Case and account escalation

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated March 27, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Case and Account Escalation

    The case and account escalation feature allows users to bring attention to critical customer issues, improving communication and tracking progress toward resolution. Users with the escalation requester role can escalate cases and accounts via the "Escalate Case" link on the respective forms.

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    Key Features

    • Case Escalations: Managed by customer service agents who directly resolve the specific case.
    • Account Escalations: Managed by escalation managers, encompassing multiple cases and detailed in an escalation record.
    • Configuration Options: Admins can configure escalation management, create templates, and define severity levels with color indicators (red for high severity, orange for medium severity).
    • User Tasks:
      • Escalate cases/accounts, creating associated escalation records.
      • Manage escalated cases/accounts using color indicators for severity.
      • De-escalate cases/accounts once issues are resolved.
      • Utilize an optional approval process for escalation requests.

    Key Outcomes

    Utilizing the escalation feature enhances responsiveness to customer issues, provides a structured approach for tracking resolutions, and facilitates better collaboration among team members for effective issue management. By correctly implementing and managing escalations, ServiceNow customers can ensure timely resolutions and improved customer satisfaction.

    Use the escalation feature to highlight specific cases or accounts and raise awareness of important customer issues.

    Escalating a case or an account provides the following benefits:
    • Increases attention about a customer issue.
    • Facilitates communication about that issue.
    • Provides a way to track progress toward a resolution.

    Users with the escalation requester role can escalate a case or an account by selecting the Escalate Case related link on the case or account form.

    Case and account escalation differences

    While the escalation process is similar for cases and accounts, there are some important differences to note.
    • Case escalations: A customer service agent typically manages a case escalation and works directly with the escalated case to resolve the issue.
    • Account escalations: An escalation manager typically manages an account escalation, which can include multiple associated cases, and records details in the escalation record.
    For more information, see Case and account escalation differences.

    Configuring case and account escalation

    The following table includes an overview of case and account escalation configuration tasks. Users with the system administrator role can perform these tasks.

    Table 1. Case and account escalation configuration tasks
    Task Description
    Configure escalation management Configure case and account escalation using Customer Service Management guided setup.
    Create a case or account escalation template Escalation templates determine how an escalation request is processed, including the type of escalation and an optional approval process.
    Create a case or account escalation severity Create definitions for different levels of escalation severity and select color indicators to highlight escalated cases and accounts in the user interface.

    Using case and account escalation

    The following table includes an overview of case and account escalation user tasks.

    Table 2. Case and account escalation user tasks
    Task Description
    Escalate a case or an account Escalate cases or accounts, either on behalf of customers or for internal purposes. Escalating a case or account creates an associated escalation record.

    Role required: escalation requester
    Manage an escalated case or account Manage a case or account through the escalation process using the escalation record. The system identifies cases and accounts on lists and forms with color indicators that correspond to the escalation severity: red (high) or orange (medium).
    Role required:
    • Customer service agent
    • Escalation manager
    De-escalate a case or an account De-escalate cases or accounts when the cause of the escalation is resolved.

    Role required: de-escalation requester
    Use an optional escalation approval process Include an optional approval step for approvers to review a request and either approve or reject an escalation.

    When using the optional approval step, the system creates the escalation record upon approval and associates it with the case or account.