# Alert escalation plan template

> A copyable escalation plan for ad alerts: who responds to High, Medium and Low alerts, by when, who covers when they are away, and how to log what was done.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-08
- **Category**: Alerts
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-templates/alert-escalation-plan-template

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An alert escalation plan says who answers each ad alert, how fast, and who takes over if they do not. Copy the template below, fill one per client, and pin it in the client's alerts channel so nobody has to guess.

## The template

```
ALERT ESCALATION PLAN: [Client]
Alerts channel: #[client]-alerts      Last updated: [date]

HIGH (money being wasted now)
  First responder:  [name, role]
  Respond by:       [within X working hours]
  Backup:           [name] if no reply in [X hours]
  Escalate to:      [name] if not fixed by [end of day]
  Tell the client:  [yes / only if spend lost > Rs X]

MEDIUM (problem building)
  First responder:  [name, role]
  Respond by:       [within X working days]
  Backup:           [name]
  Escalate to:      [weekly review]

LOW (worth knowing)
  Owner:            [name]
  Handled in:       [weekly review, day]

OUT OF HOURS
  [Who checks High alerts on weekends and holidays, or "next working morning"]

HOW TO LOG
  Reply in the alert's Slack thread: what you found, what you did,
  when you will check again. Snoozed? Say why.
```

## A filled-in example

Say an agency runs Meta ads for Northwind Escapes. Karan Mehta is the media buyer and Priya Shah is the account manager.

| Severity | First responder | Respond by | Backup | Escalate to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Karan Mehta | 2 working hours | Priya Shah after 3 hours | Head of paid social by 6 pm |
| Medium | Karan Mehta | 2 working days | Priya Shah | Monday review |
| Low | Priya Shah | Monday review | None | None |

Out of hours: Karan checks High alerts at 10 am on Saturday and Sunday during sale weeks only. Otherwise High alerts wait for the next working morning, because the account's daily budget is INR 15,000 and one night costs at most about half of that.

A log reply in the thread looks like this:

```
Checked. Goa retargeting cost per lead 1,420 vs 900.
Paused 2 tired ads, moved Rs 3,000/day to Kerala lookalike.
Snoozed 7 days, rechecking 13 Nov. - Karan
```

## Tips

- **Name people, not roles.** "Media team" means nobody. A name means someone.
- **Set the backup timer.** If the first responder is in a client meeting, the backup knows when to step in.
- **Keep High rare.** If High fires daily, the plan breaks. Fix the alert rules first.
- **Decide what the client hears.** Agree in advance which problems you report the same day and which go in the weekly report.
- **Review after changes.** Update the plan when someone joins, leaves or goes on leave.

Our [agency Slack setup guide](/guides/how-to-set-up-slack-for-an-ad-agency) covers channel structure, and a [naming convention](/templates/slack-channel-naming-conventions-for-agencies) keeps every #client-alerts channel easy to find. We make Marxx, whose alerts show the person who snoozed or turned them off right in the Slack message; see [Meta ads alerts in Slack](/guides/how-to-set-up-meta-ads-alerts-in-slack).

## FAQ

### Does a small team need an escalation plan?

Yes, even with two people. It takes 10 minutes and stops the "I thought you saw it" problem.

### Where should the plan live?

Pin it in the client's alerts channel, and keep a copy in your client onboarding notes.

### What if the first responder is on leave?

Name a stand-in for the dates before they go, and update the pinned plan.

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