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Escalating a Ticket

If your issue needs more urgent attention, you can escalate it. Escalation alerts the project management team and prioritizes your request.

Escalation Levels​

LevelUse WhenWhat Happens
Higher PriorityImportant but not an emergencyAdded to PM daily review (7:30 AM CST)
EmergencyProduction down, revenue at risk, security breachImmediate email + SMS alerts to PMs

When to Escalate​

Use Higher Priority When​

  • A deadline is approaching and work hasn't started
  • An issue is affecting your business but not critically
  • You need faster turnaround than normal
  • A previous request hasn't been addressed in a reasonable time

Use Emergency When​

  • Your production website is completely down
  • Checkout/payment processing is broken (losing revenue)
  • There's an active security breach or data exposure
  • Customer-facing functionality is entirely broken

Do NOT Use Emergency For​

  • Feature requests or new development
  • Minor visual bugs or cosmetic issues
  • Questions about project timelines
  • Issues on staging/development environments
  • "Nice to have" improvements
warning

Emergency escalation sends immediate SMS text messages to the project management team. Misuse of emergency escalation may result in the feature being restricted for your account.

How to Escalate​

At Ticket Creation​

When creating a new ticket:

  1. Fill out the ticket form as normal
  2. Find the Escalation dropdown (below the message area)
  3. Select:
    • None — standard processing (default)
    • Higher Priority — flags for PM attention
    • Emergency — immediate multi-channel alert
  4. Submit the ticket

On an Existing Ticket​

If an open ticket needs escalation after the fact:

  1. Open the ticket
  2. Click the Escalate button
  3. Select escalation level
  4. Provide a reason (helps the team understand urgency)
  5. Click Submit

48-Hour Cooldown​

After escalating a ticket, a 48-hour cooldown applies:

  • You cannot escalate the same ticket again for 48 hours
  • This prevents repeated escalation of the same issue
  • The cooldown applies per-ticket (you can still escalate other tickets)
  • The Escalate button will show when the cooldown expires

What If It's Still Urgent After 48 Hours?​

If the issue remains unresolved and urgent after 48 hours:

  • The cooldown has expired — you can escalate again
  • Add a new reply explaining the continued urgency
  • The team will see both escalation events

What Happens After Escalation​

Higher Priority​

You escalate → Recorded in system
  → Next morning at 7:30 AM CST → Included in PM daily digest
  → PM reviews all escalated tickets → Prioritizes accordingly
  → You may receive a response or see faster progress

Emergency​

You escalate → Immediate actions triggered:
  → Email alert to all PMs
  → SMS text to all PMs
  → Browser notification to available staff
  → Your ticket moves to top of the queue
  → Someone will respond very quickly

Checking Escalation Status​

On your ticket, you'll see:

  • A visual indicator if the ticket has been escalated
  • The escalation level (Higher Priority or Emergency)
  • Whether the cooldown is active

After Escalation​

Stay Available​

After escalating, especially for emergencies:

  • Keep an eye on your email and the portal
  • Be prepared to answer follow-up questions quickly
  • If the team needs access to something (server, account), respond immediately
  • The faster you respond to our questions, the faster we can resolve the issue

If the Issue Resolves​

If the issue resolves itself before the team responds:

  1. Reply to the ticket: "This has been resolved — [explain what changed]"
  2. This prevents unnecessary emergency response

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can I downgrade an escalation?​

You cannot remove an escalation once submitted. If you escalated by mistake, reply to the ticket explaining it's no longer urgent.

Will escalation cost extra?​

Escalation itself is free. However, emergency response work performed outside business hours may be subject to your agreement terms.

What if no one responds to my Emergency escalation?​

Emergency escalation alerts go to multiple PMs via multiple channels. If you haven't received a response within 15 minutes during business hours, reply to the ticket to confirm the escalation was received.

Can I escalate someone else's ticket?​

Yes, any member of your organization can escalate a ticket associated with your organization.