The Microsoft Outlook outage began on Thursday, 12 November and left millions of people around the world unable to reach their inboxes. Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Copilot were also affected, and the disruption continued into Friday 13th.
In this post, you’ll find four steps to take to minimise disruption to your business now and in the future.
Actions to Take to Minimise Disruptions to Your Business
1. Add a banner to your website
When email goes down, your website is the first place customers will look. Add a simple banner at the top of every page to let visitors know you’re having email problems and that messages sent to your usual address may not reach you. Then point them to other ways to get in touch, such as your phone number, live chat, WhatsApp or social media, so no one is left wondering whether you’ve received their enquiry.
2. Set up a Gmail account
A free Gmail account takes about 10 minutes to set up and gives customers an email address that works straight away. Add it to your website banner so customers know it’s genuinely you and not a scam. Only ever share one temporary address and use it exactly as shown on your website. Scammers often take advantage of outages, so a single address published on your own site is the easiest way for customers to know the email is real.
3. Store form submissions in your website database or CRM, not only in email
Many websites send contact form enquiries straight to an inbox and keep no other record. If that email is delayed or lost, so is the lead. Most form plugins, including Gravity Forms and WPForms, can save every submission in your website’s database, and many connect directly to CRMs such as Solve Connection. That gives you a permanent record you can check at any time, so every enquiry gets followed up, even when email fails.
4. Move to another email provider
If outages keep disrupting your business, you don’t have to stay put. You can point your business email to another provider, such as Google Workspace or Zoho Mail, and keep the same email address your customers already know. It’s done by updating your domain’s email settings (DNS records), and existing emails can usually be moved across too.
Your Questions Answered
What Microsoft products are affected?
The outage started in Exchange Online, the service behind Outlook email and calendars. It affected Outlook on the web, desktop and mobile, then spread to Microsoft Teams (especially calendars and meetings), SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Defender. Azure also reported issues.
Was the outage a cyberattack?
Microsoft has said there is no indication of malicious or cyber activity but that several Exchange Online servers failed automated health checks and went out of service, overloading the servers that remained. However, with the recent rise of cyberattacks, it’s possible, and it’s sensible for businesses to stay alert, keep their security software up to date and treat any unusual login prompts or account messages with caution.
How can I get notified when Outlook services are restored?
Follow the Microsoft 365 Status account (@MSFT365Status) on X or check the public status page at status.cloud.microsoft for the latest updates. If you manage your company’s Microsoft 365 account, you can track incidents EX1550543 and MO1550821 under Service health in the Microsoft 365 admin centre, and turn on email alerts for service health updates.
How long will it be down for?
The outage began at around 16:17 GMT on Thursday 12 November. By late morning on Friday 13 November, Microsoft said services were being gradually restored, although some issues may continue. It has not given a time for full recovery, so check Microsoft’s status updates for the latest position.
How might it affect my business?
Customer emails and website enquiries may have been delayed or not delivered, and your team may have missed meetings in Teams or been unable to open files. Email campaigns sent during the outage may show more bounces and lower open rates. You may also receive scam emails pretending to be Microsoft account or password resets, which often spike during outages.
What are the best alternatives for accessing my Outlook email during an outage?
When Exchange Online is down, Outlook on the web, desktop, and mobile are usually affected because your email is stored on Microsoft’s servers. To stay reachable, set up a temporary Gmail address, share it in a banner on your website, and point customers to your phone number or social media.
Future-Proof Your Emails, Enquiries & Communications Now
The Microsoft Outlook outage won’t be the last. Whether you stay with Microsoft, move to Google Workspace or choose another provider, no email service is immune to downtime. What matters is how readily your business responds when it happens.
A few simple changes make a big difference, and with the above in place, the next outage becomes a minor inconvenience rather than lost leads and frustrated customers.
The best time to set this up is now, while this week’s disruption is still fresh.
If you need help, book a call with the Solve team, and we’ll review your email, hosting, CRM and website forms and help you build a setup that keeps you connected to your customers, whatever happens.
Future-Proof Your Emails, Enquiries & Communications Now
Speak to Perry – Our Deputy Managing Director
