Streamline your communications when IT incidents occur

High risk of financial loss in the event of an IT incident

There are often many different ways of defining an IT incident. This can include everything from the failure of business-critical systems and servers to impacts on systems that don't interfere with day-to-day business operations. These incidents' potential ramifications and consequences mean that flexible and reliable systems are required to handle multiple scenarios.

In larger companies, there is almost always some form of monitoring system that flags up malfunctions. The matter is then classified according to the system type and the operation's importance. In other words, a system critical to your business's functioning is classified with a higher priority than those systems that may be internal and have no direct impact on your business. Different levels of preparedness apply to different classifications, and the actions taken should be handled according to standard procedures. These actions are intended to ensure the system or service is back up and running within a specific time frame.

It may sound obvious that it is important for the right people to get the right information at the right time. Despite this, many do not realise this until it’s too late and the damage is already done. All companies have systems that can be considered business-critical to a greater or lesser extent. If they do not work, and especially if the problems persist, there is by definition a risk of monetary losses.

Rapid communication is vital

The right resources must be deployed directly to resolve an IT incident quickly and efficiently. This may mean contacting and mobilising a technician with a specific skill set. In addition, in parallel with troubleshooting and actioning, a number of stakeholders must be informed that the problem has arisen and updated on an ongoing basis. These may include system owners or people highly dependent on the system's operation. This type of information dissemination can occur in a variety of ways. It can be published on a website, sent by email or communicated by phone calls or SMS.

Therefore, a well-functioning communication solution that allows technicians to quickly reach out with information is an important prerequisite for solving any problems that arise. It also makes it easier for technicians to focus on actually finding and fixing the problem rather than spending time contacting other resources.

Attempting to contact these people by phone and email can take a lot of time and, therefore, resources. Therefore, it is beneficial to use a communication tool that frees up time and minimises the risk of missing key information.

Communication in the event of critical incidents requires the right tools

SMS communications can often replace regular status updates. In this way, the person leading the work to resolve the problem can focus on identifying the right resources and coordinating their efforts instead of manually working to inform others about what is happening.

Today, SMS messages are often the preferred method of communication, but they sometimes use outdated tools that make them less able to reach the right people. For example, there may not be options to filter recipients in the different distribution groups, or contact records may not be kept up to date. If the wrong people are entered into different groups, this may mean that the right people do not even receive the information or that the wrong people receive classified or confidential information.

Communicating effectively is critical to resolving the issue as quickly as possible and ensuring your customers' continued satisfaction and confidence.