How do you escalate issues to the appropriate stakeholders in your NOC?

In our NOC, we employ a practical approach to issue escalation. For instance, if a critical network device like a router goes down, impacting all users, we classify it as P1 urgent. This warrants immediate escalation to key stakeholders, including network engineers and management, to swiftly address the issue and minimize downtime. Conversely, if an access point failure affects only a section of a building, we categorize it as P2 high priority. While still significant, it may not require immediate action but necessitates escalation to on-site technicians and relevant department heads to ensure prompt resolution and minimal disruption to affected users. SLA must be taken into consideration

In our process, severity and impact guide our escalation protocol. For instance, a router failure impacting all users prompts immediate action as a P1 issue, involving network engineers and management. Conversely, a localized access point problem is flagged as P2, requiring escalation to on-site technicians and department heads. We strictly adhere to our established chain of command, ensuring accountability and efficiency in issue resolution without skipping steps or stakeholders.

Clear and concise communication during issue escalation is vital for ensuring stakeholders, including Service Delivery Managers (SDMs) and account managers, understand the severity, impact, and necessary actions. Providing relevant details such as symptoms, severity, and expected recovery time facilitates informed decision-making. Utilizing appropriate communication channels, like phone or email, based on urgency and complexity, expedites resolution. Avoiding unnecessary abbreviations. Don’t create confusion

Establish clear escalation criteria linked to Service Level Agreements (SLAs). This ensures issue escalation based on predefined thresholds, maintaining service quality. In our NOC, we defined SLAs for response times, with critical issues within 15 minutes. By adhering to these SLAs, we ensured that high-priority incidents were promptly addressed, resulting in a 25% reduction in mean time to resolution (MTTR). Set up a virtual or physical command centre during major incidents to coordinate the response and escalation process. In our NOC, we established a virtual command centre using video conferencing tools. This command centre facilitated real-time communication & coordination among engineers, management & external vendors.

For critical issues that impact customers, make sure to keep them informed of status periodically. Sometimes an Account Manager or Customer Relations Manager may need to be involved to liaise with the customer.