# Escalation matrix (TechSupport Team Escalation Matrix Template v1.0)

Source: TechSupport Team, https://techsupport-team.com/templates/escalation-matrix/ (CC BY 4.0). Times are examples. Set your own.

Wait values are minutes since the incident starts, not delays between rows. The SEV3 threshold uses working time. Rows at the same time can run in parallel. A blank wait means escalate when the trigger applies. Contact fields are intentionally blank for your own names or rotation IDs. The backup entries are example roles, not contact details.

| Severity | Level | Type | Trigger | Wait (min) | Contact role | Primary | Backup | Channel | Action expected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEV1 | 1 | Automatic | Alert fires or a SEV1 ticket opens | 0 | L2 on-call engineer |  | L2 backup on-call | Page | Acknowledge, start diagnosis, open the incident channel | Example time |
| SEV1 | 2 | Automatic | Level 1 does not acknowledge | 5 | L2 backup on-call |  | L2 team lead | Page and phone | Acknowledge and take over | Example time |
| SEV1 | 3 | Functional | Fix needs a code or infrastructure change | 10 | L3 engineer on-call |  | L3 backup on-call | Page | Join the incident and plan the fix | Example time |
| SEV1 | 4 | Hierarchical | SEV1 declared | 10 | Incident lead |  | Engineering manager | Page | Coordinate the response and set the update times | Example time |
| SEV1 | 5 | Hierarchical | Customer impact confirmed | 15 | Service owner |  | Head of support | Phone | Approve customer communication | Example time |
| SEV1 | 6 | Hierarchical | Not resolved after 30 minutes | 30 | Head of engineering |  | CTO | Phone | Add people and approve emergency changes | Example time |
| SEV1 | 7 | Functional | A third-party product is the cause |  | Vendor support (L4) |  | Vendor account manager | Vendor portal and phone | Open a priority vendor case | When needed |
| SEV2 | 1 | Automatic | Alert fires or a SEV2 ticket opens | 0 | L2 on-call engineer |  | L2 backup on-call | Page | Acknowledge and start diagnosis | Example time |
| SEV2 | 2 | Automatic | Level 1 does not acknowledge | 15 | L2 backup on-call |  | L2 team lead | Page | Acknowledge and take over | Example time |
| SEV2 | 3 | Functional | Fix needs a code or infrastructure change | 30 | L3 engineer on-call |  | L3 backup on-call | Page | Plan the fix | Example time |
| SEV2 | 4 | Hierarchical | Not resolved after 2 hours | 120 | Service owner |  | Engineering manager | Chat | Review the priority and the resources | Example time |
| SEV3 | 1 | Manual | Ticket in the L2 queue | 0 | L2 queue |  | L2 team lead | Ticket | Triage in working hours | Example time |
| SEV3 | 2 | Automatic | No response in 4 working hours | 240 | L2 team lead |  | Support manager | Email and chat | Assign an owner | Example time |