Building an Escalation Matrix That Works
When an outage hits, everyone needs to know who to call and when. Here is how to set up escalation.
During an outage, confusion wastes valuable time. Who logs the ticket? When should the issue be escalated? Who has authority to make decisions? An escalation matrix answers these questions in advance.
What an escalation matrix is
A document listing contacts at the provider and within your organisation, organised by level and time thresholds. If an issue is not resolved within a defined time, it moves to the next level.
Typical levels
- Level 1: support desk or NOC — logging and initial troubleshooting.
- Level 2: senior engineers or team leaders.
- Level 3: service delivery or operations managers.
- Level 4: senior management at the provider.
Time-based triggers
Define when escalation happens, such as after 30 minutes without diagnosis, two hours without restoration or immediately for major outages.
Your internal side
Include who in your organisation is notified, who communicates with customers and who decides on actions such as activating backup sites.
Keep it current
Contacts change. Review the matrix every quarter and after organisational changes.
Make it accessible
Store the matrix where people can reach it during an outage — printed copies and offline files, not only on a server that might be unreachable.
Test it
Include escalation in drills, and verify contacts answer.
Communication templates
Prepare message templates for staff and customers to speed up communication during incidents.
After the incident
Review how escalation worked and update the matrix.
The bottom line
A clear escalation matrix shortens outages and reduces stress. UbiFi Business SLA includes a documented escalation path for every customer.
Learn more about Business SLA & Assurance from UbiFi, or talk to our team.
Clear service-level agreements: uptime targets, response and restoration times, proactive monitoring and service credits.
