Getting the right outage message out when every minute matters.

When Square went down, sellers often found out through failed transactions and assumed the problem was theirs. At the counter, that meant a customer waiting while the seller checked their hardware, internet, or payment setup. Without a fast way to explain what was happening, confusion spread and Square’s phone support was flooded at the moment it had the least to offer.

I designed SEV Comms to connect automated incident detection with a fast, human-controlled communication workflow. It gave DET the context and prebuilt, localized templates they needed to review an incident and reach millions of sellers across public and direct channels within minutes. The system handled the setup and delivery, while people remained responsible for deciding whether and what to communicate.