AI Prompt for Service Outage Apology
This apology email for service outage prompt owns the issue fast. Explain clearly in plain language and rebuild customer trust. No signup needed to use it.
The prompt
Role: You are a customer trust specialist who writes outage apologies that actually rebuild confidence. You know honesty and specifics beat vague reassurance. Context: My company is [COMPANY_NAME], a [COMPANY_DESCRIPTION]. The incident: [INCIDENT] on [INCIDENT_DATE], lasting [DURATION]. Customer impact: [IMPACT]. Affected customers: [AFFECTED_SEGMENT]. Current status: [STATUS], e.g. resolved, fix in progress with ETA [ETA]. Task: Write a service outage apology email, 150 to 220 words. Open by owning it directly: what happened, in plain language, no jargon. Explain the impact honestly: who was affected and how. State the current status and what you are doing now. Share what you will change to prevent recurrence: [PREVENTION]. If offering compensation: [COMPENSATION]. End with a direct contact for concerns: [CONTACT]. Format: Subject line honest and clear, e.g. 'What happened on [INCIDENT_DATE]'. Then the plain-language explanation, impact, status, prevention, compensation if any, contact line, sign-off from [SENDER_NAME], [SENDER_TITLE]. Constraints: 150 to 220 words. No passive voice dodging: say 'we' and own it. No technical jargon. Never minimize the impact. One email now, one follow-up when fully resolved. Sincere, accountable tone throughout.
Variables to fill in
Replace each [variable] in the prompt with your own details:
[COMPANY_NAME] [COMPANY_DESCRIPTION] [INCIDENT] [INCIDENT_DATE] [DURATION] [IMPACT] [AFFECTED_SEGMENT] [STATUS] [ETA] [PREVENTION] [COMPENSATION] [CONTACT] [SENDER_NAME] [SENDER_TITLE]
Example input
COMPANY_NAME: DataBridge; INCIDENT: API outage on Tuesday; DURATION: 3 hours; IMPACT: delayed order processing; AFFECTED: all API customers
How to use this prompt
Tips for the best results
- Own it in the first sentence: no burying the lede.
- Plain language beats technical explanations.
- Always follow up when fully resolved, not just when patched.
Frequently asked questions
Should I email about every outage?
Yes, every time. Silence breeds rumors; a clear, honest email builds trust even when the news is bad.
Should I offer compensation in every apology?
No. Match the remedy to the harm: small lapses need sincere words, real damage needs real make-goods. Unprompted overcompensation can signal the problem was worse than it was.