Escalation Guard Documentation

Overview

Escalations slow down when the receiving team has to ask for missing details. Escalation Guard puts a short form in front of the agent before they escalate, so the handoff arrives with the context another team needs to act.

Each template has its own questions, required fields, and routing tags. When an agent submits the form, Escalation Guard adds a private internal note to the ticket and applies the tags.

Install

1. Install Escalation Guard from the Zendesk Marketplace.
2. Open Escalation Guard from the Zendesk left navigation.
3. You're ready to create your first escalation workflow.

Quick start

Get your first workflow running in a few minutes. Start with Manager Escalation, customize the required context, add a routing tag, then test it on a ticket.

1. Open the Template Builder.
2. Choose the Manager Escalation starter template or create your own.
3. Add or edit the questions agents should answer.
4. Mark context that is always needed as required.
5. Add a routing tag.
6. Save the template and check that "Template enabled" is on.
7. Open a ticket and submit a test escalation.
8. If the ticket should move, notify someone, or appear in a specific view, set up the Zendesk trigger or view that uses the routing tag.

Start with one common escalation path first. Once agents are using it cleanly, add the next template.

Templates

Templates are the escalation types agents choose from. A template should map to a real workflow, not a broad category that means different things to different teams.

Starter templates cover manager escalation, billing or refund exception, product issue or bug review, account access or security review, customer complaint, and executive escalation. Lite includes the Manager Escalation starter. The rest are on Pro.

• Agents see templates in the order you set in the Template Builder.
• Turn off "Template enabled" to hide a template from agents while you draft it.
• Use "Preview note" to see the internal note a template will produce.

Import and export Pro

Open "Advanced" at the bottom of the Template Builder.

• Export template downloads the template you have open as a JSON file.
• Import template lets you paste an exported template, check it, and add it to your list. Save afterwards to make it live.
• Copy JSON copies all of your templates to the clipboard. It is available on Lite too, and is a quick way to keep a backup.

Required context

Required fields are how you make agents include information before a ticket is escalated. The form will not submit until every required field is filled in. Use them for context the receiving team always needs.

Lite templates can have up to 5 fields. Pro has no field limit.

Routing tags

Escalation Guard adds the template's routing tags to the ticket when an agent submits an escalation. It does not assign tickets, choose groups, or route anything. Zendesk does that, using the tag.

Tags are saved in lowercase with underscores. We suggest the escalation_guard_ prefix so they are easy to find later. Lite applies one tag per template. Pro can apply several.

Routing an escalation with a trigger

When an agent submits the Billing / Refund Exception template, Escalation Guard adds escalation_guard_billing_refund_exception. A Zendesk trigger can then assign the ticket to your billing escalations group.

• Condition: Tags contains at least one of escalation_guard_billing_refund_exception.
• Action: set Group to your billing escalations group. Add a notification if the team wants one.

Views and reporting

A view with the same tag condition gives the receiving team a queue of escalated tickets. Reporting can filter on the tag to count escalations by type.

Field mapping Pro

On Pro, admins can map an answer from the escalation form to a Zendesk ticket field. The answer is written to the field as well as the internal note.

Example

The "Order, invoice, or transaction ID" question is mapped to your existing Order ID ticket field. An agent enters INV-10482. Escalation Guard includes it in the internal note and writes it to the Order ID field.

The existing Zendesk field can then be used by views, triggers, automations, or reporting without asking the agent to enter the same information twice.

Setting it up

To set it up, open a field in the Template Builder and pick a ticket field under "Zendesk ticket field". Only active custom ticket fields of a matching type are listed.

• For dropdowns, each option in the template must match the ticket field's option value exactly. In Zendesk that is the option's tag, such as billing, not its display title.
• A blank optional answer is skipped. It does not clear what is already in the ticket field.
• If a ticket field cannot be updated, the internal note and tags are still saved and the agent sees a warning.

Internal note

When an agent submits an escalation, Escalation Guard posts a private internal note on the ticket. The note includes the template name and the agent's answers.

The note is meant to be readable by the receiving team. Blank optional fields are skipped so the note does not get cluttered.

Plans

Pricing is on the Escalation Guard page.

Upgrading to Pro

Plans are managed by Zendesk, not inside Escalation Guard.

1. In Zendesk Admin Center, go to Apps and integrations, then Zendesk Support apps.
2. Open the settings for Escalation Guard.
3. Under "Select your plan", choose Pro.
4. Click Update.

Refresh Zendesk after the plan changes. Your existing templates are kept, and the Pro options appear in the Template Builder.

Moving back to Lite

Nothing is deleted. Agents see the first enabled template, its first 5 fields, and its first routing tag. Field mappings are ignored until you are on Pro again.

Troubleshooting

My template isn't appearing in the ticket sidebar

• Check that the template is saved. An "Unsaved changes" banner shows in the Template Builder until it is.
• Check that "Template enabled" is on.
• On Lite, agents only see the first enabled template in your list.
• Ask the agent to refresh the ticket. The sidebar loads templates when it opens.

The routing tag was added, but the ticket didn't move

If the tag is on the ticket, Escalation Guard has done its part. Moving the ticket is up to your Zendesk trigger, view, or automation.

• Check that the trigger is active and its condition uses the exact tag. The confirmation the agent sees after submitting shows the tag that was applied.
• Check the trigger's actions, such as the group it assigns.
• Look at the ticket's events in Zendesk to see which triggers fired.

A mapped ticket field didn't update

• Field mapping is a Pro feature. Mappings are ignored on Lite.
• Only text, long text, dropdown, and checkbox fields can be mapped. Number and URL fields cannot.
• For dropdowns, the template option must match the ticket field's option value exactly.
• A blank optional answer is skipped on purpose, so the field keeps its current value.
• Check that the ticket field is still active. If an update fails, the agent sees a warning and the note and tags are still saved.

Escalation Guard isn't appearing in the ticket sidebar

• In Admin Center, confirm Escalation Guard is installed and enabled under Zendesk Support apps.
• In the app's settings, check "Enable role restrictions" and "Enable group restrictions". If either is on, make sure the agent's role or group is included.
• Open the Apps panel on the ticket, then refresh the browser tab.

Changes to a template aren't showing for agents

• Changes go live when you click Save template.
• Agents with a ticket already open need to refresh it to pick up the change.

"Please save the ticket first"

A new ticket has no ID until it is submitted. Save the ticket, then submit the escalation.

Still stuck? Contact ASA Labs and include what you expected to happen.

FAQ

Does Escalation Guard use AI?

No. Escalation Guard does not use AI or machine learning.

Does escalation content leave Zendesk?

No. What agents enter into an escalation stays in Zendesk as part of the ticket. Escalation Guard sends ASA Labs basic usage data such as the app version, plan, Zendesk subdomain, random install ID, and counts like the number of templates. It does not send ticket content or what agents type into an escalation. The Privacy Policy has the details.

Does it route tickets automatically?

Not on its own. The app adds the tags and writes the note. Your Zendesk triggers, automations, or views do the routing.

Can agents submit an escalation with missing required fields?

No. Required fields must be completed before the escalation can be submitted.

Can I customize the templates?

Yes. Admins can create and edit templates from the Template Builder.

Can I use Escalation Guard without field mapping?

Yes. Many teams start with templates, required fields, internal notes, and routing tags only.

Will Escalation Guard remove existing ticket tags?

No. It adds configured escalation tags and leaves existing ticket tags in place.

What happens if I uninstall Escalation Guard?

Tickets keep what was already written to them: the internal notes, the tags, and any mapped field values. Your Zendesk triggers and views are yours and are not touched.

Your templates are removed with the app. Copy or export them first if you may want them again.