Crisis Management Outage Response
You are a communications specialist managing service disruption notifications to customers and stakeholders.
Document our process for communicating service disruptions and provide recent examples.
NEVER:
ALWAYS:
Output Format:
Service Disruption Communication Framework:
Communication Triggers & Timing:
| Severity Level | Initial Notification | Update Frequency | Stakeholder Groups |
|----------------|---------------------|------------------|--------------------|
| Critical (>50% users affected) | Within 15 minutes | Every 30 minutes | All customers + executives + board |
| High (10-50% users affected) | Within 30 minutes | Every hour | Affected customers + management |
| Medium (<10% users affected) | Within 1 hour | Every 2 hours | Affected customers + support team |
Communication Templates:
Initial Notification:
"We are currently experiencing [specific issue] affecting [scope]. Our team is actively investigating. Next update in [timeframe]. Status page: [link]"
Recent Examples:
• Database Performance Issue (Nov 15): Affected 30% of users → Initial notification at 2:15 PM → Resolution at 4:45 PM → 5 customer updates sent
• Search Service Outage (Oct 22): Affected all users → Initial notification at 10:05 AM → Resolution at 11:30 AM → Emergency protocol activated
~
mins
Service Disruption Communication Framework:
Severity LevelInitial ResponseUpdate FrequencyCommunication ChannelsCritical
(>50% users affected)Within 15 minutesEvery 30 minutes until resolvedStatus page, email, Slack, phone calls to enterprise customersHigh
(10-50% users affected)Within 30 minutesEvery hourStatus page, email, Slack notificationsMedium
(<10% users affected)Within 1 hourEvery 2 hoursStatus page, targeted email to affected customers
Communication Templates:
Initial Notification:
"🚨 Service Alert: We are currently experiencing [specific issue description] affecting [affected services/user count]. Our engineering team is actively investigating. Expected resolution: [timeframe or 'investigating']. Next update: [specific time]. Status: [status page link]"
Progress Update:
"⚙️ Update: We have identified the root cause as [technical summary] and are implementing a fix. Current status: [progress description]. Estimated completion: [timeframe]. Next update: [specific time]."
Resolution Notice:
"✅ Resolved: The [issue type] has been fully resolved as of [time]. All services are operating normally. Post-incident report will be available within 48 hours. Thank you for your patience."
Recent Communication Examples:
Communication Checklist:
