Communicating with Customers During an Outage
How you communicate during an outage shapes how customers remember it almost as much as how quickly you fix it. Silence breeds frustration and assumptions of the worst; honest, timely updates build trust even when things are going wrong.
This article covers the communication side of continuity, which is too often forgotten.
Principles of Good Outage Comms
People are far more forgiving when they feel informed and respected.
- Acknowledge the problem quickly, even before you have the full picture.
- Be honest about what is affected and what is not.
- Give a realistic next-update time and keep to it.
- Confirm clearly when service is fully restored.
Plan It in Advance
We prepare a status page and message templates ahead of time, so during a real incident your team can communicate fast rather than drafting from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should we admit when something is our fault?
Honesty generally builds more trust than vague excuses, provided it is paired with a clear plan to put things right.
If you need a hand with any of this, your Progressive Robot delivery team is ready to help. Raise a ticket from the Support area of your client portal or speak to your account manager and we will guide you through the next steps.