# Update a key account during an outage or major incident

Clear, honest updates for an important customer during and after an incident, from first notice to the follow-up review.

- Topic: Customer Support
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Customer Support, Write, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/update-a-key-account-during-an-outage-or-major-incident

## Prompt

```text
Help me communicate with a key customer account during an incident.

**What's happening:** [ISSUE, START TIME, WHAT'S AFFECTED]
**Impact on this customer specifically:** [e.g. "their checkout is down", "reports delayed", "data sync paused"]
**What we know and don't know yet:** [CONFIRMED FACTS vs. UNKNOWNS]
**Official status page or company statement, if any:** [PASTE OR LINK]
**Next update time:** [TIME]
**Customer's sensitivity:** [e.g. "peak sales season", "exec already emailed", "regulated industry"]

Write:
1. A first notice (under 100 words): what's affected, that we're on it, what they can do now (workaround if any), and when they'll hear from me next.
2. A template for ongoing updates: what changed, current status, next update time.
3. A resolution message: what happened in plain language, when it was fixed, anything they need to do, and that a fuller explanation will follow.
4. Talking points for a call with their exec sponsor after the incident: acknowledge impact, explain cause and prevention at a high level, and describe any remedy we're offering.
5. A checklist of what I should gather internally before the follow-up (root cause summary, timeline, credits policy).

Rules: never speculate about cause or give a fix time engineering hasn't confirmed. Stay consistent with the official status page. Check with legal or leadership before mentioning credits, liability, or data exposure.
```

## What to fill in

- ISSUE, START TIME, WHAT'S AFFECTED
- CONFIRMED FACTS vs. UNKNOWNS
- PASTE OR LINK
- TIME

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.