FreshStatus

What is freshstatus?                            

Freshstatus is a status page and incident communication software, which helps the users to create a hosted and branded status page in just one click, also it helps in managing incidents and communicating status updates in real-time with the users’ teams and customers. Freshstatus allows the users to set up unlimited services, incidents, and maintenance updates and lets the users have up to 250 subscribers, 5 users, and unlimited team members.

Features of freshstatus

• Authenticate Users with SSO/SAML: Set up SSO ( Single Sign On) for the users’ team so they can access their private status page with their company credentials.
• API for CRUD (Create, Read Update and Delete): It incidents and scheduled maintenance, and Incident updates.
• Quick Service Status Change: The users can change service status without creating an incident or scheduled maintenance. 
• Customize your email alerts: On popular demands, now the users can customize the “from” and “reply to” email addresses and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mails) settings. The users can also change the look and feel of their emails along with their content. 
• Subscribers Alert with RSS/ATOM: Get updates notifications as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and ATOM feed.
• Webhook Integrations: The users or the subscribers can set up their own webhook integrations to connect with any channel they like and receive regular notifications and updates.
• Follow an Incident: Users from our end can have the option to follow a particular incident or scheduled maintenance of the service that affects them the most.
• Dynamic Date and Time: Status Page will now show the date and time based on the user’s browser settings.

With all these the features of the Freshstatus don’t end, some more of the features are:

• Add up to 250 subscribers for free      
• Add unlimited contacts for internal notifications
• Create incidents and schedule maintenance
• Create private incidents and scheduled maintenance
• Create private status pages (IP Whitelisting)
• Incident Templates
• Custom Domain
• Status embed (status badge and alert widgets)
• Open API
• Freshservice integration
• Slack Integration
• Add up to 5 team members for free
• Advanced status page customization
• Unlimited incidents and uptime history
• Communicate within a team with private notes
• Canned Responses
• Email notification/ Reminders,
• Analytics and reports,
• Webhook integration,
• Freshdesk integration,
• Twitter integration,
• MS Teams Integrations ,

What is a Freshstatus or a status Page?

Freshstatus page helps you to communicate service incidents to the company’s end users and stakeholders. The incidents include Partial or major outages, Scheduled maintenance windows, and Degraded Performance. The Freshstatus page allows you to let stakeholders know that the services have been affected and also keep the company and the users updated as you work on getting things back to normal.

Status pages can be public or private. The former is meant for end customers and helps the user to build trust by being transparent about incidents and showcasing your services’ reliability. The latter keeps coordination and communication between teams smooth.

Key benefits of using Freshstatus:

• Public status pages are used to instantly update consumers on system status, issues, and scheduled maintenance.
• Incident management solutions, such as incident templates, are available from Freshstatus.
• Editable updates and private notes allow users to communicate issues internally and externally.
• Customers or users can be sent a real-time notification through email to proactively inform them of any issues and updates can also be pushed to Twitter.
• Customers are reminded about planned maintenance via emails, and statuses are updated automatically to show how long maintenance has been going on and when it’s slated to end.
• Freshstatus tracks all service availability, incident, and maintenance metrics which provides users with insights into incident frequency, mean resolution time, and which services are impacted most often.

Why do you need a status page?

With the rise of organizations dependent on the cloud, uptime accountability has migrated from on-premise server teams to the service providers themselves because there are as many methods to start an incident as there are new pieces of code deployed globally. Some websites which often go downtime have suddenly come to life in the internet age and having a status page is now an industry standard. As reports say the company’s use of status pages is a key part of its incident management process. 

• A status page reduces support costs:

Customers and users reported a 24 percent reduction in support tickets by using the status page. The status page helps the user or the developers to deflect support tickets during incidents by proactively notifying customers about problems via emails, text messages, or an embedded status widget on your web domain and websites, both the users and the customers and also the support team will be informed about the ongoing status via integrations with platforms like Zendesk, pagerduty and more.

• A status page build trust:

A status page allows you to showcase your uptime and customers love knowing the details of the website. Transparency around the user’s incident history and reliability build trust with new and existing customers. Users or developers can demonstrate the reliability of individual aspects of the business such as the API of the user, billing system, or the third party service which depends on something like your DNS provider. During an incident the users want the customers to quickly diagnose the impact your downtime is having on them and communicate to their own customers until it’s resolved. 

• Managing incidents takes more than just engineers:

Incident management involves many tools, people, and practices. It’s this combination that prepares the users or the company for those times when things go wrong. While it’s easy to focus on monitoring and scheduling tools, as well as relying on engineers to solve the incident, users using communication tools during and after the incident is mandatory for a mature incident management process. JAs a developers monitoring tool it helps to create alerts during an incident, a status page proactively alerts customers about issues and shows progress towards a fix. When engineers are working on a fix, it can be hard for them to also think about how to communicate with stakeholders and users who depend on the fix. This is where other teams can help.

• Positive experiences can result from effective event communication:

Website outages are not fun for the developers and ideally, the customers won’t run into problems often, but when the outages happen the developer must be prepared, teams and companies are shipping more quickly and frequently these days as a result of CI/CD and agile methodologies. The frequency of occurrences and conversations with your consumers must increase. Your clients demand and expect a status page; it is no longer just a “good to have”. A dedicated channel for client communication during an outage may help convert a bad customer experience into a good one and solidify your reputation as a reliable business partner.

• Reduces Frustration:

There is no disputing that system outages and downtime annoy customers. sat in front of the system without knowing when it will access again and without being able to use the platform.

Status pages, which inform users of problems upfront, help reduce these irritations. Most users, developers, and businesses also submit information about the problem and an estimated time frame for when the system will resume functioning. This will reduce the frustration and save the developers and the users time. 

Different ways for SaaS (Software as a Service)  companies to use status pages:

Status pages are essential tools for SaaS (Software as a Service) companies to communicate the operational status of their services to customers. They provide transparency, build trust, and help manage customer expectations by offering real-time updates on service availability, performance, and incident management. Here are different ways SaaS companies can effectively use status pages:

1. Real-Time Service Status Updates

Current Status Display

• Service Overview: Show the real-time status of all services, indicating whether they are operational, experiencing issues, or down.
• Color Coding: Use color codes (green for operational, yellow for degraded performance, red for outages) to quickly convey the status.

Component Status

• Detailed Breakdown: Provide status updates for individual components or services (e.g., API, database, user authentication) to give customers a clear view of which parts are affected.
• Performance Metrics: Display key performance indicators (KPIs) such as response time, uptime percentage, and error rates for each component.

2. Incident Management

Incident Reporting

• Incident Log: Maintain a log of all past and ongoing incidents, including details like the date, time, affected services, and the current status of the incident.
• Updates and Timelines: Provide regular updates and timelines for incident resolution, ensuring customers are informed about progress and expected resolution times.

Root Cause Analysis

• Post-Mortem Reports: After resolving an incident, publish a post-mortem report detailing the root cause, steps taken to resolve the issue, and measures to prevent recurrence.
• Lessons Learned: Share insights and lessons learned from the incident to demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement.

3. Scheduled Maintenance Notifications

Maintenance Calendar

• Upcoming Maintenance: Display a calendar of scheduled maintenance activities, including dates, times, and expected impact on services.
• Advance Notice: Provide advance notice of maintenance windows to allow customers to plan accordingly.

Detailed Announcements

• Maintenance Details: Include detailed information about the nature of the maintenance, affected services, and any anticipated disruptions.
• Contact Information: Offer contact details for support in case customers have questions or concerns about the maintenance.

4. Historical Data and Analytics

Uptime History

• Historical Uptime: Provide historical uptime data for each service over different time periods (e.g., last 24 hours, past week, past month).
• Trends and Patterns: Use charts and graphs to highlight trends and patterns in service performance and availability.

Performance Analytics

• Response Times: Display historical response times for services, helping customers understand performance trends.
• Error Rates: Provide data on error rates over time, helping to identify recurring issues and their impact on service reliability.

5. Communication and Customer Support

Contact Information

• Support Channels: Include contact information for customer support, such as email, phone numbers, and links to support portals.
• Social Media Links: Provide links to your company’s social media accounts where additional updates may be posted.

Customizable Notifications

• Email Alerts: Allow customers to sign up for email alerts to receive notifications about incidents, maintenance, and status changes.
• RSS Feeds: Offer RSS feeds for customers to subscribe to and receive updates directly in their RSS readers.

Multilingual Support

• Language Options: Provide status updates in multiple languages to cater to a global customer base.
• Localization: Ensure that all status updates, incident reports, and maintenance notifications are accurately translated and localized.

6. Third-Party Integrations

API Access

• Status API: Provide an API that customers can use to programmatically access status information and integrate it into their own systems.
• Webhook Notifications: Offer webhook notifications that can trigger automated responses or alerts in customer systems when the status changes.

Integration with Monitoring Tools

• Monitoring Integration: Integrate your status page with popular monitoring tools and dashboards to provide a comprehensive view of service health.
• Automated Updates: Set up automated updates to the status page based on monitoring tool alerts and data.

7. Customization and Branding

Customizable Interface

• Branding: Customize the status page with your company’s branding, including logos, colors, and fonts, to ensure a consistent brand experience.
• Custom Domains: Host the status page on a custom domain (e.g., status.yourcompany.com) for easy access and recognition.

User Experience

• Responsive Design: Ensure the status page is mobile-friendly and accessible from any device.
• User-Friendly Interface: Design the interface to be intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly find the information they need.

8. Proactive Communication

Incident Impact Analysis

• Affected Customers: Clearly indicate which customers or regions are affected by incidents or maintenance to minimize confusion.
• Proactive Outage Alerts: Send proactive alerts to customers who may be affected by planned maintenance or known issues.

Educational Content

• FAQs: Include a section with frequently asked questions about service status, incidents, and maintenance.
• Guides and Tutorials: Provide guides and tutorials to help customers understand how to use the status page and interpret the information presented.

• Notify all the service disruptions 

Status pages are primarily used by the firm to communicate service interruptions. It is a good idea to note the moment the issue began while doing this.

• Notify scheduled maintenance/ updates

Status pages are a great way to inform your customers about important updates and impending downtime. The company can inform the customers about possible downtimes due to hardware updates or software updates in advance.

• Give them a root cause analysis

Using a status page can give the customers a retro perspective which is also known as root cause analysis. Provides the customers with a detailed case of what happened, how this issue was fixed, and also the measure being taken to ensure the issues won’t repeat. This is one of the great ways to prove that the company takes issues seriously and that the company can take all possible steps and measures to rectify them.

• Use In-app notifications

Companies having in-app notifications to indicate the incident is very convenient. With this, the customers can know the system’s status beforehand. If the customers want more information they can just find them on the status page. 

• Use emails or SMS to notify customers

Developers and companies might have already created a status page on the customer’s website to communicate incidents. Users can tie it with other systems like SMS, emails, or push notifications to get additional leverage to let them know about them. Adding a link that diverts them onto the status page can be an added advantage. 

Benefits of a status page for companies:

• When you use status pages as a part of your communication plan, you’ll get a number of benefits. The user will be in charge of communications, whether you’re planning downtime for regular maintenance or working to fix problems during unplanned downtime.
• The developers can issue proactive communications instead of reacting to users’ questions or queries. 
• The company can even collaborate with the incident response team directly by adding private notes that include context. 
• Reduced query volume during the downtime incident of a customer’s website not only frees up your team to focus on diagnosing and fixing problems in a faster and more efficient manner, but it also helps in real-time status updates, you can alleviate user frustration and build trust, as well as confidence in your capabilities. After the face, you can use analytics and reporting to see patterns in your system and improve performance over time. 

Benefits of a status page for Customers:

• Customers will have questions and worries when there is downtime, and they may get impatient if there isn’t any information accessible, they have to wait a long time on hold because of high call traffic, or they are overrun with customer support email addresses, for instance. Instead of addressing the issue at hand, you’ll spend more time calming down rolled users.
• Users may access pertinent information quickly and receive real-time status updates on the status of fixes thanks to the complete transparency provided by status pages. 
• This lessens irritation and aids in upholding trust, fostering favorable opinions of your business even during unexpected downtime.

Importance of Freshstatus:

• A status page, also known as an error tracker or outage notifier, is a must-have tool for website owners and developers to communicate with their site’s visitors or any customers. 
• A study found that 62% of online shoppers are less likely to purchase something if they cannot get reliable service. Maintaining visitor awareness of their website’s state is crucial for website owners. To ensure that team members and stakeholders are always aware of the most recent developments, a status page should be updated often. 
• A status page serves as a primary hub that can be accessed at any time and offers a concentrated area for all communications regarding the state of a website.
• A company’s status page should include more details than just “the site is down”. Status pages are meant to let all users and clients know which services are working and which ones aren’t, as well as why. This way, people who rely on the website can decide if they want to wait it out or not.

Contents that are found on a status page:

• Service health
• Service Status
• Known issues
• Planned Maintenance
• Upcoming Incidents
• Past Incidents

Freshstatus has the following price plans which are 

• Price Model-free, Subscription
• Offering a risk-free trial ( no credit card required)

Freshstatus has been used by Freelancers, Large enterprises, mid-size businesses, and small businesses. 

Freshstatus integrates with Freshping, Twitter, status page.

Freshstatus offers Email, Helpdesk, Chat, FAQ forum, and a knowledge base. 

• Granular Notifications
• Audience Specific Status
• Private status page
• Public status page
• Subscriber Notification
• Incident Tracking
• Branded Status Page
• Single Sign-on (SSO)
• Pre-built Templates
• Incident Reporting
• Multi-Channel Messaging