Escalation has been a common term within customer service units for many years. It is the process of moving an incoming call or customer complaint from one level of support or discretion to the next.

Usually at Level One, which is where most of us call, unless we’re corporate buyers being sent to a special signal, the CSRs can give us nothing but excuses.

Yesterday I attended a classical music concert at Disney Hall in Los Angeles. The seats I bought online were miserable, set high above the stage and to the right, and she gave me vertigo, looking down. There was no legroom at all, which added to the misery of my 6-2 frame.

About 12 minutes before showtime, I went down to the box office and asked for a seat change. The FIRST LEVEL ticket seller said I would have to stay where I was or pay more for better seats.

I asked for your manager.

Reluctantly, he went to find the person and I explained my nausea. Rejecting his temptation to upgrade seats for a fee, he finally relented and gave me two seats that were far superior, and I enjoyed the show.

Level one couldn’t say yes; she could only say no, and that’s typical, whether you’re on the phone or in her face.

I called AT&T about my faulty DSL modem and found that the Tier I staff is overseas, in India I believe; while Tier II people are in the United States.

If you’re smart, you can cut to the chase with a Level
Me saying, “I’m going to need a new (unit) because
mine has bugs, and i have done all the tests for
determine that it is not a software problem. can you take me to
Tier II so they can handle this for me?

I have found that this works with AT&T. They know you know the drill and help you rather than hinder your progress, but only if you insist.

There has always been downward pressure on customers.
powered climbing. CSRs are discouraged from allowing calls
scale because it gobbles up internal resources,
the time of greater knowledge, supervision or
team leadership talent, if you can call it that.

But don’t let that stop you from getting what you need.

If you seem like the type of client who will climb to the top, you will usually get the grant you need much lower than the organization.

Remember, don’t hesitate; climb!