What to report in an escalation


In case you need to escalate an issue with a project, please make sure to follow these steps:


  • Check the Helpdesk page of the client. Make sure you know:

    • The points of contact

    • Usual order details 

      • Open/Group, 

      • Proofreading, 

      • Quality level 

    • Usual export detail 

      • Do the clients accept the orders themselves? Do you need to deliver it manually via email? (File type, formatting)

  • Make sure the Client Dashboard is up to date, including:

    • Notes from the latest calls

    • Potential issues

    • Feedback and actions taken



Be ready to report on these info, and additionally:

  • What is the issue?

    • 1 > Low quality

    • 2 > Delays

    • 3 > Export formatting 

    • 4 > New requests from the client

    • 5 > Linguists abandoning the project 

    • 6 > Technical issues 

    • 7 > Overbooking

  • Which steps have been taken? Which results did they bring?

  • Has the client been informed about the issue and the steps taken to solve it?


What is causing the issue?

  • In GC Admin you can find the following information:

    • Details of text ordered:

      • Text Type

      • Text Topic

    • In case of GOs, verify the group details for both authors and PRs 

      • Size per type (author / PR) 

      • Responsiveness (previous communications, latest invoice in the system)

      • Cancellation rate (in the “Profile” tab of the linguist’s page)

    • Verify that the briefing is clear and comprehensive. Make a note of any possible issue with the client’s requests



Quick solutions for the most common issues


Low quality

  • Try to set up a call with the client, so that you can discuss about the specific pain points. Make a note of every issue and, if possible, identify with the client the orders that stood out as the most problematic.

  • Verify that the client’s requests were present in the briefing and exposed clearly. Should they be missing, make sure to create an updated version of the briefing with the newly emerged requests, for future batches. If the briefing was missing this information, make sure to explain to the client the situation.

  • Contact the proofreaders and relate the feedback from the client, asking for their collaboration on this rework. You can also ask them for feedback on the linguists of the group.

  • Identify which linguists are responsible for these orders, and check whether there are systemic issues in every order they wrote. Should that be the case, make sure to remove them from the group (in case of Open Orders, the author can be blacklisted for the specific client).


Delays

  • The first step is always contacting the group (or the authors) via the platform. You can send a general email asking them to prioritize a certain project.

  • Should you have no reply and no results after 48 hours from the previous step, you can try contacting two-three authors directly through your personal email address. Select authors you know and you can trust, and explain the situation clearly and honestly. Ask them to give you a reply, e tell them that if they can’t deliver they can just inform us honestly.

  • In case the direct approach fails too, you can contact Kristine and Mariam C., who can help you identify fresh linguists among the new recruits. You will have to onboard them and train them about the project, but they will provide more enthusiasm and quicker replies to your communications.

  • It is always good to periodically monitor the status of your linguist group:

    • Verify the number of authors in the group and make sure it is sufficient for the volume of texts

    • Make sure that the quality level of the authors is consistent with the requested QL

    • Identify and remove from the group any inactive linguists (no invoices/no orders in the previous 12 months)


Export formatting

  • In case the issue is with an Excel export, make sure to verify that the layout is set up correctly and that there is no misalignment between the Export Structures of the layout and the columns of the export file. If that is the case, please report it to IT.

  • In case the issue is with the HTML tags in the text, verify the formatting of the original text. If that is the case, please report it to IT. Also, try to fix the HTML tags manually and send the orders back to the client.


New request from the client

  • If the client is making new requests (anything not already in the briefing), make sure to explain that these changes will take effect only starting with the next order.

  • Make sure to update the information on the client's Helpdesk page and report it on the Client Dashboard.

  • Communicate the changes to the linguists in a clear and timely manner. It is important that these new requests are also highlighted in the briefing.


Linguists abandoning the project

  • In case a linguist takes on an order and then cancels it without any warning or justification, it is important to implement a "consequence system":

    • Should this be a rare occurrence (limited to one project, or to a few days) send a warning email to the linguist.

    • Should this be a repeated issue, lower the maximum number of texts for the linguist to 2.

    • Should the issue continue, you can lower the quality level of the linguist, or in extreme cases remove the author from the platform.


Technical issues

  • Apologize to the client and let them know that the IT team is working on fixing the issue.

  • Make sure that the technical issue is not causing further disruption to the projects:

    • Extend the deadline on all the orders involved

    • Communicate the issue to the linguists and let them know it's being addressed

  • Make sure that the issue is communicated clearly to the IT team via Helpdesk with an IT Bug report

  • In case it's an urgent issue you can also report it on the "0_tech-support-urgent" channel

  • If the issue caused some orders to be accepted without being checked/accepted by the client, make sure to reassure the client that we will take care of any needed rework


Overbooking

  • For certain languages (German above all), the number of orders might be too high for the number of authors. This can delay smaller projects, and prevent a timely delivery. To fix the issue:

    • Make sure that the group of authors for the project is adequate: check their level, their activity status and their other assignments.

    • Check whether one or two authors have been taking orders for the client in the past or in the current project and contact them asking them to take on the remaining orders.

    • In case you are pressed for time, offer a 25% bonus for every text delivered before a set deadline.

    • Always communicate with your team: it is important to know the priorities and the need for authors of each member.