Escalation Policies

Overview

Escalation Policies define the notification sequence when an incident occurs. They ensure the right people are contacted in the right order until someone acknowledges and takes ownership. With multi-level escalations, flexible targeting, and automatic retries, you can build robust response workflows for any scenario.

Multi-Level Escalation

Define sequential levels with increasing urgency and broader reach

Flexible Targeting

Target individuals, teams, or on-call schedules at each level

Multiple Channels

Reach responders via call, SMS, email, or webhooks

Smart Retries

Automatic call retries with configurable delays

How Escalation Works

When an incident triggers an escalation policy:

Incident Created
       ↓
   Level 1 → Notify targets (call, SMS, email)
       ↓
   No response within timeout?
       ↓
   Level 2 → Notify next set of targets
       ↓
   No response within timeout?
       ↓
   Level 3 → Final escalation
       ↓
   Still no response?
       ↓
   Repeat cycle (if configured)

The escalation stops immediately when someone acknowledges the incident.

Viewing Escalation Policies

The Escalation Policies page shows all your policies:

Column	Description
Policy	Name, description, and default indicator (⭐)
Escalation Flow	Preview of levels with target counts
Status	Active or Inactive
Actions	Edit, Duplicate, Delete

Default Policy

One policy can be marked as the default. This policy is used when:

No routing rule matches the incident
A service doesn’t have a specific policy assigned

The default policy is indicated with a star icon (⭐).

Creating Escalation Policies

Open Create Dialog

Click the Add Policy button

Configure Policy Settings

In the Policy Settings tab:

Name — Descriptive name (e.g., “Production Critical - 24/7”)
Description — Explain when this policy should be used
Set as Default — Toggle if this should be the fallback policy

Add Escalation Levels

In the Escalation Levels tab:

Click Add Level to create your first level
Configure targets, channels, and timing
Add more levels as needed

Save Policy

Click Create to save your policy

Configuring Escalation Levels

Each level defines who gets notified and how.

Level Timing

Level 1
Level 2+
Final Level

Level 1 is triggered immediately when an incident is created.The delay setting determines how long to wait before escalating to Level 2 if no one acknowledges.Example: “Escalate to Level 2 after 5 minutes (if no response)”

Notification Targets

Add targets using the dropdown selectors:

Target Type	Description
Users	Individual team members
Teams	All members of a team receive notifications
Schedules	The current on-call person from the schedule

Combine target types for comprehensive coverage. For example, Level 1 might target the on-call schedule, while Level 2 adds the entire team.

Target Mode

Choose how targets are notified:

Parallel

All targets notified simultaneously

Everyone receives notifications at once
First person to acknowledge handles it
Best for: Time-critical incidents

Sequential

Targets notified one by one

Moves to next target after max retries
Stops when someone acknowledges
Best for: Defined escalation order

Example: Sequential vs Parallel

Scenario: Level with targets Alice, Bob, CharlieParallel Mode:

T=0:00 — Alice, Bob, Charlie all receive calls simultaneously
T=0:01 — Bob answers and acknowledges
Result: Escalation stops, Alice and Charlie calls become moot

Sequential Mode:

T=0:00 — Alice receives call (no answer)
T=0:30 — Alice retry #1 (no answer)
T=1:00 — Alice retry #2 (no answer, max retries reached)
T=1:00 — Bob receives call (answers!)
Result: Escalation stops, Charlie never contacted

Notification Channels

Select which channels to use for notifications:

Channel	Description	Best For
Call	Phone call with retry support	Urgent, must reach someone
SMS	Text message	Quick notifications
Email	Email notification	Detailed information, audit trail
Webhook	Integration notifications	Slack, Teams, custom systems

Multiple channels can be enabled simultaneously. All selected channels fire in parallel for each target.

Call Retry Settings

When Call is enabled, configure retry behavior:

Retry Count (0-5) — How many times to retry after initial call fails
- Total attempts = 1 + retry count
- Example: 2 retries = 3 total call attempts
Retry Delay (10-300 seconds) — Wait time between call attempts
- Default: 30 seconds
- Gives time for the person to call back

Example: Call Retry Flow

Settings: 2 retries, 30-second delay

T=0:00  Call attempt #1 → No answer
T=0:30  Call attempt #2 (retry #1) → No answer
T=1:00  Call attempt #3 (retry #2) → No answer
T=1:00  Max retries reached
        → Sequential: Move to next target
        → Parallel: Mark target exhausted

Webhook Selection

When Webhook is enabled:

Select specific webhooks from your configured integrations
If none selected: All tenant webhooks are triggered
Webhooks receive full incident details and escalation context

Level Configuration Example

Example: 3-Level Production Policy

Level 1: On-Call Engineer

Timing: Immediate (0 min delay)
Targets: On-Call Schedule “Platform Engineering”
Mode: Sequential
Channels: Call, SMS
Call Retries: 2 (3 total attempts)
Retry Delay: 30 seconds
Timeout: 5 minutes

Level 2: Engineering Team

Timing: 5 minutes after Level 1
Targets: Team “Backend Engineering”, Engineering Lead (user)
Mode: Parallel
Channels: Call, SMS, Email
Call Retries: 2
Timeout: 10 minutes

Level 3: Management

Timing: 10 minutes after Level 2
Targets: VP Engineering (user)
Mode: Parallel
Channels: Call, SMS, Email, Webhook (Slack)
Call Retries: 2
No further escalation

Repeat Settings

Configure what happens when all levels complete without acknowledgment:

Repeat Limit

How many times to cycle through the entire policy:

1 (default) — Single pass through all levels
2 — Policy repeats once (2 total passes)
3+ — Multiple repeat cycles

Repeat Delay

Wait time between policy repeats:

Default: 30 minutes
Gives time for the situation to potentially resolve
Or for responders to become available

Example: Repeat Cycle

Settings: repeatLimit=2, repeatDelay=30 min

Pass 1:
  Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 (no acknowledgment)
  ↓
  [30 minute delay]
  ↓
Pass 2:
  Level 1 → Level 2 → Level 3 (no acknowledgment)
  ↓
ESCALATION EXHAUSTED
(No more repeats, incident marked as exhausted)

Reordering Levels

Levels can be reordered after creation:

Open the policy for editing
Use the Move Up (↑) and Move Down (↓) arrows
Levels are renumbered automatically
Save to apply changes

The first level always triggers immediately. Subsequent levels use their delay setting relative to when they’re reached.

Editing Policies

Find the Policy

Locate it in the list or use search

Open Edit Dialog

Click the three-dot menu (⋮) and select Edit

Make Changes

Modify settings, add/remove levels, adjust timing

Save Changes

Click Save to apply

Editing a policy affects all future escalations using it. Active escalations continue with their original configuration.

Duplicating Policies

Create a copy of an existing policy:

Click the three-dot menu (⋮)
Select Duplicate
A copy opens in the create dialog with “(Copy)” appended to the name
Modify as needed and save

Use duplication to create variants for different scenarios (e.g., business hours vs after-hours versions).

Deleting Policies

Open Delete Dialog

Click the three-dot menu and select Delete

Confirm Deletion

Review the warning and click Delete

Deleting a policy removes all its levels. Make sure no services or routing rules depend on it.

Escalation Flow Visualization

The policy list shows a preview of each policy’s escalation flow:

Level 1 (3 targets) → 5m → Level 2 (2 targets) → 10m → Level 3 (1 target)

This helps you quickly understand the escalation structure without opening each policy.

Target Resolution

Targets are resolved at escalation time, not when the policy is created:

User Targets

Direct notification to the specified user
Uses their configured contact methods

Team Targets

Expands to all current team members
If membership changes, new escalations use updated membership

Schedule Targets

Resolves to whoever is currently on-call
Handles overrides and rotation automatically
If no one is on-call (coverage gap), target is skipped

Dynamic resolution means your escalation policies stay current with team and schedule changes.

Best Practices

Start with On-Call

Level 1 should typically target an on-call schedule. This ensures the designated responder is contacted first before broader escalation.

Increase Reach at Each Level

Each level should reach more people or higher authority:

Level 1: Individual on-call
Level 2: Team or backup
Level 3: Management

Set Appropriate Timeouts

Balance urgency with reasonable response time:

Critical: 3-5 minute timeouts
High: 5-10 minute timeouts
Medium: 10-15 minute timeouts

Use Multiple Channels

Don’t rely on a single channel. People might miss calls but see SMS, or vice versa.

Configure Retries Wisely

2-3 call retries with 30-second delays gives responders time to answer or call back without excessive notification fatigue.

Test Your Policies

Create test incidents to verify escalation flows work as expected before relying on them for production.

Document Policy Purpose

Use the description field to explain when this policy applies and any special considerations.

Common Patterns

24/7 Critical Response

Level 1: On-call schedule (sequential, call+SMS, 5 min) Level 2: Entire team (parallel, call+SMS+email, 10 min) Level 3: Management (parallel, all channels, 15 min) Repeat: 2 cycles with 30 min delay

Business Hours Only

Level 1: Support team (parallel, email+SMS, 15 min) Level 2: Team lead (sequential, call+SMS, 10 min) Repeat: 1 cycle (no repeat)Combine with routing rules to use different policies after hours.

Follow-the-Sun

Create separate policies for each region:

EMEA Policy → EMEA on-call schedule
APAC Policy → APAC on-call schedule
Americas Policy → Americas on-call schedule

Use routing rules based on time or incident origin.

VIP Customer Escalation

Level 1: Dedicated support (sequential, call+SMS, 3 min) Level 2: Account team (parallel, all channels, 5 min) Level 3: Customer success + Management (parallel, 10 min) Repeat: 3 cycles with 15 min delay

Escalation Status

Incidents track their escalation status:

Status	Description
Triggered	Escalation active, Level 1 in progress
Escalated	Moved to a higher level
Acknowledged	Someone responded, escalation stopped
Exhausted	All levels and repeats completed without acknowledgment

Troubleshooting

Escalation not starting

Verify the policy is set to Active
Check that a routing rule or default policy is configured
Confirm the service has escalation enabled
Look for initial delay settings that might postpone escalation

Wrong people being notified

Check target resolution (teams expand to current members)
Verify schedule is showing correct on-call person
Review target mode (parallel vs sequential)
Check routing rules aren’t selecting a different policy

Notifications not being received

Verify user contact methods are configured correctly
Check notification channel is enabled for the level
Confirm phone numbers are in correct format
Review webhook configurations if using integrations

Escalation stopping too early

Someone may have acknowledged without you knowing
Check incident status in the incident timeline
Verify level timeout settings are sufficient
Review call retry settings

Escalation continuing after acknowledgment

Ensure acknowledgment was properly recorded
Check for multiple simultaneous escalations
Verify the incident ID matches
Review incident timeline for acknowledgment event

Quick Reference

Target Modes

Mode	Behavior
Parallel	All targets notified simultaneously
Sequential	Targets notified one by one

Notification Channels

Channel	Retries	Delivery
Call	Yes (configurable)	Synchronous
SMS	No	Fire-and-forget
Email	No	Fire-and-forget
Webhook	No	Fire-and-forget

Default Settings

Setting	Default Value
Target Mode	Parallel
Call Retries	2
Retry Delay	30 seconds
Level Delay	5 minutes
Repeat Limit	1 (no repeat)
Repeat Delay	30 minutes

​Overview

Multi-Level Escalation

Flexible Targeting

Multiple Channels

Smart Retries

​How Escalation Works

​Viewing Escalation Policies

​Default Policy

​Creating Escalation Policies

​Configuring Escalation Levels

​Level Timing

​Notification Targets

​Target Mode

Parallel

Sequential

​Notification Channels

​Call Retry Settings

​Webhook Selection

​Level Configuration Example

​Repeat Settings

​Repeat Limit

​Repeat Delay

​Reordering Levels

​Editing Policies

​Duplicating Policies

​Deleting Policies

​Escalation Flow Visualization

​Target Resolution

​User Targets

​Team Targets

​Schedule Targets

​Best Practices

​Common Patterns

​Escalation Status

​Troubleshooting

​Quick Reference

​Target Modes

​Notification Channels

​Default Settings

Overview

How Escalation Works

Viewing Escalation Policies

Default Policy

Creating Escalation Policies

Configuring Escalation Levels

Level Timing

Notification Targets

Target Mode

Notification Channels

Call Retry Settings

Webhook Selection

Level Configuration Example

Repeat Settings

Repeat Limit

Repeat Delay

Reordering Levels

Editing Policies

Duplicating Policies

Deleting Policies

Escalation Flow Visualization

Target Resolution

User Targets

Team Targets

Schedule Targets

Best Practices

Common Patterns

Escalation Status

Troubleshooting

Quick Reference

Target Modes

Notification Channels

Default Settings