Escalation rules in Gorgias decide which tickets sit in the general queue and which get pushed to senior agents or managers. Wrong rules mean VIP customers wait 4 hours behind ordinary tickets, or complaints sit in a queue nobody monitors. This SOP defines clean tiers and the routing logic that supports them.
Use this SOP as a template
Copy or download the full procedure as Markdown or a Word file, then adapt it to your Gorgias setup. Free, no signup, paste it straight into Notion, Google Docs, or ReccordSOP.
Escalation is where small support problems become big brand problems. A VIP customer who waits gets vocal on social. A complaint without manager visibility festers. Tight escalation rules catch these before they amplify.
Tier 1: standard agents (questions, status, simple refunds). Tier 2: senior agents (complaints, returns, edge cases). Tier 3: manager only (legal, social escalations, VIP).
Keywords in subject or body: lawsuit, BBB, social media, refund over $200, attorney. Build Gorgias rules to auto-route these to Tier 3.
Customers tagged VIP in Shopify or Klaviyo. Their tickets bypass general queue and go straight to a dedicated agent.
Tier 1: 4 hour response. Tier 2: 2 hour response. Tier 3 (managers): 30 minute response for active escalations.
Each tier sees only their queue. Managers see all tiers. This prevents claim conflicts.
Create 5 test tickets that match different escalation triggers. Verify each lands in the correct queue.
Not all escalations are automatic. Give agents a 1-page guide for judgment calls.
How many tickets escalated? Were they truly tier 2/3? Adjust rules if escalation rate is over 15 percent (too sensitive) or under 5 percent (rules too narrow).
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Record your screen while performing the gorgias escalation rules. ReccordSOP turns the recording into a SOP with timestamped screenshots. When your live setup changes, drift detection flags it.
Generate this SOP free5 to 12 percent of tickets should escalate. Below 5 percent and your rules are too narrow. Above 15 percent and you're escalating too aggressively.
Yes. Public mentions need fast response. Any keyword like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook in a complaint context triggers tier 3.
Configure a Gorgias rule on order value: lifetime spend over $1000 triggers VIP-equivalent routing. Manual VIP tag overrides auto.
I built ReccordSOP after watching too many DTC ops teams lose months to undocumented workflows. These SOPs are battle-tested with Shopify operators running $1M to $50M brands.
Last reviewed June 1, 2026
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