Routing to a team is a different idea from assigning to a person. Instead of giving a conversation to one named colleague, you hand it to a whole team, and anyone on that team can take it from there.
Assign to a person, or route to a team
Both live in the same Assignee dropdown, split into two groups. Pick a name from Members to assign to a person. Pick a name from Teams to route to a team.
The difference in outcome is the point of this article.
Routing clears the individual owner
When you route a conversation to a team, the previous personal assignee is cleared. The conversation now belongs to the team queue, not to anyone in particular, which is exactly what you want when it needs the right skill set rather than a specific person.
So routing is the move for "this is a billing question, send it to the billing team", and assigning is the move for "Sara is already handling this, give it to her".
Who sees the team you route to
The teams offered in the dropdown depend on your role. A Super Admin sees every team. A Member sees only the teams they belong to, so a Member can route within their own teams but not into one they are not on.
The same ownership rule as assignment applies: a Member cannot re-route a conversation another agent already owns. An admin can.
After routing
The conversation appears in that team view for everyone on it, waiting to be claimed. A team member takes it on to reply, which assigns it to them, and normal working continues from there.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to the current assignee?
Routing to a team clears them. The conversation belongs to the team, not a person, until someone claims it.
Can I route to a team I am not on?
Only if you are a Super Admin. Members route within their own teams.
Do teams exist by default?
Teams are something you set up. If the Teams group is empty, none have been created yet.