Escalation

Escalation is how tickets get flagged for human review when AI can't or shouldn't handle them autonomously.

What is Escalation?

Escalation marks a ticket as needing human attention. The ticket:

• Gets flagged with "Escalated" status
• Appears in the Escalated filter
• Triggers notifications (if configured)
• Pauses AI autonomous actions

When Tickets Get Escalated

Automatic Escalation

Keva automatically escalates when:

• Low confidence - AI isn't sure of the right response
• Complex issues - Multiple problems in one ticket
• Sensitive topics - Complaints, legal mentions, threats
• Customer request - Customer asks to speak to a human
• Failed actions - Platform action failed multiple times
• Trust controls - Action requires human approval

Manual Escalation

Team members can escalate manually:

1. Open the ticket
2. Click Escalate or press e
3. Optionally add a reason
4. Ticket is flagged

Handling Escalated Tickets

Review the Ticket

1. Go to Tickets → Escalated filter
2. Open the escalated ticket
3. Review the conversation
4. Check the Why Panel for AI reasoning

Take Action

Options for escalated tickets:

• Reply - Send a human response
• De-escalate - If AI can handle it after all
• Assign - Route to a specialist
• Add Note - Document for team
• Solve/Close - If no response needed

De-escalation

To return a ticket to normal flow:

1. Click De-escalate
2. Select reason:
   • "AI can handle from here"
   • "Issue resolved"
   • "Escalated in error"
3. Ticket returns to Open status

Escalation Rules

Configure automatic escalation in Settings → AI → Escalation:

Keyword Triggers

Escalate when messages contain:

• "speak to manager"
• "cancel my account"
• "lawsuit"
• Custom keywords

Customer Triggers

Escalate based on customer:

• VIP customers
• High lifetime value
• Previous complaints

Ticket Triggers

Escalate based on ticket:

• Over X hours old
• More than X replies
• Specific categories

Notifications

Configure who gets notified on escalation:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications
2. Find Escalation Alerts
3. Enable for desired channels:
   • In-app notifications
   • Email notifications
   • Slack notifications (if connected)

Escalation Queue

The escalated tickets view shows:

• Ticket subject and preview
• Customer name
• Time since escalation
• Escalation reason
• Assigned agent (if any)

Prioritization

Escalated tickets are sorted by:

1. VIP customers first
2. Oldest escalation first
3. Highest priority first

Metrics

Track escalation metrics in Analytics:

• Escalation rate - % of tickets escalated
• Time to handle - Avg time to resolve escalated tickets
• Escalation reasons - Breakdown by cause
• Resolution rate - % resolved after escalation

Best Practices

For Escalated Tickets

1. Review AI's reasoning first
2. Acknowledge the customer's frustration
3. Take ownership of the issue
4. Provide a clear path forward
5. Follow up if needed

Reducing Escalations

• Improve knowledge base content
• Add more canned responses
• Train AI with examples
• Adjust confidence thresholds