An escalation plan decides who gets told when a case step runs past its deadline, and how long to wait before telling the next person.

This example gives a step two hours. When that runs out, Support Agent is notified immediately; an hour later, if the step is still not actioned, it reaches Admin.

The offset on a level is the wait before the NEXT one — not a delay before that level fires. Level one always fires the moment the step is overdue, which is why its own timing is the step's deadline rather than a separate field. Reading it the other way produces plans that look right and notify the wrong person an hour late, and it is the single most common mistake here.

Everyone on a level is notified and can complete the step — escalating hands them the work, not just the news. So put the people who can actually act on it there.

The panel writes the whole plan back to you as a plain-English sentence. Read that line before saving — it is the fastest check that the plan says what you meant, and the last level's offset is unused, because nothing escalates after it.

Check both roles exist and have the right people in them before you start. A level pointed at an empty role notifies nobody.

Step 1
Check the recipients exist
Before building the plan, confirm the roles you are going to name have people in them. A level pointed at an empty role escalates to nobody, silently.
Step 2
Open Escalation Plans
Admin Settings > Escalation Plans, then New plan.
Step 3
Name it for what it does
The name is what a case-type author picks from a list later, so "Two hours, then Admin" beats "Plan 3".
Step 4
Set the time to completion
How long a step using this plan gets before it is overdue. Everything below hangs off this moment.
Step 5
Open the levels
The levels are collapsed by default — open them to see who is notified and when.
Step 6
Level one: who hears first
Notified the instant the step is overdue. Level one has no wait of its own, by design.
Step 7
Add the second level
And choose who it reaches.
Step 8
The gap is the wait before the NEXT level
An hour here does not delay level one. It is how long the plan waits, after level one was told, before escalating to level two.
Step 9
Read the plain-English line
The panel writes the plan back as a sentence — the deadline, then each recipient and when. If that sentence is what you meant, the plan is right.
Step 10
Save, and reopen it
Reopen the saved plan and check it: the deadline, both recipients, and the gap between them.
Step 11
The last level's offset does nothing
Nothing escalates after the final level, so its offset is unused — the editor disables it rather than letting a plan claim a wait that will never happen.
Step 12
A plan is not attached to anything yet
Creating a plan makes it available; it starts working when a case type's step uses it. A plan nobody has attached escalates nothing, and a step with no plan falls back to a single overdue reminder.