Escalation management

What escalation is for

Not punishment, and not passing the parcel. Escalation exists to bring in authority or expertise the current owner does not have – a decision above their level, or knowledge they do not possess.

If neither is true, escalating just adds a person to the thread.

Two kinds, and they behave differently

• Functional – sideways, to someone who knows more. Usually fast and uncontroversial.
• Hierarchical – upwards, for a decision or because the customer relationship is at stake. Rarer and more consequential.

Define the triggers

An escalation path nobody uses is usually one where the trigger is a judgement call. Make at least some of them automatic:

• An SLA breach, or the warning before one.
• A ticket reopened for the third time.
• A critical priority still unassigned after an hour.
• A customer who has clearly lost patience – tone is a legitimate trigger.

Say what actually changes

The most common failure: an escalation notifies somebody and nothing else happens. Define what changes – a new owner, a shorter deadline, a call rather than an email, or a decision made by someone who can make it.

Tell the customer

A customer who has escalated wants to know they were heard. A short message – who now owns it and when they will hear – is often worth more than the escalation itself.

Review what escalated

Escalations are the most useful data your support team produces. Every one of them is a case where the normal process was not enough, and a pattern across several is a process problem rather than a customer problem.