Incident Message Templates
Communicate effectively during an outage.
During an incident, every minute counts. You don't want to waste time drafting messages from scratch when your service is down.
These templates allow you to communicate quickly and professionally with your users. Adapt them to your context and keep them handy.
Clear and regular communication during an incident reassures your users and builds trust, even when things go wrong.
Initial Incident Message
Send as soon as the problem is confirmed (within 15 minutes):
[Service/Product] - Ongoing Incident
We are currently experiencing issues with [brief problem description].
Impact: [description of impact for users]
Our technical team is actively working on resolution.
Next update: in [timeframe, e.g., 30 minutes]
We appreciate your patience.Update Message
Send regularly during the incident (every 30-60 minutes):
[Service/Product] - Incident Update
Status: Under investigation / Cause identified / Fix deploying
Details: [what you discovered/did since last update]
Estimated resolution time: [if possible, otherwise "being evaluated"]
Next update: in [timeframe]
Thank you for your understanding.Resolution Message
Send as soon as service is restored:
[Service/Product] - Incident Resolved
Service was restored at [time].
Incident duration: [total duration]
Cause: [simple explanation of what happened]
Actions: [what you did to resolve]
Prevention: [what you're implementing to prevent recurrence]
We apologize for the inconvenience and remain available for any questions.Best Practices
Tips for effective incident communication:
- Communicate early: A "we're aware" message is better than silence. Users already know there's a problem.
- Be honest: Don't try to minimize. Users prefer transparency to unfounded optimism.
- Update regularly: Even to say "still ongoing." Prolonged silence creates anxiety.
- Take responsibility: Avoid blaming third parties (unless truly out of your control and relevant).
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I communicate for every small incident?
Depends on impact. A problem affecting all users for more than 5 minutes deserves communication.
What channel to use for communication?
Status page, email for major incidents, Twitter/X for visibility. Adapt to your audience.
Should I give technical details?
Keep it simple. Users want to know if it works, not implementation details.
How to handle questions during the incident?
Redirect to your official communication. Don't waste time on individual responses.
Should I apologize?
Yes, but without excess. A sincere apology at resolution is enough. Too many apologies seems unprofessional.
When to publish the postmortem?
Within 24-48h for major incidents. Users appreciate transparency about what happened.
Ready to Communicate
These templates save precious time during an incident. Customize them for your brand and keep them accessible.
MoniTao alerts you at the start of an incident. With these templates, you can immediately communicate professionally with your users.
Useful Links
Ready to Sleep Soundly?
Start free, no credit card required.