Case Escalation Rules in Salesforce

Updated:

February 22, 2024

⏱️ 3 minutes

In this blog, you’ll gain insights into effectively managing case escalations to improve customer service and ensure adherence to Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Here’s what we’ll cover:

The Basics of Escalation Rules: Understanding how escalation rules function within a customer service framework.
Setting Up Escalation Rules: A step-by-step guide to defining and implementing escalation criteria and actions.
Monitoring and Managing Case Escalations: Tips on how to effectively monitor escalation queues and manage pending escalations.
Real-World Application: An example scenario illustrating the importance of escalation rules in maintaining SLAs and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Escalation Rules

Case escalation rules are defined to highlight/escalate to the right person when the criteria are met so that appropriate measures can be taken to resolve the case.

Escalation Rule Entry

The escalation rule entry is used to define the criteria/s of escalation, whether business hours should be considered for time calculation, and lastly, to identify the point when the rules should be triggered.

Escalation Rule Action

To define the exact time criteria to trigger the rule, define the escalation user/queue and select its notification email template, reassign the case, and select its notification template, and define additional recipients for the notifications.

Monitor Escalations

Escalation queues can be filtered by:

Case numbers
Escalation Rule Name
Rule Entry
Escalation Action
“Ignore business hours” checked.
Escalate at – Date and time of escalation.
Added date – Date and time of adding an escalated case.

Delete Pending Escalations

Pending escalations can be deleted from the escalation queues.
Select the pending escalation and delete it.
Modify All Data permissions are required to manage Escalation queues.

Example Scenarios:

Escalate, and send an email notification to the support manager if the case is not closed within 48 hours of opening.
Escalate, and send an email notification to the Support Lead if the case is open and no action has been taken in the last 24 hrs.

Escalation Rule Entry

Escalation rule entry is the rule/criteria/condition which specifies when the case gets escalated.

Create an Escalation Rule

Go to Setup and type “Escalation Rule” in Quick Find box.
Create a new rule and then add its rule entry. Start with defining the order of execution of the rule entries.
Add the logic/criteria for triggering this rule. The fields here can be case fields or accounts, contacts, assets, or users’ information. Multiple conditions can be added by using the filter logic for all the conditions/criteria.
The user can use or not use business hours for the escalation rule.
The escalation times can be selected to trigger a case after it is created or updated or by specifying a time.

Escalation Rule Action

Escalation Rule Action defines the timeframe of escalation and the action to be executed on escalation, in other words, when a case will be escalated and what will happen after a case is escalated.

Define the Escalation Action

Define the escalation action starting with the time criteria.

The system can perform two sets of activities.

The case can be reassigned.
Users can be notified.

The system will send the selected email template for both of the above actions.

Use Case

The Service Level Agreement on a customer service contract states that the service will be provided by Sun Solar within 48 hours of registering a case. Sun Solar wants to ensure that all its customers receive support on time if not, the service request should be escalated. What can the administrator set up in Service Cloud to manage this?

Solution: Escalation Rules

Reason: Different criteria can be defined on an escalation rule to escalate the case to the right person when the criteria are met to ensure that the SLA is not breached.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mastering escalation rules is pivotal for any customer service team aiming to excel in responsiveness and SLA adherence. By leveraging the insights and strategies outlined in this blog, organizations can significantly enhance their customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. Remember, the key to success lies in not just setting up these rules but continuously monitoring and refining them to meet the dynamic needs of your business and customers.

Ready to take your Salesforce skills to the next level? Sign up at saasguru and start your free trial today. Gain access to over 18 Salesforce Certification Courses, 50+ Mock Exams, and 50+ Salesforce Labs for an immersive hands-on learning experience.