Key points
How to build a communication framework for MSPs that works during outages
- Clear, proactive communication during IT outages helps your MSP maintain client trust, reduce helpdesk pressure, and show reliability when systems fail.
- Defined internal roles keep your team coordinated and ensure consistent messaging from detection to resolution.
- A public-facing status page provides clients with real-time updates and transparency, reducing confusion and repeat inquiries.
- Using multichannel communication (email, SMS, and automated helpdesk alerts) keeps stakeholders informed and expectations clear throughout the outage.
- Automation through RMM and helpdesk integrations speeds up detection, ticket creation, and client notifications, improving response times.
- Post-incident reviews and RCA reports build accountability, highlight areas for improvement, and strengthen long-term customer confidence.
Customer satisfaction is the key to any managed service provider’s success, including during prolonged outages. Outage communication can mean the difference between frustrated customers calling your helpdesk and forcing you to repeatedly answer the same questions instead of being able to concentrate on fixing the issue.
This guide provides a framework for creating an outage communication plan that is scalable, helping you communicate quickly and effectively during the inevitable outages your MSP will need to resolve.
How to communicate during an outage
Managed service providers (MSPs) must have a multichannel communication strategy for planned and unplanned outages that prioritizes the customer by giving them proactive information, and reassurance that measures are in place to protect their data and get them back up and running as quickly as possible. This, in turn, will maintain client confidence during outages and promote your MSP as being transparent, reliable, and timely with fixes.
The core components and methods of an effective IT outage communication plan can be adapted for different incident severities, including degraded performance, partial outages, and full outages. You should create a clearly defined framework for each, to assist with both internal coordination and to ensure that all issues are thoroughly followed up on.
Outage communication workflow template
You should build templates in advance of onboarding that can then be adapted per-client to meet their communication preferences. Placeholders can be left for common variable information, but it may be necessary to make more extensive changes for clients with more demanding requirements. Common elements include expected resolution times and status update schedules, as well as how these updates will be provided.
The key to your templates is making sure there is a meeting of the minds: the client knows exactly what will happen when something goes wrong, eliminating confusion and leaving them reassured that a fix is in progress and that they will not be left uninformed when their business is interrupted by an IT outage.
Your templates should be regularly revised to reflect changes and lessons learned from previous outages. MSP platforms can assist with this by providing an integrated helpdesk for assessing what went wrong, measuring resolution times, and reviewing communications with customers.
When creating these templates, follow the process below to ensure the following best practices are covered:
| Component | Purpose / Value |
| Prewritten outage templates | Speeds up response, ensures consistent tone |
| Designated communication roles | Avoids gaps or redundant outreach |
| Public status page | Central source of truth for client updates |
| Multichannel, empathetic alerts | Matches client preferences, keeps trust intact |
| Automated triggers | Reduces delays and ensures consistent updates |
| Post-incident communication | Reinforces transparency and accountability |
Step #1: Establish internal roles and responsibility tree
Clarity is key when communicating during an outage. You must quickly and clearly identify who is responsible for making sure that your team works in coordination, and who will be keeping the customer informed.
The roles you should define in your incident response communication template include:
- Incident Lead: Coordinates internal triage and makes sure all team members are working in lock-step to resolve the issue
- Communications Liaison: Handles outbound messaging to clients and ensures there are no gaps, and that all client queries are heard and responded to
- Executive Notifier: Prepares internal or VIP notifications that may require additional detail, explanations, or messaging
Outside the documentation you will store and provide to your client, you should also maintain an internal runbook with role descriptions and contact details for fast response.
Step #2: Build and maintain a public-facing status page
To reduce the volume of enquiries and load on your team during an outage, you can provide your customers with a status page where they can receive updates.
If you have customer-specific helpdesk or support portals, these are ideal places to display updates, as your customers should be familiar with that location as their first port of call if there is an issue. You can also update your ticket desk to auto-respond to new tickets with an explanation and a link to your outage page for further updates.
A key component of any status page is a timestamp: your customers must feel looked after, and if the status hasn’t changed in a while, they may think they’ve been forgotten (even if it’s just because the status hasn’t actually changed on the ground).
Step #3: Use multichannel communication and set expectations
Even before the cause of an outage is established, you should have templates in place for notifying customers that an investigation is in progress. Key stakeholders can be kept up-to-date via SMS or direct email so that they can be confident they are being prioritized and that there is ongoing work to resolve the outage. Including canned responses that can be quickly adapted from your templates will reduce the time and effort required to notify your customers of an outage in a timely manner.
Incoming support requests can be handled with auto replies where less detail is required. Helpdesk automation can be leveraged here to reduce the amount of time your technicians spend fielding incoming enquiries, so that they can focus on actually fixing the problem that is causing them.
Step #4: Automate initial response and update triggers
The faster an outage is detected, the faster you can start fixing it and communicate this to the customer. Remote monitoring and management (RMM) can automate this, detecting broad outages and notifying both your tech team to start their investigations, and notifying the client that an issue has been identified and is in triage. Tickets can be automatically created if your RMM and helpdesk platforms support this level of integration.
Within your documentation, you should define what constitutes a degraded, partial, or full outage for your client so that once detected, the impact can also be communicated. This will depend on the nature of their business. And once the initial response has been sent, make sure you keep key stakeholders informed with regular updates according to agreed-upon timeframes.
Step #5: Post-incident review and RCA communication
You should provide updates as service is restored. In some cases, some affected users will be able to get back to work before a full recovery. However, take care not to notify users of a resolution unless it is certain, as it may frustrate them or give the impression of a second outage.
Once the incident is fully restored, a full report should be generated containing the root cause, mitigation steps, and what actions can be taken to prevent it from happening again. This should be a detailed document for internal use, that can then be adapted for the customer based on their technical level. Regularly assess your outage communication strategies and workflows to ensure they leverage your team’s strengths and availability and meet client expectations.
NinjaOne gives MSPs the tools to resolve outages quickly, document everything, and keep everyone informed
NinjaOne unifies documentation, helpdesk and communication, monitoring, remote access, and more, into a single platform.
Your outage communication templates and SLAs can all be centrally stored, alerts and tickets can be automated to respond to incidents immediately (via whichever notification method suits your team and clients best), and dashboards can be created to inform stakeholders of the status of the infrastructure their businesses rely on.
Outages are inevitable, even in the best-designed and implemented IT systems. Once a client understands this, incidents can become a trust-building opportunity where you can show off the preparedness and practicality of your MSP, solidifying your relationship with your customers and enhancing your reputation.
Quick-Start Guide
Communication Framework for MSPs During Outages
Key Components:
1. Proactive Notification
– Establish clear channels for communicating outage status
– Provide timely updates about the issue
– Use multiple communication methods (e.g., email, dashboard notifications)
2. Information Gathering
– Collect critical details quickly:
– Customer/partner name
– Specific impacted organizations
– Device count affected
– Specific symptoms or error messages
3. Escalation Protocols
– Create a clear escalation path for different severity levels
– Define who needs to be notified and when
– Have predefined communication templates for different scenarios
4. Transparency and Frequency
– Commit to regular status updates
– Even if full resolution isn’t immediate, communicate progress
– Set clear expectations about investigation and remediation timelines
5. Post-Incident Communication
– Provide a comprehensive incident report
– Explain root cause (if identified)
– Outline steps taken to prevent similar future incidents
Best Practices Observed in NinjaOne’s Internal Processes:
– Use internal communication channels like Slack for real-time updates
– Maintain detailed ticket notes and tracking
– Involve appropriate technical subject matter experts (SMEs)
– Ensure leadership is aware of high-priority issues
Pro Tip: While building your framework, consider creating decision trees and communication templates that can be quickly deployed during different types of outages.
