> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.palsplan.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Escalation guide

> Severity levels, response targets, and how to escalate issues

Pals Club uses a severity-based approach to triage and respond to support requests. Assigning the correct severity helps our team prioritize effectively and ensures critical issues receive immediate attention.

## Severity levels

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="S0 — Critical" icon="circle-exclamation">
    **Impact:** Complete service outage, confirmed data breach, or active security incident affecting all or most users.

    | Metric            | Target                                  |
    | ----------------- | --------------------------------------- |
    | First response    | Less than 1 hour                        |
    | Status updates    | Every 30 minutes                        |
    | Resolution target | As soon as possible — all hands on deck |

    **Examples:**

    * The Pals Club app or website is completely unreachable
    * A confirmed unauthorized access or data breach
    * Payment system processing all transactions incorrectly
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="S1 — High" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    **Impact:** A major feature is broken for a large number of users, or payment processing is failing for a subset of transactions.

    | Metric            | Target                |
    | ----------------- | --------------------- |
    | First response    | Less than 4 hours     |
    | Status updates    | Every 2 hours         |
    | Resolution target | Within 1 business day |

    **Examples:**

    * Messaging or notifications are not delivered for many users
    * Payment charges succeed but receipts are not generated
    * Login flow fails on a specific platform
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="S2 — Medium" icon="minus-circle">
    **Impact:** A feature is degraded, a non-blocking bug exists, or users experience intermittent issues that have a workaround.

    | Metric            | Target                   |
    | ----------------- | ------------------------ |
    | First response    | Less than 1 business day |
    | Status updates    | As progress is made      |
    | Resolution target | Within 5 business days   |

    **Examples:**

    * Search results are slow but still return correct data
    * A UI element displays incorrectly on one browser
    * Notifications arrive with a delay
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="S3 — Low" icon="circle-info">
    **Impact:** Cosmetic issues, feature requests, or general questions with no immediate operational impact.

    | Metric            | Target                                |
    | ----------------- | ------------------------------------- |
    | First response    | Less than 3 business days             |
    | Status updates    | Upon resolution                       |
    | Resolution target | Backlog — prioritized during planning |

    **Examples:**

    * A button label has a typo
    * A request for a new integration or feature
    * General "how do I…" questions not covered in docs
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Required information by severity

The higher the severity, the more detail we need up front to begin investigating immediately.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="S0 / S1">
    * **Account email** and organization name (if applicable)
    * **Timestamp** of when the issue started (with timezone)
    * **Scope** — how many users or transactions are affected
    * **Impact description** — what is broken and what the business impact is
    * **Steps to reproduce** (if known)
    * **Screenshots, logs, or a [diagnostics bundle](/troubleshooting/diagnostics)**
    * **Workaround status** — is there a temporary workaround available?
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="S2">
    * **Account email**
    * **Description of issue** with steps to reproduce
    * **Device, OS, and browser info**
    * **Screenshots or screen recordings**
    * **Error messages** (exact text or codes)
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="S3">
    * **Account email**
    * **Description** of the question, request, or cosmetic issue
    * **Screenshots** (if relevant)
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How to escalate

If your issue is not receiving the attention its severity warrants, follow these steps to escalate.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Verify severity">
    Review the severity definitions above and confirm your issue matches the level you selected. Tickets may be re-prioritized if the severity does not match the actual impact.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update your existing ticket">
    Reply to your existing support ticket with any new information — additional logs, a broader impact assessment, or a change in severity. Do not open a duplicate ticket.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Request escalation in the ticket">
    Add the phrase **"Requesting escalation to \[severity level]"** in your reply. Include a brief justification explaining why the severity should be raised.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the urgent escalation channel">
    For **S0 incidents only**, if you have not received a response within 1 hour, email **\[ESCALATION\_EMAIL]** with your ticket number and a summary. This channel is monitored around the clock.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Follow up">
    After escalation, expect an acknowledgment within the target response time for the new severity. If you still do not hear back, contact your account manager or reach out via the [community forum](\[COMMUNITY_FORUM_URL]).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Please use severity levels accurately. Miscategorized tickets may be re-prioritized by the support team, which can delay resolution for genuinely critical issues.
</Warning>

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Contact support" icon="headset" href="/contact-support/contact">
    Support channels and what to include
  </Card>

  <Card title="Support templates" icon="file-lines" href="/contact-support/templates">
    Ready-to-use request templates
  </Card>

  <Card title="Diagnostics" icon="stethoscope" href="/troubleshooting/diagnostics">
    Collect logs and system info
  </Card>

  <Card title="Status & incidents" icon="signal" href="/status-incidents">
    Current platform status
  </Card>
</CardGroup>