Escalation Message Template

For every Narqix team member. After reading this page you will be able to pick the right severity, send an escalation that gets a decision in one reply, keep the customer informed while you wait, and record the outcome.

Track: All tracks · Role: Everyone · Time to complete: 10 min

Pick the level first

The full rules are on the Escalation Ladder in Narqix Standards. When in doubt between two levels, choose the higher one.

Level	What it means	Tell	How fast	How
P1 Critical	Money, data, legal standing or reputation at risk right now	Campaign Lead; if no answer in 10 minutes, Operations Manager	Within 15 minutes	Direct message plus a call if no reply
P2 High	Blocks a deadline or affects many customers	Campaign Lead (who involves the client)	Within 1 hour	Direct message
P3 Normal	Needs a decision, nothing getting worse while you wait	Campaign Lead or the client, as your Playbook allows	Next check-in or EOD	Team channel or report
P4 Low	Improvement idea or minor issue	Campaign Lead	Weekly report	Weekly report

The stuck rule: escalate after 15 minutes stuck on a P2 or higher, after 30 minutes on a P3, and immediately if you are not sure something is allowed (money, data, legal, deleting).

The standard escalation message

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), my recommendation: (OPTION)
By when: (DEADLINE AND WHY)

Example: P2, real estate (seller threatening to cancel)

P2: Seller under contract says she wants to cancel
What happened: On a scheduled update call, the seller said her son told her the price is too low and she "wants out". She has not sent anything in writing.
When: Oct 21, 2026, 5:40 PM CT
Who is affected: 1 seller, (PROPERTY ADDRESS), closing Nov 6; buyer locked
What I did: Listened, made no promises, noted her exact words, told her someone from the team will call her back tonight. Checked the state cancellation window: already closed Oct 12.
What I need: Acquisitions to call her tonight; my recommendation: call before 8:00 PM CT with the son on the line
By when: 7:30 PM CT, I promised her a call this evening

Example: P3, back office (unclear instruction)

P3: Two versions of the vendor price list
What happened: The shared drive has two price lists dated the same day with different rates for 4 items.
When: Found Oct 21, 2026, 10:15 AM ET
Who is affected: 12 draft purchase orders waiting to be sent
What I did: Paused the 12 orders, continued all other tasks. Listed the 4 differences in the "Questions" tab.
What I need: Which list is current; my recommendation: the one titled "final", as it matches last week's invoices
By when: 3:00 PM ET, so the orders go out today

Transaction Coordination: Red and Yellow format

TC files use heat instead of P levels. Send this in the client's team channel or by email.

ESCALATION (RED or YELLOW): (PROPERTY ADDRESS)
What happened: (ONE OR TWO SENTENCES, FACTS ONLY)
When: (DATE AND TIME, WITH TIME ZONE)
Risk: (DEPOSIT, FEE, CLOSING DATE, LEGAL OR OTHER)
Options: (1) (OPTION) (2) (OPTION) (3) (OPTION)
My recommendation: (ONE OPTION AND WHY)
Decision needed by: (DATE AND TIME)

Blocker message

For anything that stops your work but is not yet a P-level problem.

Blocked on (TASK) since (TIME AND ZONE).
Issue: (WHAT IS WRONG).
Tried: (WHAT YOU TRIED).
Need: (WHAT YOU NEED AND FROM WHOM) by (TIME AND ZONE).

Telling the customer while you wait

Never leave a customer guessing. Tell them what happens next and when, then update them on time, even with no news.

I want to get this right for you, so I am checking with my manager now. I will update you by (TIME AND ZONE), even if I am still waiting on an answer.

After the decision

Record the outcome in the CRM or ticket the same shift:

ESCALATION OUTCOME · (DATE) (TIME AND ZONE)
Level: (P1 TO P4, or RED OR YELLOW)    Raised to: (ROLE) at (TIME)
Decision: (WHAT WAS DECIDED), by (ROLE OR NAME) at (TIME)
Action taken: (WHAT YOU DID)
Customer updated: (YES OR NO), at (TIME)
Process gap: (NONE, or SUGGESTED SOP OR SCRIPT FIX FOR THE WEEKLY REPORT)

Coach's note: Always include your recommendation. "Approve the refund, or tell me to offer a replacement" gets an answer in one reply. "What should I do?" gets a list of questions back, and the customer waits longer.

Never do this: Never quietly fix a data, money or legal problem. Never delete evidence of a mistake. Never promise a refund, discount, exception or legal answer above your authority. Never tell the client about a P1 yourself unless your lead tells you to; Narqix notifies the client through your Campaign Lead or Account Manager.

Check yourself

A customer says "I'm going to report you to the regulator." Which level, and how fast?
Name the six things every escalation answers.
Your Campaign Lead does not reply to a P1 in 10 minutes. What next?
How does a TC escalation differ from the standard message?

Answers

P1. Tell your Campaign Lead within 15 minutes and note it in the CRM.
What happened, when, who is affected, what you did, what you need, by when.
Contact the Operations Manager.
It uses Red or Yellow heat, names the risk type, lists options and a recommendation, and states when the decision is needed.