**To configure conversation escalation between support levels (N1, N2, N3) in Papo (https://papo.global/), create separate teams for each level, use automation rules to route new conversations to the first-level support team (N1), and use manual transfer to escalate unresolved cases to N2 or N3, ensuring each request reaches the right specialist without relying on manual triage upon arrival.**

## Escalation structure summary

| Level | Responsibility | How the conversation arrives | How it escalates |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **N1** | First-level support, frequently asked questions, initial triage | Automation rule assigns new conversations to the N1 team | Agent manually transfers to N2 when necessary |
| **N2** | Technical or specialized support, cases that N1 couldn't resolve | Manual transfer from N1 (or automation rule for specific requests) | Agent manually transfers to N3 in critical situations |
| **N3** | Senior specialists, complex bugs, product analysis | Manual transfer from N2 | — |

## Why structure support levels

Separating support into levels prevents specialists from wasting time on simple questions and prevents customers with complex issues from waiting in the wrong queue. In Papo, this hierarchy is built with the platform's native features:

- **Teams**: each level becomes a team (e.g., “Support N1”, “Support N2”, “Support N3”).
- **Automation rules**: route new conversations to the N1 team, possibly using conditions like source channel or tag.
- **Manual transfer**: agents move an ongoing conversation to another team or agent, escalating the case in the hierarchy.

## Step-by-step to configure escalation

### 1. Create teams for each level
In the account settings area, create the teams that will represent the support levels. Examples:

- **Support N1** – first-level support agents.
- **Support N2** – analysts with technical knowledge.
- **Support N3** – specialists or product leads.

Add the appropriate agents to each team. The same agent can belong to more than one team if needed.

### 2. Configure the automation rule for N1
Go to **Settings → Automation** and create a rule so that every new conversation automatically falls into the N1 queue.

- **Trigger**: new conversation received event.
- **Condition** (optional): filter by source inbox or tag, if you want only certain channels or subjects to go through N1.
- **Action**: select **Assign a Team** and choose “Support N1”.

Save and activate the rule. From that moment on, new conversations that meet the conditions will be directed to the N1 team, without manual intervention.

### 3. Guide the team on manual transfer
When an N1 agent cannot resolve the request, they should use the manual transfer available in the conversation panel to send the case to the N2 team. The same applies to N2 regarding N3.

Manual transfer moves the conversation to the destination team's queue, preserving all history. This way, the specialist receives the full context and doesn't need to restart the support.

### 4. (Optional) Use tags to mark the escalation level
To facilitate tracking, you can create tags like `escalated_n2` or `escalated_n3` and guide agents to apply them at the time of transfer. This helps filter reports and identify the volume of cases that escalate.

## How manual transfer between levels works

Manual transfer is the action that implements escalation. Any agent or supervisor can move an ongoing conversation to another team or agent. This movement does not depend on automation rules — it is done directly on the conversation screen.

**Example flow:**
1. Customer asks about a system error.
2. N1 agent tries to resolve using the knowledge base but cannot.
3. Agent applies the tag `escalated_n2` and transfers the conversation to the “Support N2” team.
4. An N2 analyst takes over the case, checks logs, and resolves or escalates to N3.

## Who this structure is for

- **Support operations with medium or high volume**, where specialization reduces resolution time.
- **Companies that already separate teams by knowledge**, but still perform triage manually or in a disorganized way.
- **Teams that want to measure the efficiency of each level**, using escalation tags to generate reports on how many cases escalate from N1 to N2, for example.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I automate escalation from N1 to N2?
Not directly. Papo's automation rules apply only to **new conversations**. To escalate an ongoing conversation, you must use manual transfer. However, you can create a rule that routes certain conversations directly to N2 upon arrival if they meet specific conditions (such as a tag or channel).

### How to ensure the N2 team receives only escalated cases?
Simply do not include the N2 team in automation rules that assign new conversations. Thus, the only way a conversation reaches N2 is through manual transfer from N1, ensuring the team only handles requests that truly require greater specialization.

### Can I have more than three levels?
Yes. You can create as many teams as needed (N1, N2, N3, N4…) and replicate the manual transfer logic between them. The structure is flexible and adapts to the complexity of your operation.

### Is it possible to combine escalation with skill-based routing?
Yes. You can use automation rules to route new conversations to N1 based on tags or channels (e.g., billing questions go to “Finance N1”, technical questions to “Technical Support N1”). From there, escalation continues with manual transfer to the specialized levels of each area.

### Does manual transfer keep the conversation history?
Yes. All message history, tags, and contact data accompany the conversation when it is transferred. The agent who receives the case sees exactly what has already been handled.

### Do I need to create escalation tags beforehand?
It is not mandatory, but recommended. You can create the tags directly in the apply tag action during transfer or beforehand in the tag settings area.

## Read also

- [How to automatically assign conversations by customer language using Rules and tags](/hc/papo/articles/assign-conversations-by-customer-language-rules-tags)
- [Automations in Papo: Rules, Macros, Flows, and Webhooks – which to use?](/hc/papo/articles/automations-papo-rules-macros-flows-webhooks)

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