Continuity and Communications Planning

Communications planning during disruption answers who hears what, through which channel, in what order, and how often updates follow. Customers, staff, suppliers and other audiences need different information, and they need it at different times, but the messages must remain consistent. A plan that only covers external statements, or only covers internal escalation, leaves a gap that customers experience as silence or contradiction. Under DORA in the EU, which applies from 17 January 2025, and under the separate UK regime in FCA PS21/3 and PRA PS6/21, notification and communication duties should be labelled by regime, and this guide does not invent notification deadlines or thresholds for any regime.

Customer communication should start with what customers need to do, not with an explanation of internal systems. A useful early message states which service is affected, what customers can and cannot do, what alternative route exists if one does, and when the next update will follow. It should avoid speculation about cause or return time where those facts are unknown, because a correction later can damage trust more than an honest statement of uncertainty. Tone matters too: a message that is calm, specific and practical helps customers make decisions, while a message full of reassurance without practical detail leaves them searching for help elsewhere, often through channels that are already under strain.

Internal communication is equally important. Staff who handle customer contacts need a clear briefing before customers contact them, including the affected service, the degraded service on offer, the limits of manual workarounds, and the escalation route for complex cases. Without that briefing, different teams give different answers, and customers who contact the firm more than once receive contradictory guidance. The plan should name who briefs frontline teams, through what channel, and how updates reach staff who are working remotely or from alternative locations. It should also give staff a route to report what customers are actually asking, because that feedback often reveals a communication gap before managers notice it.

Consider an illustrative current account service disrupted during a busy period. Customers may try the app, the website, telephone banking and branches, and each channel should carry a consistent message. If the app says the service is unavailable, while telephone staff say it is working, customers lose confidence in both messages. Communications planning should therefore include a single source of approved wording, a named owner for updates, and a check that each channel has been updated before a new message is issued. That discipline takes time during disruption, but it prevents the confusion that follows when channels diverge. Accessibility also matters: messages should be available through routes that customers who cannot use digital channels can still reach.

Vulnerable customers need particular thought. Some customers rely on a single channel, need additional time or support to understand a change, or face serious harm if they cannot access money or support. Communications planning should identify, in general terms, how those customers will be reached and helped, without requiring frontline staff to improvise a solution for each individual during disruption. That might involve prioritised telephone routes, clear alternative instructions, or proactive contact for customers known to need support, subject to the firm's normal safeguards. A plan that treats all customers as if they have the same alternatives will overlook the customers who are most affected by disruption, even when the technical recovery is proceeding well.

Updates should follow a rhythm that customers and staff can rely on, even when there is little new to report. A short update that confirms the service position, restates what customers can do, and gives the time of the next update is more useful than silence followed by a long explanation. When service returns, communication should cover what has resumed, what remains limited, what happens to work captured during disruption, and what customers should do if their record looks wrong. That closing message, and the follow-up for affected customers, are part of continuity, not an afterthought. A service that returns technically but leaves customers uncertain about their records has not fully recovered in customer terms.