Service Recovery Playbook: A Simple Standard for Handling Issues
A lightweight template for resolving problems consistently, including examples of what “good” looks like.
What service recovery is
Service recovery is what happens after something goes wrong. The goal is not only to fix the immediate issue, but to restore trust and prevent the same failure from repeating. A simple standard makes this consistent across teams.
Three principles
- Own the outcome: one person is accountable until the customer is whole again
- Close the loop: the customer knows what will happen next and when
- Fix the system: every repeat issue should create a root cause action
A simple standard your team can follow
Use this as a checklist. It works for low volume and scales as you grow. The key is to keep the steps clear and the language simple.
Acknowledge
Confirm you understand the problem. Say what you will do next, and when the customer will hear from you again.
Stabilize
Stop the damage. Provide a workaround, pause an order, or protect the customer from further impact.
Resolve
Fix the issue and confirm the customer is back to a usable state. Do not close the case until this is true.
Recover
Restore trust. Apologize clearly, explain what happened in plain language, and offer a fair remedy if needed.
Prevent
Log the root cause and the fix owner. If the issue repeats, it must trigger a system change.
What “good” looks like
Good recovery is concrete. It sets expectations, gives a clear owner, and avoids vague statements like “we will look into it”. Below are examples your team can reuse.
Acknowledgement
“Thanks for reporting this. I can see the charge is duplicated. I will confirm the cause and update you by 3pm today. If we need more time, I will tell you before 3pm.”
Stabilization
“To prevent further charges, I have paused automatic billing on your account while we fix this. You will not be charged again until we confirm it is resolved.”
Closure
“We reversed the duplicate charge and you will see it reflected in 2 to 3 business days. I will check again tomorrow and confirm once it appears.”
Roles and ownership
Service recovery should not be a relay race. Define a case owner who stays accountable even if work is delegated. This prevents customers from repeating themselves and stops cases from getting stuck.
Minimum ownership rules
- Every case has one named owner
- Every case has a promised follow up time
- If ownership changes, the customer is told
- No case is closed without a confirmation step
- Repeat issues must be tagged and reviewed
Two simple measures to keep it honest
You do not need a complex dashboard. Track the basics and review them on a regular cadence.
Promise kept rate
Percent of cases where the customer received an update by the promised time. This is a strong proxy for reliability.
Repeat issue rate
Percent of cases that return for the same issue within 7 days. This is a practical proxy for fix quality.
Root cause coverage
For recurring issues, track whether a root cause and owner exist. If you cannot name the owner, the fix is not real.
A simple next step
Pick one common issue type and pilot this playbook for two weeks. Save the best responses as examples. Then turn the checklist into a standard your team can follow without asking for approval.
