What are the different levels of escalation?

At Hula Global, we focus on fast decision-making, clear accountability, and direct communication with our internal teams and that translates to a flat hierarchy when it comes to the team structure.

Most apparel sourcing companies have a long, drawn-out process that makes communication a challenge. We take a friendly, efficient, and simple approach to escalation.

In fact, we have 3 levels of escalation:

SPOC / Account Manager (AM) → Team Leader → Director

This structure allows us to respond to and address all issues and special requests in a fast and efficient manner.

The first point of contact in our structure is the Account Manager (AM). This Account Manager is the primary relationship owner for a brand at Hula Global and is in charge of daily communication and coordination with the internal teams and factories. In fact, for this very reason, we term this role as SPOC: Single Point Of Contact.

This Account Manager makes sure that the brand’s needs are understood and keeps the brand apprised on product development timelines, sampling, and production.

If there are any questions or concerns from a brand, the Account Manager is the first contact.

Typically, an Account Manager can solve problems on their own by communicating with other internal teams such as production planning, quality assurance, logistics, and vendor management. They serve as the link between the brand and Hula Global’s manufacturing ecosystem.

They fulfill both administrative and consultative roles by assisting brands in understanding the intricacies of timelines and costs. and production constraints. Therefore, the majority of questions and issues are addressed and resolved without the need for further escalation.

If a problem requires more support, approval, or intervention from the Account Manager’s point of view, the next escalation contact is the Team Leader (TL). The Team Leader manages a set of Account Managers and has more operational insight across several client accounts. He/she/they partake in more intricate decision-making, such as resolving production bottlenecks or negotiating with factories, addressing quality issues, or managing timelines.

The Team Leader is pivotal in maintaining uniformity in service delivery across various brands. When a brand thinks that their concern is not sufficiently dealt with by their Account Manager, or when the concern is more broadly based, operational/strategic, the concern can be escalated to the Team Leader.

The TL can be more effective in the redistribution of workloads, reallocation of those needs to be prioritized, and even make changes at a higher level within the operational networks, factories, and internal teams at Hula Global.

The highest level of escalation is the Director. This role is the highest within the Hula Global organizational chart. The Director gets involved in highly strategic issues, big commercial deals, critical operational problems, and any issues that need an executive-level decision.

Such issues include a series of large production runs, enduring relationships, contracts, and deviation from timelines or any quality targets that were previously agreed upon.

When a brand needs to be in contact with the leadership teams, this signals that the brand is at the executive level of the chain. The Hula Global processes and the internal systems of communication make sure that this level is only reached when it is necessary. Most of the problems get solved at the lower levels of the chain.

As pointed out earlier, one clear major benefit of Hula Global’s escalation process is the flat structure, which reduces delays and streamlines processes by avoiding bureaucracy that is found in everyday sourcing companies.

Brands get a direct channel for escalation that affords prompt resolutions instead of dealing with layers of middle management like in other companies.

Moreover, steps for escalation align with specific engagement stages the brand is in, whether prospecting, product development, or production.

For instance, when prospecting, escalation might encompass feasibility and program selection. In the product development stage, it could relate to sampling, adjustments to technical specs, and timelines. Then, during production, escalations could cover quality, shipment, and other logistical delays.

Also, Hula Global employs structured communication frameworks to facilitate escalations. Things like dashboards, milestone documentation, and regular reports help brands to monitor the projects and reduce the likelihood of miscommunication. In the event of a problem, both Hula Global and the brand have a reference to the project status. This makes it easier to determine the escalations and streamlines the processes.

Additionally, the level of escalation is dependent in part on payment and engagement status. Hula Global functions in such a way that timelines and service commitments kick in only after payment is received. This permits escalation requests to be managed within a defined contractual and operational scope.

To conclude, the three-tier escalation system Hula Global employs, involving the Account Manager, Team Leader, and Director, demonstrates the company’s focus on streamlining processes, taking ownership, and fulfilling client needs.

The company has created a truly effective system to provide brands with a direct line to problem resolution while also offering them Hula Global’s clear, scalable, and operational structure.

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