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Write the incident update

Fill in what is affected and get ready-to-copy messages for every stage of an incident or planned maintenance, for your status page, email, X or Slack.

Down for some users or some features.

Channel
Tone

Investigating · Status page

Title Problems with checkout and card payments

We’re investigating a partial outage affecting checkout and card payments. Some customers or features are affected. What you may notice: some card payments fail with an error at checkout. In the meantime: invoice and bank transfer payments still work. We’ll post another update within 30 minutes.

Post within 15 minutes of knowing, even if all you know is that something is wrong. See every stage

//_01 Every stage

The whole timeline, ready to copy

One update per stage, from the first notice to the all-clear, in the channel and tone you picked above. Change a field and every stage follows.

  1. 01

    Investigating

    Post within 15 minutes of knowing, even if all you know is that something is wrong.

    Title Problems with checkout and card payments

    We’re investigating a partial outage affecting checkout and card payments. Some customers or features are affected. What you may notice: some card payments fail with an error at checkout. In the meantime: invoice and bank transfer payments still work. We’ll post another update within 30 minutes.

  2. 02

    Identified

    The cause is known and a fix is underway. Say it plainly, without blame.

    Title Problems with checkout and card payments

    We’ve found the cause of the problems with checkout and card payments and are working on a fix. What you may notice: some card payments fail with an error at checkout. In the meantime: invoice and bank transfer payments still work. We’ll post another update within 30 minutes.

  3. 03

    Monitoring

    A fix is in place. Keep the incident open until you are sure it holds.

    Title Problems with checkout and card payments

    A fix is in place and checkout and card payments are working again. We’re watching closely to make sure everything stays stable. We’ll post another update within 30 minutes, or sooner if anything changes.

  4. 04

    Resolved

    Close every incident, and follow a major one with a short summary.

    Title Problems with checkout and card payments

    The problems with checkout and card payments are resolved, and everything works as normal again. Thank you for your patience, and sorry for the trouble.

//_02 What makes a good update

Five rules for incident updates customers trust

  • 01

    Acknowledge fast

    Post the first update within 15 minutes of knowing about a problem customers notice, even if all you can say is that you are investigating.

  • 02

    Say what is affected

    Use the words customers use, such as checkout, sign-in or the mobile app, not internal service names. Say what they notice and what still works.

  • 03

    Promise the next update

    End every update with when the next one comes, and keep that promise even when there is nothing new. Silence reads as nobody working on it.

  • 04

    No guesses, no blame

    Leave out guesses about the cause and fix times you aren’t sure of. Name the cause plainly once you know it, without blaming a supplier or a colleague.

  • 05

    Plain language, one source

    Short sentences, no jargon. The status page is the source of truth; email, social posts and support replies link to it instead of telling their own version.

  • Read more

Publish updates on a status page

On an Uptimecheck status page you post updates as investigating, identified, monitoring, resolved or notice, with a ready-made first draft for each stage, and mark each affected component as Degraded performance, Partial outage or Major outage. Subscribers get them by email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord or webhook, and only those who follow the affected components are notified. Planned maintenance shows on the page in advance and is emailed to subscribers. Pages come in 9 languages, with times in UTC.

How status pages work
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Questions

What should the first incident update say?

What is affected, in the words customers use, what they notice, what they can do in the meantime, and when the next update comes. Post it within 15 minutes of knowing about the problem, even if all you know is that you are investigating.

What do Investigating, Identified, Monitoring and Resolved mean?

Investigating: you know something is wrong and are looking into it. Identified: you know the cause and are working on a fix. Monitoring: a fix is in place and you are watching that it holds. Resolved: everything works as normal again. Most status pages use these four stages.

How often should we post updates during an outage?

A common rule is every 30 minutes for a major incident and every hour for a minor one. Whatever you choose, say when the next update comes and keep that promise, even if the update is only that there is no change yet.

Should we say what caused the outage?

Not while you are guessing. Once you know, say it in one plain sentence, without blaming a named supplier or colleague. After a major incident, follow up with a short summary of what happened and what you are changing.

Can an Uptimecheck status page send these updates to subscribers?

Yes. Post an update for each stage, starting from a ready-made first draft, and mark each affected component as Degraded performance, Partial outage or Major outage. Subscribers get it by email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord or webhook, and only those who follow the affected components are notified.

Glossary Incident Postmortem Status page Maintenance window

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