewer open Contacts than the specified threshold.

> These two settings are only available for A User in a Specific Team and A User in the Workspace assignment options.

You can also add a Timeout Branch to your Workflow. This sets a specific timeframe within which a Contact should be assigned to a User.

The timeout period can be set for up to 7 days or the default period of 7 days will be implemented. Add Steps to define the journey for Contacts who do not respond in time, or the Workflow will end when the timeout is reached.

## How It Works

Contacts will be assigned to Users based on certain assignment actions and conditions.

If Advanced Settings is switched ON and there are no Users meet the conditions, Contacts will wait in a queue until they get assigned or until the timeout period ends.

## Potential Failure

There are three possible causes for failure in the Assign To step: 

* If the Contact isn’t assigned to anyone within the default 7-day timeout period, and there’s no Timeout Branch to continue the journey.
* If the chosen User has been deleted from Workflows.
* If the chosen Team a Contact is assigned to has no Users or is empty.

In such cases, the Contact will exit the Workflow.

## Best Practices

Here are some best practices for this step you can follow to optimize your workflow:

* Limit the number of Contacts each agent handles at a time, especially during high daily loads to avoid overwhelming them.
* Manage customer expectations effectively by including a Send a Message Step after the Assign To Step takes effect. This automatically informs customers which agent will be handling their inquiry.

## Suggested Use Cases

Here are some ways you can use the Assign To Step:

* [Assignment Strategy: Automatic Contact Distribution & Load Balancing:](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/assignment-strategy-automatic-contact-distribution-load-balancing) Improve response time by automatically assigning Contacts to your sales and support agents based on their availability.
* [Route Contacts by Team Functions](https://respond.io/help/inbound-conversations/route-contacts-by-team-functions#benefits%5Fof%5Frouting%5Fcontacts%5Fby%5Fteam%5Ffunctions): Optimize agent specialization and response times by routing Contacts to teams based on their specific expertise and functions. This ensures that customer inquiries are resolved faster and more accurately.

## FAQ and Troubleshooting

### What happens if there is no one in an Assign To team?

The Contact will not be assigned and will move on to the next Step. If there is no next Step, the Workflow will end.

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## 

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