How you communicate during an incident determines whether clients remember it at all.
DURING AN UNPLANNED OUTAGE
Tell clients before they tell you. A short message saying you are aware and investigating is worth a great deal. Say what is affected and what is not. "Websites are down, email is queuing" is more useful than "we have an issue". Update at intervals even when there is nothing new. Silence reads as absence. When it is resolved, say so, and say briefly what happened.
FOR PLANNED MAINTENANCE
Give advance notice with the window and the expected impact. Check Client Area announcements so you can pass ours on.
WHAT NOT TO DO
Do not blame us in a way that suggests you have no control. Clients chose you, and a supplier-blaming message reads as helplessness. Do not promise a resolution time you were not given. Do not go quiet. The most damaging thing during an outage is an unanswered phone.
PREPARE IN ADVANCE
Draft your incident messages now, while nothing is on fire. Have a way to reach clients that does not depend on the hosting being up, which means not only email on the hosted domain.
