Build a Support Case Escalation System

Build a custom Salesforce app with automation and dashboards.

Introduction

30 Second Summary

When a critical support ticket sits unresolved, businesses lose revenue and customers lose patience. Manual escalation processes are too slow to keep up.

In this project, you will build a Support Case Escalation System inside a free Salesforce Developer Edition org. You will create a custom data model, automated escalation logic, and an executive-facing dashboard.

What You'll Build

A custom Support Ticket object with automated escalation via a Record-Triggered Flow and a reporting dashboard, all built declaratively (clicks, not code) inside Salesforce.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A custom Support Ticket object with fields for priority, status, SLA deadline, assigned technician, and a Lookup relationship to the Account object.
A Record-Triggered Flow that automatically escalates Critical-priority tickets that have not been resolved.
A report and dashboard with bar chart and donut chart widgets showing ticket volume and priority breakdown.
Secret Mission: Add a Scheduled Path that auto-escalates any ticket still open after 2 hours.

Are there any prerequisites?

None. This guide includes setup for all required tools. You only need a web browser (Chrome or Edge) to get started. The Salesforce Developer Edition account is free and you will create it in Step 1.

Sign Up for Salesforce Developer Edition

Before you can build anything in Salesforce, you need your own development environment. This is a free, fully-featured org that you own and control.

In this step, you will create a Salesforce Developer Edition account, verify your email, and confirm you are logged into Lightning Experience. This is your workspace for the rest of the project.

In this step, get ready to:

Sign up for a free Salesforce Developer Edition account.
Verify your email and set your password.
Confirm you are logged into Lightning Experience.

Navigate to the signup page and create your account

In your browser, navigate to the Salesforce Developer Edition signup page:
https://developer.salesforce.com/signup
Fill in the First name field with your first name.
Fill in the Last name field with your last name.
Fill in the Job title field (e.g., IT Support).
Fill in the Company field (e.g., NextWork).
Select your Country/region from the dropdown.
Enter your Work email address. Use an email you can access right now.
Check the box to agree to the Main Services Agreement.
Click Sign me up.

What is a Developer Edition org?

A Developer Edition is a free, full-featured Salesforce environment that does not expire as long as you keep using it. It includes Agentforce and Data 360 features.

Unlike a trial, you own this org permanently. Salesforce may deactivate orgs that have been inactive for 45 days, so log in occasionally to keep yours alive.

Verify your email and set your password

Check your email inbox for a message from Salesforce. This may take a few minutes.
Open the email and click Verify Account (or the login link provided).
On the registration page, set a strong password.
Choose and answer your security question.
Click Change Password to complete your registration.

Save your login details

Write down three things now: your username (it looks like an email address), your password, and your login URL. You will need these every time you log in.

Didn't receive the verification email?

Check your spam or junk folder. The email comes from Salesforce and may take up to 5 minutes to arrive.

If you used a work email with strict filters, try signing up again with a personal email address instead.

Help me troubleshoot my Salesforce signup email

Confirm you are in Lightning Experience

After setting your password, Salesforce logs you in automatically. You need to confirm you are using the modern Lightning Experience interface.

Look at the top-left corner of the screen. You should see the App Launcher icon (a grid of nine dots).
Look at the top-right corner. You should see the Setup gear icon.
If you see both icons, you are in Lightning Experience.
If prompted to switch to Lightning Experience, click Switch to Lightning Experience.

What is Lightning Experience?

Lightning Experience is Salesforce's modern user interface. It replaced the older "Classic" interface and is what all current Salesforce features are built on. Every instruction in this project assumes you are using Lightning Experience.

✔️ I see the App Launcher and Setup gear icon

You are in Lightning Experience and ready to go.

ⓧ I see something different

You may be in Salesforce Classic, the older interface. Here is how to switch:

Look for your profile picture or avatar in the top-right corner and click it.
Click Switch to Lightning Experience.
The page reloads. You should now see the App Launcher grid icon (top-left) and Setup gear icon (top-right).

Your Salesforce environment is live and ready. Next up, you will create a custom object and fields to model your support ticket data.

Create the Support Ticket Object and Fields

Your Salesforce org is ready. Now it is time to build the data model that powers your escalation system.

Every Salesforce app starts with a data model. You define Custom Objects (the tables that store your records) and Custom Fields (the columns that capture specific data points). In this step, you will create a Support Ticket object with fields for priority, status, deadlines, and ownership.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a custom Support Ticket object with its own tab.
Add five custom fields for tracking priority, status, deadlines, ownership, and escalation notes.
Create a Lookup Relationship connecting tickets to client companies.

Create the custom Support Ticket object

A Custom Object in Salesforce is like a database table. It stores a specific type of record. Your Support Ticket object will hold every support request that comes in from client companies.

Click the Setup gear icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
Click Setup from the dropdown menu.
Click the Object Manager tab at the top of the Setup page.
Click Create | Custom Object in the top-right corner.

You should see the New Custom Object form.

In the Label field, enter Support Ticket.
In the Plural Label field, enter Support Tickets.
Check the box for Launch New Custom Tab Wizard after saving this custom object.
Leave all other values as default and click Save.

Salesforce opens the New Custom Object Tab wizard automatically.

Click the Tab Style field and select the wrench icon.
Click Next.
Click Next again.
Click Save.

What is a custom tab?

The tab is what makes your object accessible from the navigation bar and App Launcher. Without it, your Support Ticket records would exist in the database but you would have no way to reach them through the interface.

Don't see the Tab Wizard?

If you missed the checkbox before saving, go to Setup, then search for Tabs in the Quick Find box. Click New next to Custom Object Tabs and select Support Ticket from the Object dropdown.

Still stuck? Help me create a custom tab for my Support Ticket object.

Create custom fields on the Support Ticket object

Your object exists, but it only has a Name field right now. You need fields to capture the data that drives your escalation logic: priority level, current status, SLA deadlines, who is working the ticket, and escalation notes.

Navigate to Setup, then click Object Manager.
Select Support Ticket from the list.
Click Fields & Relationships in the left sidebar.
Click New to start creating your first field.

How field creation works

For each field, you will follow the same pattern: click New, select the data type, configure the field details, click Next through the security and layout screens, then click Save. You will repeat this five times.

Create the Priority field first.

Select Picklist as the data type and click Next.
Enter Priority as the Field Label.
Enter each value on its own line: Low, Medium, High, Critical.
Check Use first value as default value.
Click Next through the remaining screens and click Save & New.

What is a Picklist?

A Picklist is a dropdown field with predefined values. It prevents users from entering free text and ensures data consistency. Your Priority picklist restricts entries to exactly four levels, which your automation will reference later.

Now create the Status field.

Select Picklist as the data type and click Next.
Enter Status as the Field Label.
Enter each value on its own line: New, In Progress, Escalated, Resolved, Closed.
Check Use first value as default value.
Click Next through the remaining screens and click Save & New.

Create the SLA Deadline field.

Select Date/Time as the data type and click Next.
Enter SLA Deadline as the Field Label.
In the Help Text field, enter The date and time by which this ticket must be resolved..
Click Next through the remaining screens and click Save & New.

Create the Assigned Technician field.

Select Text as the data type and click Next.
Enter Assigned Technician as the Field Label.
Set the Length to 80.
In the Help Text field, enter Name of the technician handling this ticket..
Click Next through the remaining screens and click Save & New.

Create the final field: Escalation Notes.

Select Text Area (Long) as the data type and click Next.
Enter Escalation Notes as the Field Label.
Set # Visible Lines to 5.
In the Help Text field, enter Notes explaining why this ticket was escalated..
Click Next through the remaining screens and click Save.

You should now see all five custom fields listed on the Fields & Relationships page alongside the default fields Salesforce created automatically.

Missing a field or made a typo?

Click the field name in the Fields & Relationships list to open it. Click Edit to update the label, help text, or picklist values. If you selected the wrong data type, you will need to delete the field and recreate it.

Need help fixing a field? Help me edit or recreate a custom field on my Support Ticket object.

Create a Lookup Relationship to Account

Each support ticket belongs to a client company. In Salesforce, companies are stored in the standard Account object. You need a relationship field that connects your custom Support Ticket to an Account record.

What is a Lookup Relationship?

A Lookup Relationship creates a link between two objects without making one depend on the other. A Support Ticket can exist without an Account (useful for internal tickets), and deleting an Account does not automatically delete its tickets.

This is different from a Master-Detail relationship, which would force every ticket to have a parent Account and cascade-delete tickets if the Account is removed.

In the Support Ticket's Fields & Relationships page, click New.
Select Lookup Relationship and click Next.
In the Related To dropdown, choose Account.
Click Next.
Leave the Field Label as Account.
Click Next through the remaining screens and click Save.

You should now see an Account field in your Fields & Relationships list with a data type of Lookup(Account).

Don't see Account in the Related To dropdown?

Make sure you selected Lookup Relationship as the data type on the first screen. If you accidentally chose a different type, click Previous to go back and correct it.

Still having trouble? Help me create a Lookup Relationship from Support Ticket to Account.

Your data model is complete. You have a Support Ticket object with fields that capture everything your escalation system needs. Next up, you will build the automation that watches these fields and escalates tickets automatically.

Build the Record-Triggered Escalation Flow

Your Support Ticket object is ready with all the fields needed to capture priority, status, deadlines, and client relationships.

Now comes the real power of Salesforce. You are going to build automation that watches every ticket and instantly escalates critical issues without anyone lifting a finger. This is done through Flow Builder, Salesforce's declarative automation tool.

In this step, get ready to:

Open Flow Builder and create a new Record-Triggered Flow.
Configure the trigger to fire when a Support Ticket's Priority is set to Critical.
Add Decision logic and an Update Records action to automatically escalate matching tickets.

Open Flow Builder

A Record-Triggered Flow runs automatically whenever a record is created or updated. You will build one that fires every time a Support Ticket meets your escalation criteria.

Click the App Launcher (the grid icon in the top-left corner).
In the search box, type Flows.
Select Flows (it appears under Setup items).
Click New Flow.
Under Frequently Used, select Record-Triggered Flow.
Click Create.

You should now see the Flow Builder canvas with a Start element ready for configuration.

Why Flow Builder instead of Escalation Rules?

Salesforce has legacy Escalation Rules, but Flow Builder is the current recommended automation tool. Flows run nearly 10 times faster than workflow rules and processes.

Flow Builder is also what the Salesforce Admin certification exams test. Learning it here gives you a transferable skill for any business process automation, not just case escalation.

Don't see Flows in the search results?

Make sure you are typing in the App Launcher search box (the popup that appears after clicking the grid icon), not the global search bar at the top of the page.

If Flows still does not appear, click the Setup gear icon instead, then type Flows in the Quick Find box on the left sidebar.

Help me find Flow Builder in my Salesforce org.

Configure the flow trigger

The trigger defines which object to watch and what conditions must be met before the flow runs. You want this flow to fire only when a Support Ticket's Priority is set to Critical.

For Object, search for and select Support Ticket.
For Trigger the Flow When, select A record is created or updated.
For Condition Requirements, select All Conditions Are Met (AND).
Add the condition: set Field to Priority, Operator to Equals, and Value to Critical.
For When to Run the Flow for Updated Records, select Only when a record is updated to meet the condition requirements.
For Optimize the Flow For, select Actions and Related Records.

What do these trigger settings mean?

The A record is created or updated trigger means the flow evaluates every time someone saves a Support Ticket, whether it is brand new or being edited.

The Only when a record is updated to meet the condition requirements setting prevents the flow from re-firing on records that already met the condition. It only runs when the Priority changes TO Critical, not every time you edit an already-Critical ticket.

Add the Decision element and Update Records action

The trigger catches all Critical tickets, but you do not want to escalate tickets that are already resolved. A Decision element adds branching logic so only unresolved tickets get escalated.

On the canvas, click the + icon after the Start element.
Select Decision from the list of elements.
For Label, enter Needs Escalation?.

Now configure the first outcome of the Decision element.

For the first outcome Label, enter Yes - Escalate.
Set Condition Requirements to All Conditions Are Met.
For Resource, select the triggering Support Ticket record, then select Status.
Set Operator to Does Not Equal.
Set Value to Resolved.
Set the Default Outcome label to No - Already Resolved.
Click Done.

What does this Decision do?

The Decision creates two paths. If the ticket's Status is anything other than Resolved, it takes the Yes - Escalate path. If the ticket is already Resolved, it takes the default path and the flow does nothing further.

This prevents the flow from overwriting a resolved ticket back to Escalated, which would create confusion for technicians.

Now add the action that updates the ticket on the escalation path.

On the Yes - Escalate path, click the + icon.
Select Update Records.
For Label, enter Escalate Ticket.
For How to Find Records, select Use the Support Ticket record that triggered the flow.
Under Set Field Values, set Status to Escalated.
Add another field value: set Escalation Notes to Auto-escalated: Critical priority ticket not yet resolved.
Click Done.

Your flow logic is complete. Now save and activate it.

Click Save.
For Flow Label, enter Auto-Escalate Critical Tickets.
For Description, enter Automatically escalates Critical priority tickets that are not yet resolved.
Click Save.
Click Activate.

You should see a green status indicator showing the flow is now Active. This means it is live and will fire on any new or updated Support Ticket that meets the criteria.

Seeing an error when you try to activate?

Check that your Decision element has at least one outcome condition configured. A Decision with no conditions will throw a validation error on activation.

Also verify that the Update Records element has both field values set (Status and Escalation Notes). Missing field values can cause the save to fail.

Help me fix an error when activating my Record-Triggered Flow.

Your escalation engine is live. Next up, you will create test records to prove the automation works correctly for different scenarios.

Test Your Automation with Sample Data

Your automation is built and activated. Now it is time to prove it actually works by feeding it real data and observing the results.

You will create three Support Ticket records that each test a different branch of your Flow logic. One should escalate, one should not fire at all, and one should be skipped by the Decision element. If all three behave correctly, your automation is production-ready.

In this step, get ready to:

Create Account records to represent client companies.
Create Support Ticket records that trigger (and do not trigger) your Flow.
Verify the automation logic works correctly across all three scenarios.

Create sample Account records

Before you can create Support Tickets, you need Account records to link them to. Accounts represent the client companies submitting support requests.

Click the App Launcher (the grid icon in the top-left corner).
Select Sales from the list of apps.
Click the Accounts tab in the navigation bar.
Click New.
In the Account Name field, type Acme Corp.
Click Save.
Click the Accounts tab again and click New.
In the Account Name field, type GlobalTech Solutions.
Click Save.

You should now see both Acme Corp and GlobalTech Solutions listed under the Accounts tab.

Why create Accounts first?

Your Support Ticket object has a Lookup Relationship to the standard Account object. You need Account records to exist before you can link tickets to them. In a real org, these would be your client companies.

Create Support Ticket records to trigger the flow

This is where you put your Flow to the test. The first ticket should meet all conditions for escalation: Critical priority and a status that is not Resolved.

Click the App Launcher (grid icon, top-left).
In the search box, type Support Tickets and select Support Tickets.
Click New.
In the Support Ticket Name field, type Server Outage - Acme.
Set Priority to Critical.
Leave Status as New (the default).
In the Account field, search for and select Acme Corp.
Click Save.

The Flow fires automatically on save. Re-open the record to verify the results.

Click on the Server Outage - Acme record to open it.
Verify that Status now shows Escalated.
Verify that Escalation Notes shows Auto-escalated: Critical priority ticket not yet resolved.

Why did this ticket get escalated?

Your Flow's entry condition checks if Priority equals Critical. This ticket matched. Then the Decision element checked if Status does not equal Resolved. Since the status was New, the ticket took the "Yes - Escalate" path and the Update Records action set Status to Escalated and filled in the Escalation Notes.

Now create a second ticket that should NOT trigger the Flow.

Navigate back to the Support Tickets tab.
Click New.
In the Support Ticket Name field, type Password Reset - GlobalTech.
Set Priority to Low.
Leave Status as New.
In the Account field, search for and select GlobalTech Solutions.
Click Save.
Open the record and verify that Status remains New. The Flow did not fire because Priority is not Critical.

Create one more test record to verify the Decision element

This final test proves that the Decision element correctly routes tickets away from escalation when they are already Resolved. A Critical ticket that is already Resolved should NOT be escalated.

Navigate back to the Support Tickets tab.
Click New.
In the Support Ticket Name field, type Database Failure - Acme.
Set Priority to Critical.
Set Status to Resolved.
In the Account field, search for and select Acme Corp.
Click Save.
Open the record and verify that Status remains Resolved. The ticket was NOT escalated.

Why was this Critical ticket not escalated?

The Flow's entry condition matched (Priority equals Critical), so the Flow did fire. However, the Decision element checked if Status does not equal Resolved. Since this ticket's Status was already Resolved, it took the default "No - Already Resolved" path and skipped the Update Records action entirely.

This is exactly why the Decision element exists. Without it, every Critical ticket would be escalated regardless of whether it had already been handled.

Ticket was escalated when it should not have been?

If the Database Failure - Acme ticket was escalated even though you set Status to Resolved, go back to your Flow and check the Decision element. The "Yes - Escalate" outcome condition must be set to Status Does Not Equal Resolved. If you accidentally set it to Equals instead of Does Not Equal, the logic will be inverted.

Help me figure out why my Flow escalated a Resolved ticket.

You now have proof that your automation logic works correctly across all three scenarios. Critical tickets that are not resolved get escalated. Low-priority tickets are ignored. Critical tickets that are already resolved are left alone.

Your automation is verified. Next up, you will build a report and dashboard to visualize your support ticket data for stakeholders.

Build a Report and Dashboard

Your automation is proven. Critical tickets get escalated, low-priority tickets stay untouched, and resolved tickets are left alone.

Now you need to make this visible to stakeholders. Executives and team leads do not open individual ticket records. They need a single screen that shows volume, priority breakdown, and escalation rates at a glance. Salesforce Reports and Dashboards give you exactly that.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a grouped report that breaks down tickets by Priority and Status.
Build an executive dashboard with a bar chart and donut chart widget.
Save your dashboard as a portfolio-ready screenshot.

Create a Support Tickets report

Reports pull live data from your objects and let you slice it by any field. You will create a report grouped by Priority and Status so you can see exactly how your tickets are distributed.

Click the Reports tab in the top navigation bar.
Click New Report.
In the Search Report Types field, type Support Tickets and select Support Tickets from the results.
Click Start Report.

Don't see Support Tickets as a report type?

If Support Tickets does not appear in the search results, the report type may not be enabled on your custom object. Go to Setup, click Object Manager, select Support Ticket, click Edit, check Allow Reports under Optional Features, and click Save. Then return to the Reports tab and try again.

If you followed Step 2 exactly, this should already be enabled. Help me find the Allow Reports setting

You should now see the Report Builder with your Support Ticket records listed. Next, you will add groupings to organize the data.

Click Outline in the left panel.
In the Add group search field, type Priority and select it.
Add a second group by searching for Status and selecting it.
Click Filters and set the date range to All Time.
Click Save & Run.
In the Save dialog, enter the report name: Support Ticket Escalation Report.
Click Save.

What do the groupings do?

Grouping by Priority first and Status second creates a nested breakdown. You can see at a glance how many Critical tickets are Escalated versus Resolved, and how many Low tickets are still New.

This grouped structure is what powers the dashboard charts you will build next.

Your report should display your three test records organized under their Priority and Status groups.

Create a dashboard

Dashboards turn reports into visual widgets that stakeholders can read in seconds. You will create a dashboard with a bar chart showing volume and a donut chart showing priority proportions.

Click the Dashboards tab in the top navigation bar.
Click New Dashboard.
Enter the name: Support Operations Dashboard.
Click Create.

You are now in the Dashboard Builder. The canvas is empty and ready for widgets.

Click + Widget.
Select Chart or Table.
Search for and select your Support Ticket Escalation Report, then click Select.
Choose Vertical Bar Chart as the display type.
Click Add.

Your first widget is on the canvas. Now add the donut chart.

Click + Widget again.
Select Chart or Table.
Select the same Support Ticket Escalation Report and click Select.
Choose Donut Chart as the display type.
Change the widget title to Tickets by Priority.
Click Add.
Drag the donut chart to the right of the bar chart on the canvas.

Why two chart types?

The bar chart shows absolute volume. You can see exactly how many tickets exist at each Priority and Status combination.

The donut chart shows proportions. A stakeholder can instantly see whether Critical tickets dominate the queue or represent a small fraction of total volume. Together, both charts tell the full story.

Save and review your dashboard

Click Save in the top-right corner of the Dashboard Builder.
Click Done to exit the editor and view your completed dashboard.

You should see your Support Operations Dashboard with the bar chart on the left and the donut chart on the right. The bar chart shows ticket volume broken down by Priority and Status. The donut chart shows the proportion of Critical versus Low/Medium/High tickets.

This is your portfolio screenshot

This dashboard view is what you would present in an interview or include in a portfolio. It proves you can design a data model, build automation, and visualize business metrics all within a single Salesforce org.

Dashboard showing no data?

Make sure your report's date filter is set to All Time. If it defaults to a recent date range, your three test records may fall outside it.

Also confirm that you selected the correct report (Support Ticket Escalation Report) when adding each widget.

Help me troubleshoot my empty dashboard

Secret mission

Add a Scheduled Path for Time-Based Escalation

Your current flow only escalates tickets based on priority. But what happens when a low-priority ticket sits untouched for hours? Enterprise SLA contracts have strict time limits. In this secret mission, you'll add time-based automation that catches tickets slipping through the cracks.

Clean Up Your Resources

Decide whether to keep your resources running, pause them to come back later, or delete them entirely. This project runs entirely on a free Salesforce Developer Edition org, so there are no ongoing costs.

Resources you used:

Auto-Escalate Critical Tickets flow (Record-Triggered Flow with Scheduled Path).
Support Ticket custom object (includes all custom fields, Lookup relationship, and custom tab).
Sample Support Ticket records (Server Outage - Acme, Password Reset - GlobalTech, Database Failure - Acme, SLA Breach Test Ticket).
Sample Account records (Acme Corp, GlobalTech Solutions).
Support Ticket Escalation Report.
Support Operations Dashboard.

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you're still actively building or want to keep your portfolio piece intact.

Your Salesforce Developer Edition org is completely free. There are no charges for keeping it active.
Log in at least once every 45 days to prevent Salesforce from terminating your org due to inactivity.
Your flow, custom object, report, and dashboard all remain functional and ready for screenshots or demos.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Deactivate your flow so scheduled actions stop running while you are away. Your data and configuration stay intact.

Open the App Launcher, search for Flows, and select Flows under Setup items.
Find Auto-Escalate Critical Tickets in the list and click its name to open it.
Click Deactivate to stop the flow from firing on new or updated records.
Log in at least once every 45 days to keep your org from being terminated for inactivity.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove all project resources from your org. Follow each step in order because some items depend on others.

Deactivate and delete the flow: Open the App Launcher, search for Flows, select Flows under Setup items. Click Auto-Escalate Critical Tickets. Click Deactivate. Then click the dropdown arrow next to the flow version and select Delete.
Delete the dashboard: Click the Dashboards tab. Open Support Operations Dashboard. Click the dropdown arrow (top-right) and select Delete.
Delete the report: Click the Reports tab. Find Support Ticket Escalation Report. Click the dropdown arrow and select Delete.
Delete sample Support Ticket records: Open the App Launcher and search for Support Tickets. Open each ticket record (Server Outage - Acme, Password Reset - GlobalTech, Database Failure - Acme, and the SLA Breach test ticket). On each record, click the dropdown arrow and select Delete.
Delete sample Account records: Click the Accounts tab. Open Acme Corp and click the dropdown arrow, then Delete. Repeat for GlobalTech Solutions.
Delete the custom object: Go to Setup, click the Object Manager tab. Find and click Support Ticket. Click the dropdown arrow in the top-right of the object detail page and select Delete. This removes the object, all its custom fields, the Lookup relationship, and the custom tab.

What about the org itself?

Salesforce Developer Edition orgs do not have a self-service delete button. If you want to fully remove the org, simply stop logging in. Salesforce will terminate any org that has been inactive for 45 days.

Nice Work!

You just built a complete Support Case Escalation System inside your own Salesforce org. This is the exact type of declarative automation that enterprise companies pay consultants to design, build, and maintain.

You learned how to:

Created a custom Support Ticket object with picklist fields, a Date/Time field, and a Lookup relationship connecting tickets to client companies.
Built a Record-Triggered Flow with a Decision element that automatically escalates Critical-priority tickets not yet resolved.
Created a grouped report and executive dashboard with bar chart and donut chart widgets to visualize escalation data.
Secret Mission: Added a Scheduled Path for time-based SLA enforcement that escalates any ticket still open longer than 2 hours.

Ready to quiz yourself?