How to Escalate

Process for escalating issues properly.

Before Escalating

Complete this checklist:

• Verified escalation is necessary (see When to Escalate)
• Gathered all relevant information
• Documented all previous actions
• Confirmed customer communication is logged

Required Information

For All Escalations

Field	Description
Ticket/Case ID	Reference number
Customer ID	Account identifier
Issue summary	Brief description (1-2 sentences)
Timeline	When issue started, contacts made
Actions taken	What was already tried
Why escalating	Specific trigger

For Financial Escalations

Also include:

Field	Description
Amount	Specific value
Currency	CSR, EUR, USDT, CAD
Transaction ID(s)	All relevant transactions
Current status	Pending, failed, etc.

For Compliance Escalations

Also include:

Field	Description
Violation type	What rule/policy
Evidence	Screenshots, logs
Risk assessment	Your evaluation

Escalation Steps

L1 → L2

1. Complete pre-escalation checklist
2. Update ticket with all gathered info
3. Change ticket status to "Escalated - L2"
4. Add internal note explaining escalation
5. Notify L2 queue (if urgent, ping directly)

L2 → CIO

1. Confirm CIO-level trigger exists
2. Prepare summary document
3. Email CIO with:
   • Subject: [ESCALATION] Brief issue description
   • Ticket reference
   • Summary
   • Recommended action (if any)
4. Update ticket as "Escalated - CIO"

CIO → CEO

1. CIO prepares executive summary
2. Includes recommendation
3. Schedules review or sends for approval
4. Documents decision

Communication During Escalation

To the Customer

Stage	Message
At escalation	"We're escalating this to our senior team for review"
During review	Updates every 48 hours
At resolution	Clear explanation of outcome

What NOT to Say

• Don't promise specific timelines
• Don't mention specific names/roles
• Don't guarantee outcomes
• Don't share internal processes

Tracking Escalations

Field	Purpose
Escalation date	When escalated
Escalation level	L2, CIO, CEO
Expected response	SLA for that level
Resolution date	When closed
Resolution type	Resolved, denied, referred

Urgent Escalations

For time-sensitive issues:

1. Follow normal process but add [URGENT] to subject
2. Directly contact the escalation point (don't just email)
3. Document why urgent
4. Stay available for follow-up questions