---
sourceDocument: Yokohama Customer Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/yokohama/customer-service-management

 Release :

    - yokohama

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Yokohama Customer Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - csm

bundleId :

    - csm

workflow :

    - Customer and Industry


---

# Case and account escalation

# Case and account escalation {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Yokohama
* 
* Updated March 27, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read

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This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Case and Account Escalation

The escalation feature in ServiceNow Customer Service Management enables users to highlight critical cases or accounts to raise awareness of important customer issues.
Escalating a case or account helps increase attention, facilitates communication, and enables tracking of progress toward resolution.
Show full answer Show less  
Users assigned the **escalation requester** role can initiate escalations via the "Escalate Case" related link on case or account forms.

## Key Differences Between Case and Account Escalations

* **Case Escalations:** Managed by customer service agents who work directly on the escalated case to resolve the issue.
* **Account Escalations:** Managed by escalation managers and can involve multiple associated cases. Details are recorded in an escalation record.

## Configuration Tasks

System administrators can configure escalation management using guided setup in Customer Service Management. Key configuration steps include:

* Setting up escalation management for cases and accounts.
* Creating escalation templates that define how escalation requests are processed, including optional approval workflows.
* Defining escalation severity levels with color-coded indicators (e.g., red for high severity, orange for medium) to visually highlight escalated cases and accounts in the interface.

## User Tasks

* **Escalate Cases or Accounts:** Users with the escalation requester role can escalate cases or accounts, creating an associated escalation record.
* **Manage Escalations:** Customer service agents and escalation managers handle escalated cases or accounts using escalation records, with severity levels visually indicated by colors.
* **De-escalate Cases or Accounts:** Users with the de-escalation requester role can remove escalations once issues are resolved.
* **Optional Approval Process:** An approval step can be configured so escalation requests require approver review and approval before creating escalation records.

## Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

This escalation functionality helps customer service teams prioritize urgent customer issues, ensures clear communication and accountability during issue resolution, and provides visibility through severity indicators and tracking records. The optional approval process adds governance for managing escalation requests effectively.  
Use the escalation feature to highlight specific cases or accounts and raise awareness
of important customer issues.
Escalating a case or an account provides the following benefits:

* Increases attention about a customer issue.
* Facilitates communication about that issue.
* Provides a way to track progress toward a resolution.
{#customer-service-case-escalation__ul_kl3_qbk_spb}

Users with the escalation requester role can [escalate a case or an account](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/fk2VNCbrcFLUJPxNrD1LwQ "Users with the escalation requester role can escalate a case or account.") by selecting the Escalate Case related link on the case or account form.

## Case and account escalation differences {#customer-service-case-escalation__section_oty_gfk_spb}

While the escalation process is similar for cases and accounts, there are some important differences to note.

* Case escalations: A customer service agent typically manages a case escalation and works directly with the escalated case to resolve the issue.
* Account escalations: An escalation manager typically manages an account escalation, which can include multiple associated cases, and records details in the escalation record.

{#customer-service-case-escalation__ul_fr4_lfk_spb}For more information, see [Case and account escalation differences](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/2v2m6yi_bjrZ0bQ_0qPCwg "An overview of the differences between case escalations and account escalations.").

## Configuring case and account escalation {#customer-service-case-escalation__section_flq_y1l_spb}

The following table includes an overview of case and account escalation configuration tasks.
Users with the system administrator role can perform these tasks.  
{#customer-service-case-escalation__table_case_escalation_config__entry__2}

| Task | Description |
|-|-|
| [Configure escalation management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RplbzJZQ3TlLDPQOJKHWpg "Escalating a case or account raises awareness about important customer issues, facilitates communication, and enables users to track progress towards a resolution.") | Configure case and account escalation using Customer Service Management guided setup. |
| [Create a case or account escalation template](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/I18UbejAXvK5LUQFFQ68Fg "Create a template for each type of case or account escalation.") | Escalation templates determine how an escalation request is processed, including the type of escalation and an optional approval process. |
| [Create a case or account escalation severity](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/KhMuNkhR3mMAt3p479PrfA "The escalation severity defines the type of escalation and the color used to represent the cases and accounts of this escalation severity in the user interface.") | Create definitions for different levels of escalation severity and select color indicators to highlight escalated cases and accounts in the user interface. |
[Table 1. Case and account escalation configuration tasks]

{#customer-service-case-escalation__table_case_escalation_config}

## Using case and account escalation {#customer-service-case-escalation__section_sgy_2pk_spb}

The following table includes an overview of case and account escalation user tasks.  
{#customer-service-case-escalation__table_case_escalation_use__entry__2}

| Task | Description |
|-|-|
| [Escalate a case or an account](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/fk2VNCbrcFLUJPxNrD1LwQ "Users with the escalation requester role can escalate a case or account.") | Escalate cases or accounts, either on behalf of customers or for internal purposes. Escalating a case or account creates an associated escalation record. Role required: escalation requester |
| [Manage an escalated case or account](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9itTlTa0EKVNo3eosmQawg "Manage and document the progress for an escalation using the case or account escalation record.") | Manage a case or account through the escalation process using the escalation record. The system identifies cases and accounts on lists and forms with color indicators that correspond to the escalation severity: red (high) or orange (medium). Role required: * Customer service agent * Escalation manager {#customer-service-case-escalation__ul_abm_xpk_spb} |
| [De-escalate a case or an account](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yw3MEL217LJrkFc6ttiMcQ "The de-escalation requester can de-escalate cases or accounts when the cause of the escalation is resolved.") | De-escalate cases or accounts when the cause of the escalation is resolved. Role required: de-escalation requester |
| Use an optional escalation approval process | Include an optional approval step for approvers to review a request and either approve or reject an escalation. When using the optional approval step, the system creates the escalation record upon approval and associates it with the case or account. |
[Table 2. Case and account escalation user tasks]

{#customer-service-case-escalation__table_case_escalation_use}