Surge thresholds determine when an intent signal becomes actionable. Too low and you get noise; too high and you miss real opportunities. Most providers ship with defaults that need tuning over the first 30 days.
What a surge threshold is
Intent providers measure research activity on a topic over time. A surge is when activity exceeds the account's baseline by a meaningful margin. The threshold defines what "meaningful" means — a multiplier above baseline (often 2x or 3x) or an absolute score (often 70+ on a 0–100 scale).
Default thresholds
Bombora default: surge score 65+, topic relevant to your categories. G2 default: surge on product or category research within the last 14 days. These defaults are tuned for broad use and usually too low for any specific motion — they generate noise.
Tuning for your motion
Start with the provider default for the first week. Track: how many surges per day? What % of surged accounts are ICP-fit? When you engage surged accounts, what's the reply rate? If volume is overwhelming and reply rate is low, raise the threshold. If volume is sparse and reply rate is excellent, lower it.
Per-topic thresholds
Some topics are noisier than others. Generic categories surge frequently and shallowly; specific product categories surge less frequently and more meaningfully. Set per-topic thresholds where the data justifies.
Threshold and routing together
The threshold determines whether the signal is recorded; routing determines what happens when it is. You can record low-threshold signals (for trend analysis) while only triggering action on high-threshold signals (above the action threshold).
