Escalation Ladder

Escalating is a skill, not a weakness

Escalating means passing a problem to someone with more authority, information or time, quickly and clearly. Good escalation protects the client, the customer and you. Narqix people are never criticised for escalating early. They are criticised for sitting on a problem or trying to fix something beyond their authority.

Step 1: Decide the severity

Level	What it means	Examples
P1 Critical	Money, data, legal standing or reputation at risk right now	Suspected data exposure; payment sent to the wrong account; customer threatens a lawsuit, a regulator complaint or the press; account hacked; a customer says they may harm themselves or others; a customer's website checkout or booking system down
P2 High	Blocks a deadline or affects many customers	System outage; wrong data uploaded in a batch; refund or credit above your limit; complaint from a VIP customer; mass text or email sent with an error
P3 Normal	Needs a decision, but nothing is getting worse while you wait	Unclear instruction; policy gap; one customer asking for an exception; missing information on a file
P4 Low	Improvement idea or minor issue	Script wording that confuses customers; duplicate records; a better template

When in doubt between two levels, choose the higher one.

Step 2: Follow the ladder and time limits

Level	What you do first	Who you tell	How fast	How
P1	Contain only. Stop the action, do not try to fix it further.	Campaign Lead. If no answer in 10 minutes, Operations Manager.	Within 15 minutes	Direct message plus a call if no reply
P2	Contain and document. Propose a fix.	Campaign Lead (who involves the client)	Within 1 hour	Direct message
P3	Park the item and keep working on other tasks.	Campaign Lead or the client, as your Playbook allows	Next check-in or end-of-day report	Team channel or report
P4	Log it.	Campaign Lead	Weekly report	Weekly report

The ladder (who is above whom):

1. You: try the SOP, the Client Playbook and the Academy first.
2. Campaign Lead: daily decisions, client contact, most escalations.
3. Operations Manager: when the Campaign Lead is unavailable, or for staffing, safety or conduct concerns.
4. Leadership: final escalation, reached through the Operations Manager.

Who tells the client about a P1: Narqix does, through your Campaign Lead or Account Manager, normally within 30 minutes of the P1 being raised. Do not notify the client of a P1 yourself unless your lead tells you to.

Step 3: The stuck rule

Situation	Escalate after
Stuck on a P2 or higher problem	15 minutes of trying
Stuck on a P3 problem	30 minutes of trying
Not sure if something is allowed (money, data, legal, deleting)	Immediately. Do not try first.

Step 4: Write the escalation

Every escalation answers six questions: what happened, when, who is affected, what you already did, what you need, and by when.

(LEVEL): (ONE-LINE SUMMARY)
What happened: (FACTS ONLY)
When: (TIME AND ZONE)
Who is affected: (CUSTOMER ID, NUMBER OF RECORDS, CLIENT)
What I did: (CONTAINMENT STEPS)
What I need: (DECISION, APPROVAL OR HELP)
By when: (DEADLINE AND WHY)

Example: P2

P2: Refund request above my limit
What happened: Customer received a damaged table and asked for a full refund of USD 612. My limit is USD 150.
When: Request received 1:10 PM ET
Who is affected: 1 customer, order 48213; photos in the ticket
What I did: Confirmed the order is paid and not refunded before; policy allows full refund for damage
What I need: Approve full refund, or tell me to offer a replacement
By when: Customer was promised an answer by 2:00 PM ET

Example: P1

P1: Email sent to wrong recipient
What happened: I sent a seller's signed contract to the wrong email address (similar name).
When: 9:42 PM ET
Who is affected: 1 seller, 1 unintended recipient
What I did: Stopped all sending. Did not reply to the wrong recipient. Screenshot saved.
What I need: Guidance on recall and client notification
By when: Now

Telling the customer while you wait

Never leave a customer guessing while you escalate. Tell them what happens next and when:

"I want to get this right for you, so I am checking with my manager now. I will update you by 2:00 PM Eastern, even if I am still waiting on an answer."

Then update them on time, even if there is no news yet.

After the escalation

• Record what happened and the decision in the CRM or ticket.
• If the problem came from a gap in the SOP or script, suggest a fix in your weekly report.
• For P1 and P2 events, your lead may ask you to help with a short review: what happened, why, and what changes so it does not happen again. These reviews are about the system, not about blame.

Check yourself

1. A customer on the phone says, "I'm going to sue your company." What level is this and how fast do you tell your lead?
2. You have been stuck on an unclear instruction for 20 minutes, and nothing is urgent. What level is it, and should you escalate yet?
3. Name the six things every escalation message includes.
4. Your Campaign Lead does not reply to a P1 within 10 minutes. What do you do?
5. Should you tell the client about a P1 data mistake yourself?

Answers

1. P1. Within 15 minutes, and note it in the CRM.
2. P3. Escalate at 30 minutes, or include it at your next check-in; meanwhile work on other tasks.
3. What happened, when, who is affected, what you did, what you need, and by when.
4. Contact the Operations Manager.
5. No, unless your lead tells you to. Narqix notifies the client through your lead or Account Manager.

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