In the course of our work as Support Engineers, there are instances where an Emergency may end up being larger than we expect, or unsolvable in one call. If so, this document acts as a guide on how to convert from an Emergency to an Escalation.
In our day-to-day work, Support Engineers are naturally reactive: ticket exists -> we work on that ticket. This changes in an Escalated state, where we need to switch to be more proactive by acting as a guide through the entirety of the escalation.
We don't have a definitive list of criteria to follow, so this must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Here are some questions that can guide this decision:
If so, reach out in #support-managers slack first, as a quick touch base. At this point, a manager should be available to engage to help manage and start the escalation with you.
At this point, review the TAM handbook for escalation levels to see which best applies. The most important thing for a Support Engineer here is to create a Slack room that will live for the duration of the escalation. If there is a TAM, they will start an escalation document to help manage the escalation internally. If there isn't a TAM, coordinate with the on-call Support Manager to get that document created, as per the TAM Handbook.
As the slack room forms, it's important to note that our role changes from "problem solver" to "problem definer + problem solver". You should be balancing your time between communicating in the Slack room, updating the ticket, and getting on calls with the customer.
Here are a few things to keep in mind
