Complaint Escalation

Escalation allows transferring a complaint to a higher level when an agent cannot resolve it alone or when SLA deadlines are exceeded.

Types of Escalation

Manual Escalation

Triggered by an agent when:

• The complaint is too complex
• A management decision is required
• The agent doesn't have the necessary permissions
• Specific expertise is needed

Automatic Escalation

Triggered by the system when:

• The SLA deadline is exceeded
• The SLA policy provides for automatic escalation
• No action has been taken after a certain period

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    ESCALATION PROCESS                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  Agent processes  Block or      Escalation    Supervisor        │
│  complaint        breach        triggered     takes charge      │
│       │              │              │              │            │
│       ▼              ▼              ▼              ▼            │
│    ───●──────────────●──────────────●──────────────●────▶       │
│       │              │              │              │            │
│       │         ┌────┴────┐    ┌────┴────┐   ┌────┴────┐       │
│       │         │ Manual  │    │Notifica │   │ Process │       │
│       │         │   or    │    │  tion   │   │Reassign │       │
│       │         │  Auto   │    │ Email   │   │Escalate │       │
│       │         └─────────┘    └─────────┘   └─────────┘       │
│       │                                                         │
│  ┌────┴────┐                                                    │
│  │Resolved │  (normal case without escalation)                  │
│  └─────────┘                                                    │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Manual Escalation

When to escalate?

Escalate a complaint when:

1. Technical complexity: The problem exceeds your skills
2. Policy decision: A hierarchy decision is required
3. Conflict of interest: You cannot process objectively
4. Urgency: The situation requires rapid intervention
5. Sensitivity: The case involves important issues

How to escalate?

1. Open the complaint detail
2. Click the Escalate button
3. Fill in the form:

Field	Description
Reason	Reason for escalation
Comment	Additional details
Recipient	Supervisor (default) or other

4. Click Confirm escalation

Example reason

Reason: Complex complaint requiring management decision

Comment: The complainant contests the PMT criteria used during
the 2023 targeting. They provide documents indicating a situation
different from that recorded. A decision on the admissibility
of this challenge is needed before processing.

Notifications

During manual escalation:

• The supervisor receives an email notification
• An in-app notification is displayed
• The complaint history is updated
• The initial agent stays informed of the follow-up

Automatic Escalation

Configuration

Automatic escalation is configured in SLA policies:

1. Go to Settings → SLA Policies
2. Open or create a policy
3. Enable Automatic escalation
4. Configure:

Option	Description
Delay	Time after breach (e.g., 0h = immediately)
Recipient	Supervisor, Team Manager, or specific
Notification	Email and/or in-app

Triggering

The system checks complaints every 15 minutes:

1. Detection: Complaints whose SLA is exceeded
2. Verification: Auto escalation is enabled and not yet done
3. Escalation: Complaint is marked as escalated
4. Notification: Recipient is notified

Managing Escalations

For the supervisor

View escalated complaints

1. Go to Complaints
2. Filter by Escalated or use the dashboard badge
3. Escalated complaints are marked with an orange badge

Possible actions

Action	Description
Process	Take charge and resolve
Reassign	Transfer to another agent
De-escalate	Return to initial agent with instructions
Escalate higher	Transfer to a higher level

Handle an escalation

1. Open the escalated complaint
2. Analyze the context and history
3. Decide the action:
   • Resolve directly
   • Reassign with instructions
   • Request information
4. Document your intervention

De-escalate

To return a complaint to the initial agent:

1. Open the escalated complaint
2. Click De-escalate
3. Add instructions or clarifications
4. The agent is notified and resumes processing

Escalation Levels

Typical hierarchy

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               GRM DIRECTOR                       │
│         (Exceptional cases, SEA/SH)              │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │
┌────────────────────▼────────────────────────────┐
│            REGIONAL SUPERVISOR                   │
│        (Level 2 escalations, conflicts)         │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │
┌────────────────────▼────────────────────────────┐
│           TEAM MANAGER                           │
│      (Level 1 escalations, SLA breaches)        │
└────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                     │
┌────────────────────▼────────────────────────────┐
│               GRM AGENT                          │
│        (Complaint processing)                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Multi-level escalation

A complaint can be escalated multiple times:

1. Agent → Team Manager (level 1)
2. Manager → Regional Supervisor (level 2)
3. Supervisor → GRM Director (level 3)

Each escalation is tracked in the history.

Escalation Tracking

Indicators

The dashboard displays:

• Active escalations: Number of unresolved escalated complaints
• Escalation rate: % of escalated complaints
• Resolution time: Average duration after escalation
• By level: Distribution of escalations

Escalation Report

Period	Total complaints	Escalated	Rate	Average time
Jan 2026	120	15	12.5%	2.1 days
Feb 2026	95	8	8.4%	1.8 days
Mar 2026	110	12	10.9%	2.3 days

Cause Analysis

Identify recurring escalation reasons:

Cause	Number	%
SLA breach	18	51%
Technical complexity	8	23%
Decision required	6	17%
Other	3	9%

Best Practices

For agents

1. Don't wait until the last moment: Escalate as soon as you're blocked
2. Document well: Provide all useful information
3. Be precise: Clearly explain the blockage
4. Stay available: You may be asked for additional details

For supervisors

1. Responsiveness: Handle escalations quickly
2. Feedback: Explain your decisions to agents
3. Training: Identify training needs
4. Prevention: Analyze causes to reduce them

Organization

1. Define criteria: When to escalate?
2. Clarify responsibilities: Who handles what?
3. Communicate: Inform teams of procedures
4. Measure: Track escalation indicators

Special Cases

Sensitive complaints (SEA/SH)

Sensitive complaints follow a specific escalation circuit:

1. Detection by agent
2. Immediate escalation to SEA/SH Focal Point
3. Confidential processing
4. No return to initial agent

External escalation

Some complaints may require external escalation:

• To an administrative authority
• To a technical partner
• To a service provider

These cases are documented but processed outside the system.

Permissions

Action	Permission
Escalate a complaint	plaintes.view + assignment
Receive escalations	Team manager or supervisor
De-escalate	Supervisor
Configure auto escalation	admin.settings