Escalation Manager

Job Description

As an Escalation Manager in Global Customer Service (GCS), you will own high-severity and executive-level escalations end-to-end, serving as the single point of accountability for resolution, communication, and recovery. You will lead cross-functional “situation rooms,” advocate for the customer internally, restore trust externally, and drive systemic improvements to prevent recurrence.

This is a highly visible, high-impact individual contributor role that directly influences customer retention, revenue at risk, executive confidence, and product improvement. Escalations are defining customer moments. How we respond during critical situations directly impacts retention, expansion, revenue protection, and brand trust. This role ensures Freshworks responds with speed, clarity, accountability, and empathy - every time.

Key Responsibilities

• Own & Orchestrate Critical Escalations

• Serve as the primary point of contact for high-severity and executive-level escalations.
• Assess business impact, risk exposure, and stakeholder landscape.
• Triage, prioritize, and align cross-functional teams across Support, Product, Engineering, Success, and Services.
• Establish clear ownership, action plans, timelines, and success criteria.
• Maintain momentum until full customer stabilization.

• Lead Situation Rooms & Executive Engagement

• Facilitate internal and customer-facing escalation calls.
• Drive structured escalation management and cross-functional accountability.
• Deliver concise, executive-ready summaries outlining business impact, technical findings, mitigation strategy, and next steps.
• Communicate confidently with C-level stakeholders during high-pressure scenarios, especially where significant revenue exposure exists.
• Advocate for the Customer
• Demonstrate empathy while setting realistic and transparent expectations.
• Rebuild trust through consistent communication and follow-through.
• Manage conflict and align diverse perspectives toward resolution.
• Measure & Improve Performance
• Track and report on key metrics including escalation volume/trends, revenue protected/at risk, customer satisfaction post-escalation, etc.
• Contribute to dashboards and executive reporting.
• Continuously improve workflows, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• Experience

• 6+ years in enterprise Support, Customer Success, Technical Program Management, or Incident Management within a SaaS environment.
• 3+ years managing high-severity or executive-level escalations.
• Proven experience working with enterprise or high-revenue accounts.
• Experience partnering closely with Product and Engineering teams to resolve complex issues.

• Skills & Competencies

• Clear, concise, and confident communicator - comfortable interacting with senior executives internally and externally.
• Able to translate complex technical concepts into business-impact language.
• Demonstrated ability to influence across Product, Engineering, Support, & Success.
• Data-driven mindset with experience identifying trends and systemic risks.
• Skilled in root cause analysis and post-incident review frameworks.
• Ability to move from reactive firefighting to preventative strategy.
• Comfortable managing multiple high-priority escalations simultaneously.

Additional Information

We're committed to building a workplace that reflects the diverse world we serve. At Freshworks, you'll find inclusive teams, flexible thinking, and opportunities to grow your career - while making work better for millions. If this sounds like a journey you want to be part of, we'd love to meet you. Let's building something refreshing together.

The annual base salary range for this position is $85,000 - $105,000 Base Salary. This role is also eligible for bonus compensation. Compensation is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to location, experience, job-related skills, and level. Bonus/equity may be available.