The primary goal of any support ticket is to swiftly and accurately resolve the customer's issue or answer their question. However, there may be occasions where you are unable to provide quick or accurate customer service.
In such instances, you will need to escalate the ticket to a project manager.
The two most common situations requiring ticket escalation are:
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When you are unable to answer a question or resolve an issue over the course of the conversation. Before escalating, be sure to exhaust every resource and check every possible source for a solution - scan the Knowledgebase, investigate the client's account, review past tickets/emails, etc. If you cannot find the necessary information, inform the customer that you will need to confer with a project manager to help resolve their issue. Capture all pertinent contact details (name, phone, email, convenient callback time) and the details of the issue/question. Assure the customer that you will contact them within 24 hours with a solution or answer, then forward the information to your project manager.
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When a customer is irate and/or requests to speak to a manager. Remain empathetic, polite and professional - do not match their anger. Gather as much information about the situation as possible, including the customer's name, number, email, and details of the issue/question. Let the customer know you will need to place them on a brief hold before transferring their call to a project manager. Once on hold, contact the project manager and provide the relevant details, then transfer the call.
When a solution has been found, contact the customer first by phone to relay the answer. If there is no answer, leave a message and follow up with an email. Be sure to ask if there is anything else you can do to assist.
The key is to handle each escalated ticket professionally and efficiently, with the goal of providing a swift and satisfactory resolution for the customer.