How to Use Case Management in Sprout Social: Automate, Organize & Prove the Value of Customer Care

Case Management in Sprout helps teams manage inbound messages efficiently by turning them into structured "cases" that can be automatically assigned, tracked, and resolved. 

This guide will walk you through the automation options and key features of case management within Sprout Social, enabling you to create seamless workflows.

What is a Case in Sprout?

A case is a way to organise and respond to incoming social messages that need attention. Messages routed through Case Management become actionable items that your team can assign, prioritise, and resolve.

Sprout’s case management automation streamlines the process by automatically assigning and creating cases, so your care teams can respond faster, stay focused, and deliver consistent support without interruptions.

For more information on how to create cases, please check: How do I use Cases in Sprout?

How Does Case Routing Work in Sprout Social?

Routing rules are fundamental to automating your case management. They determine which incoming messages are converted into cases and to which specific Case Team they are assigned.

To create a routing rule:

1. Navigate to Settings > Cases Settings.
2. Click Create Queue. (To create a queue with an automatic routing method, you must first create a team to route the cases to).
3. Define the queue detail, such as selecting the right Case Team.
4. Assign a routing method. (Manual, Capacity-Based, Round Robin)

One option to automatically route cases to the right team or individual based on the criteria you decide is Automated Rules. Check out this article to learn more about Automated Rules.

How does automatic case creation work in Sprout?

Sprout’s Automated Rules eliminate the need to manually create or assign cases. You can define criteria that automatically converts an incoming message into a case and routes it to the right person or team.

For example, you can:

• Create rules that detect negative sentiment and send those messages to a dedicated support agent
• Route messages by profile, keyword, tag, or priority level
• Assign messages based on language or brand mentions

This automation speeds up response time, reduces manual effort, and ensures your care team never misses a critical message.

How can I use tags to organize cases?

Tags help you z, track, and analyze your support efforts. In Case Management, you can:

• Apply tags to categorize cases by topic, urgency, or brand
• Use Automated Rules to apply tags based on keywords or sentiment
• Filter and find cases quickly using tag-based searches
• Build Custom Case Views based on specific tags and statuses

This enables your team to focus on the most important cases and gain insights into recurring issues or common customer needs.

What are case statuses and why are they important?

Sprout’s Case Management uses statuses and priorities to help teams stay aligned and focused on what matters most.

Each case can be set to one of three statuses:

• Open – ie the case is active and needs a response
• On-Hold – ie you're waiting on the customer or an external team
• Closed – ie a resolution has been reached and the case is considered complete

You can also assign a priority level to ensure your team handles urgent issues first. These tools improve transparency and help prevent backlogs or missed responses.

How can I prove the value of my customer care team using Sprout?

Sprout offers tools to help demonstrate the impact of your support efforts:

• Case Performance Report: Track volume, response times, and resolution rates
• Customer Feedback Requests: Gather direct input from customers on support quality
• Tags & Sentiment Tracking: Show patterns in customer concerns over time

These insights help you highlight the strategic value of your care team in monthly reports and business reviews, making it easier to secure resources and show ROI.

How does Sprout support high-quality customer experiences?

Delivering fast, helpful, and brand-aligned responses is key to great customer service, and Sprout makes it easier through automation and AI.

• Use Inbox Sentiment Detection to surface emotionally charged messages.
• Set up Reply Approvals to review responses before they’re sent.
• Leverage AI Assist to draft replies that are clear, consistent, and on-brand.
• Route messages based on keywords or topic tags to the best agent or team.

These tools ensure customers get the right response the first time, boosting satisfaction and trust.

FAQs

How do I automatically assign incoming messages to the right team?

Use Automated Rules under Settings > Automated Rules to define message criteria and assign them to the appropriate team.

Why can’t I create a Case Queue?
You first need to ensure you have the right permission to manage and create cases. Navigate to Account and Settings > Settings > Personal Settings to view your case permissions or contact an Admin to get access.

You need to first create a Team to assign the cases to. You can create a team by clicking on Settings > Roles & Team Members and selecting the Teams & Members option at the top right corner. Once there, you’ll be able to create a Team.

Why didn’t a message become a case?

If a message didn’t match any routing rule, it won’t automatically convert into a case. As an alternative, you can manually create a case from the Smart Inbox.

How can I manually create a case from the Smart Inbox?

In the Smart Inbox, click the pin icon () on a message and select Create Case.

How can I find specific cases or topics?

Apply tags to your cases and use the Cases tab to filter by tag, team, assignee, or keyword. You can also create Custom Views for frequently accessed case types.