"Without you guys, AI Territories wouldn't work": how Default powers inbound routing with Abstract

The problem

Default's platform was built around a simple promise: fill a form, get routed, book a meeting. Two problems threatened that promise for high-volume customers.

First, fake leads were clogging rep calendars. Default didn't offer any native email validation, and customers felt it. Bots, disposable emails, and unqualified traffic were landing directly on rep calendars, turning a scheduling product into a new scheduling problem.

"It was actually a huge gap in our product that we didn't offer any kind of ability to validate emails. We had a lot of customers who were really unhappy with that aspect."

Caitlyn Vaughn, Product at Default

Second, territory-based routing was breaking for customers with hundreds of reps. Default could only route on company location, but the person filling out the form often lives somewhere else entirely. Territory rules were devolving into brittle multi-node branching logic with inconsistent coverage and accuracy.

Both problems needed the same thing: a fast, accurate data layer that could run in the tight window between form submission and calendar display.

How they built it

Default runs verification and enrichment inline, while the lead sits on screen waiting for a calendar. Latency isn't a backend concern. Every extra second directly erodes booking rates.

"The person is literally sitting there staring at the spinner, waiting to book time. Every additional second they have to wait, the chances of them not booking a call increases. We need a vendor that's accurate, has high coverage, and is fast. Latency was the biggest piece."

Caitlyn Vaughn, Product at Default

Default evaluated vendors against three criteria: accuracy, coverage, and speed. Abstract cleared all three. What tipped the decision was that Abstract offered both Email Validation and IP Intelligence from a single integration, which mattered more than expected.

"I have to prioritize things on the roadmap, and being able to use multiple enrichment fields from the same vendor is super helpful from a timing and resources perspective. The more we can double down, the better."

Caitlyn Vaughn, Product at Default

The flow inside Default works like this:

• A prospect submits an inbound form on a Default-powered site.
• Abstract verifies the email instantly. Disposables, invalid addresses, and risky domains are flagged before the scheduler loads.
• Abstract resolves the prospect's IP to a country and region, giving Default clean, real-time location data independent of form fields.
• Default's AI agent router takes Abstract's geolocation signal and matches the lead to the right rep across hundreds of territory segments.
• Only verified, correctly-routed leads reach the calendar. Clean pipeline, zero junk.

The results

100% of customers covered. Abstract is built directly into Default's core product, so every customer runs on the same verification and geolocation layer.

Under 300ms verification latency. Fast enough to run inline while the prospect waits for the scheduler, without hurting booking rates.

Two enrichment needs consolidated on the roadmap. Email Validation and IP Intelligence from one vendor means faster shipping and a simpler product surface for Default's team.

An entirely new product line built on Abstract's IP Intelligence. Rather than treating IP data as a utility field, Default built AI Territories and Segments on top of it. Instead of hand-maintained, multi-node routing trees, Default's agent router takes Abstract's geolocation signal and drops each lead directly into the right rep, one intelligent assignment.

"We ended up rolling out a whole branch of our platform around you guys. After Abstract brings in the geolocation, our agent router pushes the lead into the right rep. Without you guys, that actually wouldn't work."

Caitlyn Vaughn, Product at Default

Default also uses Abstract internally to qualify and route leads for its own sales team. A product built around Abstract, run on Abstract.

"There are a ton of vendors that do email validation. For IP geolocation, you guys are the absolute best. I would not recommend any other tool."

Caitlyn Vaughn, Product at Default

What's next

Default is expanding AI Territories and Segments, with Abstract's IP Intelligence as the signal underneath.