Customer Service Strategy for Outages: A Checklist for the Worst

This article outlines a step-by-step process for creating a comprehensive customer service strategy to handle major service disruptions, specifically focusing on how to effectively manage outages.

Defining Service Disruptions

The first step is to define what constitutes a major service disruption for your business. This should include both planned and unplanned outages. The article uses a SaaS company as an example and defines the parameters for each type of outage.

• Planned outages: Scheduled maintenance that takes place on Saturdays during US overnight hours, lasting no longer than 20 minutes.
• Unplanned outages: Any service disruption that falls outside of the planned outage guidelines.

Preparing for Customer Support

Anticipate common questions that customers might have during an outage and prepare responses in advance. This will streamline communication and prevent unnecessary back-and-forth.

• Percentage of customers affected.
• Start and end time of the outage.
• Worst-case scenario duration.
• What customers will see when they log in and if already logged in.

Creating a Communication Plan

Develop a clear and transparent communication plan that outlines how information will be shared both internally and externally during an outage. This ensures consistency and keeps everyone informed.

• Internal communication: Use platforms like Slack to update team members on the status of the outage.
• External communication: Use a combination of channels like status pages, Twitter, and email to keep customers informed.

Checklist for During an Outage

Create a checklist of actions to be taken while the outage is in progress. This checklist should include tasks for different departments, ensuring a coordinated response.

• Engineering team: Provide updates in Slack and on the status page.
• Customer support team: Respond to customer inquiries, update the autoresponder, and prepare canned replies with relevant information.
• Marketing team: Review and approve communications before they are sent out to customers.

Checklist for After an Outage

Once the outage is resolved, implement a post-outage checklist to ensure a smooth transition back to normal operations. This involves updating communication channels and resolving customer issues.

• Engineering team: Update the status page and send out a final message in Slack.
• Customer support team: Remove the autoresponder note, update canned replies, and address any remaining customer inquiries.
• Marketing team: Monitor social media and respond to any relevant customer feedback.

Gaining Team Approval

It's essential to get buy-in from all department heads to ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities during an outage. Require a signature on the checklist to demonstrate their commitment to the customer service strategy.

Benefits of a Customer Service Strategy

A well-defined customer service strategy for outages can significantly improve customer experience and mitigate potential damage to customer loyalty. It also helps to streamline communication and ensure a coordinated response from all departments.

• Improved customer satisfaction: By proactively communicating with customers and addressing their concerns, businesses can maintain a positive customer experience even during disruptions.
• Reduced customer churn: A well-managed outage can actually strengthen customer relationships by demonstrating the business's commitment to their customers.
• Increased employee efficiency: A clear checklist and communication plan can help employees navigate through a crisis more effectively, reducing stress and increasing productivity.

Key Takeaways

This article highlights the importance of a well-structured customer service strategy for handling outages. By defining service disruptions, preparing for customer support, creating a communication plan, and implementing checklists for during and after an outage, businesses can minimize the impact of service disruptions on their customer experience and maintain their brand reputation.