Customer escalation framework guidance

Andrew Shoaff

Hi all,
Does anyone have a comprehensive customer escalation framework they are willing to share?  We have 15k+ customers ranging from SMB all the way to multi-million dollar ARR.  Our existing escalation protocall is entirely within the CS team and I need to develop something that includes when/how to bring in cross functional leaders, how / when to escalate up to the mgr/dir/vp/COO/CEO levels, etc.  We have healthscores, and while that is related, I need an escalation framework that can quickly elevate time sensitive product issues along with the slow burn kind of escalations.  Would love to see some examples from other CS teams so I'm not totally recreating the wheel here. Thanks so much gang,

Ed Powers

Happy to talk shop with you about this, @Andrew Shoaff. I've found it's much more involved than using a framework. As you mention, you will have varying levels of engagement depending on your tiering and problem set, so your process will have a level of complexity and customization. You must define the right decision rules, get commitment and participation from your top and cross-functional leadership, have a means to collect, track, and report escalation rates and case status, and analyze root causes to drive continuous improvement. 

Most people don't realize escalations are mission-critical "Moments of Truth" that can substantially alter customer beliefs, behaviors, and subsequent decisions. Handling them with great care is extremely important--and it's not what you do, but how you do it that matters. Most staff aren't trained on effective service recovery methods, so that must be part of your equation, too. 

Andrew Shoaff

Ed,
Thanks so much.  Will certainly follow up with you. 

Andy Swansburg

Hey Andrew! I found this on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/seth-dovev_cshandbook-activity-6980542556530958336-vw-n?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

It is how a company called ChiliPiper handles escalations. Might not fully overlap with what you are looking for but certainly a great read!