Three things you can learn from NatWest's IT woes

Three things you can learn from NatWest's IT woes

Image: Flickr user StewC

If you were one of the millions of NatWest customers unable to access online banking, use debit cards or even get cash from a hole in the wall last night, the bank's reputation has probably dropped a notch or two in your mind.

It's hardly the kind of publicity a beleagured banking giant needs. However, major IT outages aren't restricted to banks. They can happen to any business. If one hits yours, it can have an immediate impact on your bottom line and longer-lasting consequences for your reputation.

So, as NatWest fights to deal with today's avalanche of negative coverage, what can you learn from its misfortunes?

1. Keep communicating

One of the worst things you can do during an IT problem that affects customers is to go silent.

If you can explain the problem and when it's likely to be fixed, that's great. But even if you're unsure of the cause yourself, just being there to provide some information is better than nothing at all. At least you'll avoid that 'rats deserting a sinking ship' feeling.

Last night, NatWest was quick to apologise via Twitter, although few further updates were posted despite a veritable Twitter storm.

2. Learn from your mistakes

NatWest also suffered a huge outage last summer, which saw some people unable to access their money for days.

Although the bank has said yesterday's disruption wasn't connected to the previous problems, the fact that this is the second major outage in nine months has compounded the reputational damage, with many customers vowing to leave.

If a problem reveals failings in your IT systems, make sure you fix them properly. It may cost you time and it may cost you money, but the cost of inaction could be much larger.

3. Don't be afraid to say sorry

The most insincere apology I can recall in recent years is this classic from Apple. It's a great example of how not to do things.

Look, if your IT systems have failed and your customers were affected, it really is best just to apologise sincerely and explain what you're doing to fix things.

At this stage, being open and honest is the way to reassure customers that the same thing won't happen again.

Then make sure it doesn't happen again, of course. If NatWest suffers another outage any time soon then it'll take more than few words to restore its reputation.

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