Productivity starts with access. When approvals lag or get delayed, so does the work. When a developer needs access to an internal tool or a new hire can’t log in to their systems on day one, waiting on a busy or unavailable approver can grind productivity to a halt.
That’s exactly why we built SLA escalation policies: a feature in ConductorOne designed to eliminate the friction of unapproved access requests.
This was one of our most-requested features, and it’s driven some serious quality-of-life improvements across our customer base.
What is an SLA escalation policy?
An SLA escalation policy lets you define a time limit, known as a service-level agreement (SLA), on an access request approval. If that SLA isn’t met (i.e. the ticket isn’t approved or denied in time), ConductorOne can automatically escalate the request. That escalation could mean changing who approves the request, switching to a different policy, or even closing it out altogether.
It’s a simple, powerful way to make sure your people get the access they need without having to ping managers on PTO or track down busy app owners in Slack.
How it works
When customers build an access policy in ConductorOne, they define a series of approval steps. For example, a request to access Cloudflare might require manager approval, then app owner approval. With SLA escalation, you can:
- Set an SLA duration (e.g. 24 hours) on any step in the policy.
- Choose an escalation action if the request isn’t approved in time:
- Replace the current approver with someone else.
- Switch to an entirely different policy.
- Cancel the request.
- Add a comment to the ticket noting the SLA was violated, for full audit visibility.
Once the SLA duration is hit, ConductorOne’s ticket processing system automatically takes the configured action without manual intervention.
We’re already working on bringing this capability into Thomas, our AI agent. Instead of static time-based rules, Thomas will be able to evaluate context and dynamically escalate approvals as needed. That means smarter routing and even less manual overhead for your team.
Why it matters
Access approvals exist to protect the business, but they shouldn’t get in the way of it. Before this feature, if someone was out of office or heads-down on another fire, access requests could sit in limbo. That meant developers, IT staff, and others were left waiting to do their jobs.
With SLA escalation in place, access workflows move forward automatically. It’s a better experience for employees and a safer one for your business. By letting ConductorOne handle escalation logic, you reduce human error, eliminate delays, and free your teams to focus on what matters.
Want to see how it looks in action? Request a demo to get started.
