There was a warranty ticket that was "standing still" for nearly two weeks because the person in charge did not have the authority to approve it, and the customer kept calling back and forth. Is this situation familiar? If you're scratching your head over difficult requests stuck in one person and don't know where to push them, then escalation is what you need. So what is escalation, when is it necessary to escalate and how to escalate properly?
Escalation (or ticket escalation) is the process of moving a ticket to a higher level, meaning someone with higher authority or skill, when the person handling it cannot or is not allowed to resolve it, or when the ticket has exceeded its SLA. Proper escalation helps problems be resolved quickly instead of being stuck with incompetent people. On the contrary, careless escalation only wastes management time and ruins the entire process. Zenify data shows that businesses with clear escalation processes reduce operating costs by up to 35%.
TL;DR
- Escalation = move ticket to higher authority/skill level.
- Two types: skill escalation and deadline escalation (SLA).
- 4-step process: evaluate → specify reasons → transfer → monitor.
- Escalation is not "quitting your job". The old person is still responsible for the context.
- Avoid: escalating too early, escalating without reason, not following up.
When to escalate
Escalation is needed when falling into one of the following two situations:
1. Skill escalation
Handler unable to resolve:
Technical issues are beyond the expertise of the person in charge.
Legal, financial, and security requirements need to be decided by a competent person.
Customers claim compensation beyond the authority of the handler.
2. Time escalation
Ticket overdue SLA but not yet resolved:
When the deadline is near, you should notify your manager for support.
Once the deadline has passed, the ticket will automatically be raised to a higher level.
Quy trình leo thang 4 bước
Step 1: Assess before escalating
Before posting, handlers should ask themselves:
Have you tried everything and looked up the knowledge base (see Knowledge base for helpdesk)?
Is the problem really beyond our ability or authority, or is it just not trying hard enough?
Step 2: Clearly state the reason and context
Escalation tickets must have complete records:
What was the problem, what was tried, what was the result.
What do customers want, are there any commitments yet?
Why to escalate: lack of skills, lack of authority or overdue SLA.
Don't escalate like "pass the ticket number and get it over with". The recipient must immediately understand the situation without asking again.
Step 3: Clear handover
Specify specific recipients, do not throw tickets into the "general queue".
The old person is still the person who contacts the customer, so that the customer does not get transferred back and forth.
Update ticket status (see Ticket status lifecycle).
Step 4: Follow up until closing
The new recipient has a settlement deadline.
Old people follow up to update guests.
After finishing, take notes on the lesson so you don't have to escalate it next time (make a knowledge base).
Avoid 3 common escalation mistakes
Escalating too early: Haven't tried, haven't looked up the documents that were pushed up. As a result, management becomes "the one who answers for you" and the customer service department fails to grow.
Escalation without reason: not clearly stating the problem causes the recipient to waste time asking again.
Not following up after escalation: I keep thinking "if I push it up, my job is over" so the customer gets dropped and no one updates.
Vì sao quy trình leo thang quan trọng
Because it determines whether the problem is difficult to solve quickly or is "stuck downstairs":
Do not escalate: tickets are unlikely to stay stuck with incompetent people.
Disorganized escalation: management is exhausted, the team does not mature.
Escalation has a process: everyone knows when to bring it up, who receives it and what to do next.