In support, even in well-managed support centers, unhappy customers are a fact of life. There are times when the normal process simply fails to satisfy a particular customer: that’s an escalation. And an escalation manager is an individual whose mission it is to rescue those stranded customers and make them whole again.
Do I need an escalation manager?

If you have a large support center and you support corporate customers on complex products, yes, you need a full-time escalation manager as you have enough escalations to keep him or her very busy.
On the other hand, if you support consumers, you probably do not need an escalation manager at all, as whatever problems occur can be resolved by the support managers, if not the support staffers themselves.

If your support center has escalations, but not very many, it’s best to ask the support managers to handle them as needed until you have enough volume to justify hiring a dedicated escalation manager. Put your resources into minimizing the number of escalations instead.

What does an escalation manager do?
Escalation managers manage escalations, of course, which means:

• Creating action plans, coordinating technical and management concerns in the process
• Driving the action plans to resolution, including working with other groups in the company when needed
• Managing customer interactions throughout the escalation, in particular with executives
• Leading “post-mortem” evaluations after each escalation to drive process improvements that minimize escalations

Therefore, you need people who are very well organized, can manage across organization lines, have excellent customer skills, and understand something about the technical issues (they do not need to be technical experts). You also want people who thrive on solving difficult problems in often hostile environments.

How do I find an escalation manager?
It’s not easy to find a good escalation manager, but it’s not impossible. While many of us would rather avoid the stress of constant escalations, some people actually like it – and thrive on the gratitude that often flows at the end of successful escalations.

Because escalation management is a new specialty, it’s hard to find people with that particular experience, so don’t be afraid to promote from within. Managers who get bored with the administrative part of the job but enjoy customer interactions may be good candidates. Resourceful senior support staffers with very polished customer skills may also succeed as escalation managers.

About the author
Francoise Tourniaire is the founder and principal of FT Works, a consulting firm that helps technology companies create and grow their support operations. She is the author of “Managing Support Escalations”, a practical guide to selecting and using metrics in support centers. For more information, visit www.ftworks.com or call 650 559 9826.