Escalation rules are used to escalate cases automatically when they meet the criteria which are defined in rule entry. We create rule entries where criteria is defined to escalate a case.

Whenever an escalation rule is applied for a case, it checks whether the criteria met with the rule entry. If the case matches with the criteria in the rule entry, then the further escalation action is carried out.

Escalation action defines what should be done when a case matches with the rule entry. We can add up to five actions for each rule entry to escalate the case over time.

How to setup Escalation rules:

Click on Setup --> Admin --> Build --> Customize --> Cases --> Escalation Rules

Click on new, provide a name, select active and save it.

Next, specify the rule entries by going into the rule which we have created before.

In the rule entries, enter sort order in which rule entry is processed. Sort order defines the sequence, in which Salesforce evaluates rule entries. Let us assume we have five rule entries. Salesforce looks at first rule entry to see if criteria matches with the case. If the criteria matches, Salesforce stops evaluating and escalates the case. If the criteria don't match, Salesforce looks into the second rule entry to see it matches like so on until it finds a match.

In Select the criteria for this rule entry section, we get two options in run this rule if the criteria are met or formula evaluates to be true. If we select criteria are met option, we have to select the field, operator, value and if necessary, a filter logic can be added. Otherwise for formula evaluates to true option, we have to enter a formula using insert field, insert operations and functions.   .

Next, we have to specify business hours criteria for the escalation rule. In this section, it has three options ignore business hours, use business hours specified in the case and set business hours. These are useful to determine when your support team is available(time). If ignore business hours option is selected, case can be escalated at any time irrespective with the support agents working time.

If the use business hours specified in the case is selected, cases are escalated only in the business hours specified. If the support team and customer are in two different time zones, you can specify timings in this business hours. So, that it could be easy for them to escalate cases easily. In set business hours, we get a lookup field which has specified time defined for your company.

At last, we have to specify how escalation times are set. In this; we have three options when case is created, when a case is created and disable after case is first modified, based on last modification time. If we select when case is created, time starts when the case is created and case gets escalated when time gets expired.

In when case is created and disable after case is first modified, time starts when the case is created but stops when the case is modified. Modification should be done before time expires. Based on last modification is time starts ticking when a case is modified.

Upon saving the escalation rule entry, escalation action to be mentioned. Escalation action defines when the case escalates and what happens when the case gets  escalated.

Specify the time criteria for this rule section has age over, which is the number hours after which a case should escalate if it has not been closed.

In auto reassign cases, cases can be reassigned to different support agents. Once a case is reassigned to another user, again it becomes a new case.

We can notify the users via email by using the option notify this user with respective notification template and save the escalation action.

Note:

There are some limits like, we can write 2000 rules per organization, 50 active rules per object and 500 rules per object.