Staying in the loop: Why incident communication matters

When technology hiccups, whether it's a small glitch or a full system meltdown, how you communicate it is almost as important as fixing it. That's where incident communication, the process of delivering timely, clear, and consistent updates to everyone involved, from users and technicians to leadership, comes in. Every stage of an incident, from logging the initial ticket to sharing progress updates, confirming resolution, and reviewing the root cause, requires thoughtful communication. And this's exactly where ITSM solutions step in.

Designed to orchestrate the incident communication process, ITSM platforms reduce ambiguity and manual effort by automating alerts and notifications at key stages based on predefined rules and incident life cycle stages. With AI in the mix, these systems can even generate conversation summaries and post-incident reports, making communication more efficient and actionable. In this article, let's look at how structured, strategic communication can reduce chaos, build trust, and streamline response during IT incidents.

Why is incident communication more than just an FYI?

• It calms the chaos. Quick and clear communication can stop people from panicking or spinning their wheels trying to troubleshoot the issue themselves.
• It builds trust. Even if you don't have all the answers yet, letting people know you're aware of the issue shows accountability and helps keep people in the loop.
• It reduces the IT service desk load. When users are updated proactively, they're less likely to raise tickets or call support to ask what's going on. That frees up the IT service desk team to focus on fixing the issue instead of repeating the same message a hundred times.
• It helps the response team stay aligned. Communication keeps the internal teams aligned, especially when multiple departments are working together to resolve an incident.

How to have an effective incident communication process

Ensuring that the right information reaches the right people without delay or misinterpretation is key. The way we communicate needs to adapt to the situation, whether it's a minor incident impacting a few users or a major outage affecting the entire organization. Adjusting our approach accordingly ensures stakeholders receive clear and meaningful updates.

For example, say Sarah creates an incident ticket via the self-service portal to report that her email client is crashing repeatedly. This initial contact sets in motion a structured communication framework embedded within the ITSM solution:

• Upon submission, the ITSM solution can promptly send an automated initial notification that serves to confirm receipt of her ticket and includes the incident number (for example, #INC35791). It also provides a direct link to a relevant knowledge base article on troubleshooting email client issues, if any, enabling Sarah to explore potential self-help solutions while awaiting further action.
• Subsequently, when a technician is assigned or reassigned to the incident ticket, they automatically receive an update about it along with other information like the incident number, or a direct link to the ticket.
• As the assigned technician undertakes diagnostic and resolution efforts, the incident's status within the ITSM system undergoes corresponding updates. Each significant change in status (for example, In Progress, Awaiting Approval, Resolved), or any escalation of the incident to a specialized team, such as the Exchange team for more intricate email-related issues, automatically triggers a notification to Sarah. This keeps her informed of the incident's trajectory and the actions being taken.
• In scenarios where an incident approaches an SLA breach, the system can automatically send out escalation notifications to relevant support teams and the manager. This proactive escalation prompts timely intervention.
• If the resolution requires any approval, automated approval notification including the link to approval is sent to the relevant approval manager. This ensures a streamlined approval process, mitigating potential bottlenecks, and facilitating the timely implementation of the required actions.
• Upon successful resolution of the email client issue, the technician records the resolution details within the incident ticket. This action automatically triggers a formal resolution confirmation email to Sarah. This communication includes a concise summary of the implemented corrective measures and a hyperlink to a satisfaction survey for Sarah to provide feedback on her support experience.
• If the issue reoccurs after the incident has been resolved and Sarah reopens the incident, the technician will be notified and will follow the resolution process again until the incident is closed.

While that works well for low-severity incidents, broader disruptions require a different level of communication. Let's say the digital landscape starts to crumble. The alert from the monitoring tool raises an incident ticket. It's not just Sarah's email acting up, but a widespread outage affecting multiple users or critical services; the communication game changes significantly. It's no longer about individual ticket updates; it's about orchestrated, multi-channel communication that keeps a larger audience informed and manages expectations effectively. In such scenarios, the incident communication unfolds in four parts: first contact, regular updates during the incident, resolution, and post-incident review.

1. First contact: Getting the word out quickly and clearly

When a major incident strikes, the initial communication is critical. It's vital to acknowledge the issue swiftly and provide enough information to give stakeholders a heads-up. Leveraging the broadcast notification feature in your ITSM tool for an initial email is a standard best practice for reaching a wide audience quickly. Expanding on that, using a telephony application to distribute an SMS to relevant groups adds another layer of urgency and ensures visibility for those who need immediate awareness, even if they aren't constantly monitoring their email. You can display an announcement banner in the self-service portal to avoid users reporting multiple incident tickets. This initial contact should aim to answer:

• What happened? A concise summary of the situation.
• Who is affected? Be specific about the services, systems, or user groups impacted.
• What are the next steps? Let people know that the incident response team is engaged and working on it. Inform them when they can expect the next update.
• Where can they get more information? Direct them to a designated channel (status page, incident ticket, announcement banners, etc.).

Example: MAJOR INCIDENT: Core services (for example, Apps, Website) are currently down, impacting all users. Our team is working to restore. Expect the next update in 30 minutes.

2. Regular updates during the incident: Keeping everyone in the loop

Provide updates on progress, changes, and timelines.

• Set a cadence for updates based on the severity and pace of the incident. Even if there's no significant change, a "still investigating" update is better than nothing. Include workarounds if available.
• If changes to an IT system or application are required to resolve the issue, the ITSM tool should notify stakeholders with the change ticket details and clearly communicate the potential impact once the ticket is created.
• Stick to the communication channels established in the first contact to avoid confusion.

3. Resolution: Announcing the all-clear

The resolution announcement is the moment everyone has been waiting for. This communication should include:

• Clearly state that the issue is resolved and the impacted services are back to normal. Indicate when the services were restored.
• Briefly explain what actions were taken to resolve the incident.
• If there are any temporary limitations that the users should be aware of post-resolution, mention them.

4. Post-incident review: Learning and improving for the future

The post-incident review is a key moment to learn, reflect, and improve. The communication around this phase involves:

• Informing stakeholders that a post-incident review is being done.
• Once the post-incident review is complete, sharing a high-level summary of the root cause, learnings, and preventive measures to prevent such issues in the future.

If the issue is recurring and a problem ticket has been created to address it, the ITSM tool should notify the relevant stakeholders with the problem ticket details.

Tips to make incident communication smoother

• Use predefined templates for different incident types and severities. This ensures consistent, clear, and timely information for all stakeholders.
• Segment audiences (end users, IT, leadership) and tailor messages to their specific informational needs.

This table segments the key audiences and outlines how communication can be tailored to meet their specific informational needs:

Why use ServiceDesk Plus for incident communication

ServiceDesk Plus empowers IT teams to deliver effective incident communication through a suite of built-in features. Automated notification rules ensure that both users and technicians receive timely updates based on changes in ticket status throughout the incident life cycle. Customizable email templates promote consistency across all communication streams.

In the event of major incidents, ServiceDesk Plus ensures effective communication through multiple channels, including email, SMS, push message, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. This enables IT teams to deliver timely updates to users through their preferred communication mode. The portal announcement feature keeps users informed about ongoing disruptions and helps reduce duplicate tickets. The incident workflow capabilities enable notifications to be sent based on specific conditions. Custom functions, on the other hand, automate actions such as creating incident response teams in collaboration tools, sending targeted updates, and initiating bridge calls when multiple teams need to work together. ServiceDesk Plus provides both proactive and reactive notifications for SLA breaches to ensure timely attention and resolution.

The AI assistant, Zia, which is powered by ChatGPT, analyzes incident data to generate concise summaries for stakeholders, post-incident reviews with insights, and proactive alerts based on recurring patterns. It performs root cause analysis to prevent future issues. Following incident resolution, post-incident surveys facilitate the collection of user feedback, enabling continuous service improvement. By using this mix of automation, AI, and communication channels, IT service desk teams can focus on fixing issues while users stay informed.

Want to take control of your incident narrative? ServiceDesk Plus automates proactive updates, real-time connections, and insightful reviews. Experience the ease— request your free personalized demo today!