---
sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/it-service-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia IT Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itsm

bundleId :

    - itsm

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Designing an escalation process

# Designing an escalation process {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Australia
* 
* Updated March 12, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

To design an escalation process for a task, you define a trigger rule and
configure one or more escalation policies.

A trigger rule specifies both the conditions under which an escalation process
should begin and the escalation actions (workflow or script) to perform. An
escalation policy describes the order in which escalation notifications are
sent, the escalation audience, and other aspects of the escalation.

## How a trigger rule works {#designing-escalation-process-oncall__section_uwh_vnn_vlb}

When a task is created or updated, the instance compares the assignment
rules with the rule's conditions to determine whether a
condition is met. If there is a match, then the instance activates
the workflow or script that is specified by the rule's
action. Trigger rules are an extension of
assignment rules and they have the same behavior as assignment
rules.  
For example, a trigger rule might specify:

* If (rule condition): An incident with level Critical or High is raised and is assigned to the Network group.
* Then (rule action): Run the Assign and Notify workflow. (The workflow sends an email notification to the current on-call roster member.)

{#designing-escalation-process-oncall__ul_ung_wpn_vlb} Figure 1. Rule condition on the When to activate tab Figure 2. Rule action on the What action to take tab  
Note:  
An on-call escalation is canceled when the assignment group of the associated task record, for example, an incident, changes to a different group without a matching trigger rule. It ensures that an existing irrelevant escalation workflow is no longer associated with that task record.

See [Create an escalation trigger rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vVvAW~y1bVTejok_L7k1ww "Create a trigger rule to specify both the conditions under which an escalation process should begin and the actions (workflow or script) to perform for the escalation.").

## About escalation policies {#designing-escalation-process-oncall__section_bqv_tbq_wlb}

An escalation policy includes the following configurations:

* The escalation audience (roster members and managers).
* A policy type that defines the order in which rosters and roster members receive escalation notifications.
* Other aspects of the escalation process like the contact methods to use and the number of reminders to send for each notification.
{#designing-escalation-process-oncall__ul_xg1_vkp_ylb}You can create a custom escalation policy for a shift by overriding settings in a default escalation type, for example, by configuring custom delays between escalation steps.
* **[Configure a table for escalation trigger rules](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/CjSf5LOYlcioznNQMqj7XQ)**   
  Configure escalation trigger rules for the tables that do not extend tasks.
* **[Create an escalation trigger rule](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/vVvAW~y1bVTejok_L7k1ww)**   
  Create a trigger rule to specify both the conditions under which an escalation process should begin and the actions (workflow or script) to perform for the escalation.
* **[Create an escalation policy](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/TXIJ_Ok9NBwtwciJbJ4IZw)**   
  An escalation policy includes the policy type that defines the order in which rosters and roster members receive escalation notifications. You can create a custom escalation policy for a shift by overriding settings in a default escalation type, for example, by configuring custom delays between escalation steps.
* **[Escalation and reminder settings for rosters](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/GNmShtu5OEHAwDLOfx7iVg)**   
  Use the escalation settings to specify how and when escalations occur and when reminder notifications are sent.
* **[Example escalation reports](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/HDQK8z0mI6OpfioBc3tWfA)**   
  Because escalation reports depend on the escalation type, report content can vary greatly.

**Related tasks**   

* [Track the progress of an escalation](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kOUY_4o4H9qH3zhv4Sk7iA "Use the On-Call Escalation Tracking page for full visibility into the time line of an active or closed escalation as it progresses through its on-call escalation path.")
* [View details in an escalation log](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yJ~ZMbkB_MM5EdsqUrfimA "View the escalation log record for full details on the time line and actions for an on-call escalation as it progressed through the on-call escalation path. You can also access escalation and escalation notification information from reports.")