Case assignment rules versus escalation or Flow
Key Takeaway
Case assignment rules route new cases to the right owner or queue, escalation rules act on cases still open after a set number of hours, and flows handle other needs.
Case assignment rules decide who owns a case by routing it to a user or queue based on the case's details. Escalation rules act later: they reassign a case or send emails when it stays open too long. Flow is the general-purpose automation tool for anything these case rules don't cover.
Choose the tool by the need
There are three rule types for automating cases.
| Rule type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Case assignment rules | Assign new cases to the right users or queues |
| Escalation rules | Take action when cases aren't resolved within a certain amount of time |
| Auto-response rules | Choose which email templates to use in emails to case contacts and owners |
If you need to route a new case to the right owner or queue based on its fields...
Use a case assignment rule.
If you need to act on cases still open after a set number of hours...
Use an escalation rule.
If you have another need, such as reassigning a case to a higher-level tech when a support tech clicks an Escalate button...
Use a flow.
Consider declarative tools such as rules and flows before custom code, because declarative automation is usually easier to create and support.