Customers trust a status page when it's accurate and kept up to date. These are the habits that make that happen, with how each one works in Sentivel.
Show only what is true
A green page during an outage does more damage than no page. Attach a monitor to every component so the status comes from real checks. Sentivel does this by default. A single failed check doesn't open an incident, and a new component shows as warming up until it has a few successful checks.
Keep the design simple
The page is there to show the current state. Remove anything that competes with it, match your brand, and make the status the first thing people read.
Name components the way customers do
Name components after what customers do with your product, not your internal services. Three to six is right for most products. A larger platform might split by API, dashboard and region.
Write updates anyone can follow
Start with what readers want to know: does this affect me, and when will it be fixed? Use short sentences and no jargon. Post again as things change, even if the only news is that you're still working on it. Sentivel can draft each update in plain language for you to review.
Announce maintenance in advance
Schedule maintenance windows ahead of time so planned work appears as maintenance and customers aren't caught out. Sentivel skips checks during a window, so planned work doesn't lower your uptime or trigger an alert.
Show uptime history
A 90-day history lets prospects and customers judge reliability from the record. Sentivel keeps 90 days per component with detail for each day.
Make it easy to subscribe and find
Sentivel offers double opt-in email and an RSS feed, plus status badges and a widget you can embed in your app or docs. Link the page from your footer, help center and support replies so people check it before opening a ticket.
Name the provider when it's their outage
When a provider you rely on has an incident, say so: which provider, and what it affects. In Sentivel you map which components depend on which providers. When one has an incident, Sentivel posts a short notice naming the provider and removes it when the provider resolves the incident. The notice never says you are down and never promises anything you can't check.
Use your own domain
A page at status.yourcompany.com looks like part of your product. Sentivel supports custom domains with automatic TLS.