Routing Point
A Routing Point is the email address or web-to-case endpoint Salesforce uses as the inbound destination for support requests, where Email-to-Case or Web-to-Case automatically creates a Case record from the incoming message.
Definition
A Routing Point is the email address or web-to-case endpoint Salesforce uses as the inbound destination for support requests, where Email-to-Case or Web-to-Case automatically creates a Case record from the incoming message. Each routing point is configured in Setup with its own queue assignment, case origin value, default priority, default record type, and auto-response rules, so different inbound channels (support@, billing@, escalations@) can each open the right case with the right downstream behavior.
Routing Point is the integration boundary between inbound customer communication and the Salesforce Case object. Without a routing point, an email sent to support@ stops at the company's mail server; with one, the same email creates a Case, attaches the message body and any files, links to the matching Contact, and lands in the right queue. The configuration also drives auto-acknowledgement emails, escalation paths, and the case-thread token that keeps the customer's reply tied to the same case.
How a Routing Point converts inbound email into a structured Case record
Email-to-Case routing points
The most common routing point is an Email-to-Case address. The admin configures support@yourcompany.com in Setup and Salesforce provisions a long internal forwarding address (something like d.q9rb6.case@salesforce.com). The customer's IT team forwards inbound mail from support@ to this Salesforce address; from then on, every email arriving at support@ becomes a case. Each routing point has its own queue assignment, case origin (Email), priority default (Medium), record type, response template, and auto-reply rule.
Web-to-Case routing points
Web-to-Case is the second common routing point. The admin generates an HTML form snippet from Setup that posts a case payload to a specific Salesforce endpoint. The form lives on the customer's marketing site or a help center page; submissions land in Salesforce as new Case records. Web-to-Case routing points have the same configuration shape as Email-to-Case: queue, origin (Web), priority, record type, and auto-reply.
Multiple routing points for a multi-product business
A company with three product lines and three regional support teams configures three or more routing points: support-cloud@, support-enterprise@, support-emea@. Each is a separate entry in Setup pointing to a different queue, with a different priority default, possibly a different record type. The shape lets a small ops team scale routing logic without writing Apex; each inbound channel gets its own routing point and the case lands where it should from the first byte.
Auto-Response and the customer acknowledgement
Every routing point can fire an Auto-Response Rule on case creation. The rule selects a template (We have received your case, ref CASE-####, expect a response within 4 business hours) and Salesforce sends the email to the customer within seconds. This is the first touchpoint after the customer submitted; it sets the SLA expectation and confirms the case is in flight. The auto-response is per-routing-point, so different channels can promise different SLAs in their acknowledgement.
Case thread tokens
When the routing point creates a case, the outbound auto-response email and any subsequent agent reply include a thread token (Ref:_00D... or a Lightning Thread ID) embedded in the subject or headers. When the customer replies, Salesforce reads the token and routes the inbound message to the same case as a Case Comment or Email Message instead of opening a new case. The token is what keeps a multi-day case thread coherent; routing points are configured to include it by default in every outbound message.
Routing Point and the Contact match
On case creation, Salesforce attempts to match the inbound email address to an existing Contact and link the case. If multiple contacts match, the admin can configure the routing point to use a specific match priority (most recent activity, primary account). If no contact matches, the case is created with a null Contact and a Web Email field captured; the agent links the case manually or the admin runs a duplicate-management rule to auto-create the contact.
Routing Points and Omni-Channel
Modern Service Cloud uses Omni-Channel routing as the next layer above static routing points. Static routing points decide which queue the case lands in; Omni-Channel decides which agent in that queue actually picks it up based on capacity, skills, and presence. The two layers compose well: routing points handle channel-and-product routing; Omni-Channel handles real-time agent assignment within the queue. Most enterprise customers configure both.
Configure an Email-to-Case routing point
Stand up a new support email channel by creating a Salesforce routing point, mapping it to a queue, and forwarding mail from your support inbox to the generated Salesforce address.
- Open Email-to-Case settings
Setup, Email-to-Case. Enable the feature if it is not already. Click New Routing Address.
- Configure the routing point
Enter the customer-facing email (support@yourcompany.com), pick the case queue, the priority default, the record type, and the response template.
- Save and copy the forwarding address
Salesforce generates an internal forwarding address (d.xyz@salesforce.com). Copy this; you will configure your mail server to forward to it.
- Update your DNS / mail server
Your IT team adds a forwarding rule from support@ to the Salesforce address. Verify mail forwards by sending a test.
- Configure the auto-response
Setup, Auto-Response Rules, Case. Add a rule that fires on the new routing point with your acknowledgement template.
- Test end-to-end
Send a test email to support@. Verify a case is created in Salesforce within seconds, the auto-response arrives at your inbox, and the case appears in the right queue.
Customer-facing email or web endpoint that opens the case.
The destination queue the case lands in. Drives agent visibility and ownership.
Defaults applied at creation. Can be overridden by the agent later.
Template emailed to the customer immediately on case creation.
- Email-to-Case requires the customer mail server to forward to the Salesforce-generated address. Without that forward, the routing point exists in Setup but no email ever reaches it.
- The case thread token must remain in the outbound subject for replies to thread back. Agents copying outbound replies from their personal email lose the token and split the thread into two cases.
- Inbound emails that cannot match to a Contact land with a null Contact. Decide upfront whether to leave them null, auto-create the contact, or route the case to a triage queue.
- Multiple routing points share the org-wide Auto-Response Rule order. The first rule that matches wins; misordered rules can fire the wrong acknowledgement for the wrong channel.
Trust & references
Cross-checked against the following references.
- Email-to-CaseSalesforce Help
- Web-to-CaseSalesforce Help
- Case Auto-Response RulesSalesforce Help
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on Routing Point.
- Email-to-Case DocumentationSalesforce Help
- Email ThreadingSalesforce Help
- Omni-Channel RoutingSalesforce Help
Hands-on resources to go deeper on Routing Point.
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is a Routing Point?
Q2. How do most admins interact with them?
Q3. When does the term matter?
Discussion
Loading discussion…