What is an escalation process?
The escalation process allows suspended Amazon sellers to have their plan of action reviewed by a higher up in Amazon’s Ecosystem, such as the Executive Seller Relations team. The idea is that these teams may find something that Product Quality or Seller Performance have missed, giving Amazon Seller another try at being reinstated.
Amazon Sellers who have their plan of action rejected need to make a stronger case why their appeal should be reviewed again by a higher up.
An escalation process requires two documents: a strong and comprehensive plan of action and an escalation letter that will draw the attention of each major issue included that the reviewer has missed.
When is the right time to escalate your appeal
Ensure you have made a solid plan of action before you even think about escalating your case to a senior investigator or a manager. If you knock on doors hoping for a fresh review of your last appeal and your plan of action comes up empty, you may never get another chance.
Consider how much time has truly passed before you send another message demanding a response. Understand how Amazon processes contacts in the email queue before you make decisions about pushing escalations along.
If you’re emailing Jeff Bezos, write a real escalation letter and make sure it highlights the keynotes of your plan of action.
Effective escalation process
1) Focus on WHAT you’re sending and not WHERE you’re sending it
Where you are sending your escalation and appeal is the easy part; what it contains is more difficult and more important. You will need a comprehensive plan of action and an escalation letter that points out all the important keys that the investigators have somehow missed.
2) Specifically, ask a Senior Investigator or Seller Performance Manager to review your Plan of Action
Include in your escalated appeal for a senior investigator or Seller Performance Manager to review your revised plan of action fully. Don’t settle on the fact that their teams haven’t replied with anything past generic messages. Remember, you are escalating your appeal, so it gets a fresh deliberation, not simply to complain.
Indicate in your concisely made introduction that you are knowledgeable about the nature and causes of your suspension. Use several lines to point out the strongest parts of the plan of action they’re about to read. In simpler terms, you emphasize that you’ve understood the root causes of the problems that led to your suspension.
3) Confirm the main two or three actions that your Plan of Action is legitimate
If you already give all the information that the Seller Performance Team asked for but weren’t reinstated, it is possible that it wasn’t explicit enough. In your revised plan of action, explain that the Seller Performance Team may have failed to appreciate the value of the measures you’ve brought into being and explain them again, clearly, for the Executive Seller Relations to review.
