SDR Operations
Part of Sales development operations
Monitoring workload without rewarding meaningless activity
Review active work, waiting replies and decision quality alongside activity counts, then act on the capacity constraint.
Monitor SDR workload through work in progress, time-sensitive replies and the quality of next decisions alongside completed actions. Attempt counts show volume only. They cannot tell a manager whether the team has time to research an account, answer a prospect or close an unsuitable enquiry properly.
Map the work that uses capacity
List the recurring tasks attached to an active account: ownership and fit checks, research, permitted contact, reply handling, specialist questions, meeting preparation and record updates. Ask representatives about interruptions and rework. Observe work in this team before setting capacity expectations; a universal account quota or arbitrary points for each activity will conceal differences in effort.
Separate ready work from blocked work. A reply awaiting a representative’s answer differs from a technical question awaiting a specialist. Give each blocked item an owner and next check so it does not disappear inside an activity total.
Map the recurring work that uses SDR capacity
- Ownership and fit checksConfirm account ownership and suitability
- ResearchUnderstand the account before contact
- Permitted contactCheck contact permissions and opt-outs
- Reply handlingAnswer prospects and record next steps
- Specialist questionsRoute technical or specialist queries
- Meeting preparationPrepare for handoffs and meetings
- Record updatesKeep records accurate for review
Review a few signals together
| Signal | What to inspect | What it cannot show alone |
|---|---|---|
| Active accounts and pending replies | Whether work can be revisited and responses handled | Account complexity |
| Age of unresolved items | Where an answer or decision is waiting | Who caused the delay |
| Attempts by channel | Volume and distribution of contact actions | Relevance or permission |
| Useful conversations and justified closes | Whether an exchange produced a sound decision | A representative’s full workload |
| Returned meetings or handoffs | Reasons and records behind returns | That every return was an SDR error |
Agree on definitions before comparing people or periods. A sent message is an attempt, not a useful conversation. Keep automatic replies, explicit declines and opt-outs in separate categories. A justified decision to stop remains visible even when it produces no meeting.
What each workload signal can and cannot show
- Active accounts and pending repliesShows whether work can be revisited and responses handled; cannot show account complexity
- Age of unresolved itemsShows where an answer or decision is waiting; cannot show who caused the delay
- Attempts by channelShows volume and distribution of contact actions; cannot show relevance or permission
- Useful conversations and justified closesShows whether an exchange produced a sound decision; cannot show a representative's full workload
- Returned meetings or handoffsShows reasons and records behind returns; cannot show that every return was an SDR error
Investigate differences before setting targets
If one representative has more attempts, check account complexity, inbound interruptions and channel mix. If another has a longer queue, inspect what is waiting and who controls the next action. Compare similar work and available time before inferring underperformance.
Do not reward extra touches to the same account merely because they lift a count. Inspect underlying records: Was there a current reason for the approach, did the prospect’s answer change the next step, was an unsuitable meeting avoided? These questions connect workload to judgement without turning every outcome into a score.
Permission and stop requests remain constraints on activity targets. Where workload records contain personal information and the Australian Privacy Principles apply, take reasonable steps to keep information used for the review accurate and relevant to that purpose.
Before comparing SDRs or setting targets
- Agree on definitions before comparing people or periods
- Treat a sent message as an attempt, not a useful conversation
- Keep automatic replies, explicit declines and opt-outs in separate categories
- Keep a justified decision to stop visible even when it produces no meeting
- Check account complexity, inbound interruptions and channel mix
- Inspect what is waiting and who controls the next action
- Compare similar work and available time before inferring underperformance
- Do not reward extra touches merely because they lift a count
- Ask whether there was a current reason, whether the prospect's answer changed the next step, and whether an unsuitable meeting was avoided
- Treat permission and stop requests as constraints on activity targets
- Where the Australian Privacy Principles apply, take reasonable steps to keep review information accurate and relevant
Act on the constraint found
When replies wait, reserve time or reassign ownership. When specialist checks block several accounts, establish a route and response owner. When rework dominates, correct the record or rule causing it. If the active list is too large for careful handling, reduce it before increasing contact targets.
Record the action and revisit the queue. A useful workload review helps the team respond and make sound decisions, including when to stop.
Act on the capacity constraint found
- Replies waitReserve time or reassign ownership
- Specialist checks block several accountsEstablish a route and a response owner
- Rework dominatesCorrect the record or rule causing it
- Active list is too large for careful handlingReduce it before increasing contact targets
- Every actionRecord the action and revisit the queue
