Escalation paths

Escalation paths allow your team to define a set of levels, so that if a team member is stuck when resolving a thread, they have a predefined path to escalate it to the next relevant person or team.

This ensures standardized handoffs and gives every thread a clear path to resolution.

Configuration

Setting up escalation paths requires two steps:

1. Define the escalation path (name + levels) in Settings

2. Create a workflow in the Workflow Builder to assign threads to that path

Adding an escalation path

1. Go to Settings → Workflow → Escalation Paths

2. Click "New Escalation Path"

3. Set a name and add your defined escalation levels

Setting a thread to use an escalation path

1. Go to Workflows and create a new workflow or edit an existing one

2. Under actions, picks the Set escalation path option

Usage

Escalating a thread

To escalate, just click the More button at the bottom of the Thread page, under the composer, and pick Escalate

Changing or clearing the escalation path

To manually change which escalation path a thread uses, or to remove it entirely:

1. Press CMD + K to open the Command Palette

2. Search for "Update Escalation Path"

Things to know

• When escalating, the currently assigned user is always unassigned

• The currently assigned team label is removed only if it is part of the escalation level being escalated from

• The current escalation level is evaluated at the moment of escalation — manual user/team assignments can affect which level is considered "current"

Example

At Plain, we use the following escalation path for product questions. It's assigned via a workflow that triggers on threads from support@plain.com:

1. Technical Support (team)

2. Engineering (team)

3. Staff Engineer (user)

4. Founders (team)

The workflow that sets this path uses a single condition step — "Support email equals support@plain.com" — followed by a "Set escalation path" action. Simple and reliable.