On October 20, 2025, an AWS outage in the US-EAST-1 region disrupted airline check-in systems, mobile apps, and self-service kiosks at major carriers such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Just days earlier, a Verizon fiber network failure cut access for millions of customers and remote agents. No channels. No logins. No fallback.
In both cases, customer experience suffered in ways that rippled far beyond IT.
Today’s CX infrastructure may be more advanced, but it is also more interconnected and vulnerable than ever. The expectation of “always-on” needs to be replaced with a new mindset: build for failure and prepare to recover quickly.
Recent Impact Timeline:
- Oct 17: Verizon outage affects call centers and customers nationwide
- Oct 20: AWS disruption breaks access to airline apps and check-in tools
- Result: Customer support channels fail, and recovery timelines stretch into days
The Myth of “Always-On” Tech: Why Your Stack Is More Fragile Than It Looks
Behind every “frictionless” experience is a tangle of dependencies. Most teams assume their platforms and providers are stable by default. But outages from AWS and Verizon reveal how fragile the average CX stack really is.
| Infrastructure Layer | Perception | Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Platforms (e.g., AWS) | “Infinite scale and reliability” | A single region failure can disable routing, chat, CRM, and apps |
| Telecom Networks (e.g., Verizon) | “Reliable connectivity for agents and customers” | Fiber cuts or routing issues can take entire geographies offline |
Rather than rare failures, there are recurring patterns in complex, digital CX ecosystems. When everything is connected, a single point of failure can create cascading disruption.
For foundational context, see our guide on What is a Mid-Market BPO Provider, which explains how agile partners reduce single-provider risk.
People Power: The Most Reliable Redundancy in Your Contact Center
When tech collapses, it’s human adaptability that steps in. BPO partners with cross-trained agents, geo-distributed teams, and real-time playbooks have become the failover plan of choice for smart CX leaders.
Unlike bots or static IVRs, live agents can triage, switch tools, and de-escalate in ways that systems cannot. The key is having partners who know your processes and can move quickly.
What flexible BPO partners enabled during recent outages:
- Provided overflow voice support within 12 hours during major disruptions
- Shifted customer service operations to backup sites in unaffected geographies
- Maintained 90%+ SLA adherence during peak outage windows
Building Outage-Resilient CX: Practical Playbook for CX Leaders
Resilience means designing for the moments when things go wrong. Instead of relying on a perfect stack, today’s leaders build redundancy, flexibility, and recovery paths into every tier of CX.
Redundant Site Geo-Distribution
Choose partners that operate across multiple continents or hemispheres. Not just different states. True redundancy requires minimizing shared risks like regional power grids, storms, or political instability.
Cloud and On-Prem Hybrid Routing
Don’t rely on one system to handle everything. Hybrid routing solutions allow traffic to reroute automatically to on-premise or backup platforms when cloud services are impacted.
Pre-Trained Backup Teams as Part of Your BCP
Some BPOs offer business continuity plans that include cross-trained agents at alternate locations. These backup teams are not active day to day but can be brought online quickly during outages or service disruptions. This approach must be scoped and approved in advance, with the client sharing in both the planning and the cost. Activation timelines typically range from a few hours to one business day, depending on the complexity.
Human-in-the-Loop AI for Real-Time Triage
During outages, AI should never operate unmonitored. Human agents must review escalations, quality check automated responses, and step in when logic breaks.
OC’s position is clear: AI augments, not replaces, agents. Especially when tech falters or behavior deviates from norms.
Checklist: Is Your CX Stack Outage-Ready?
- Do you have contact center partners in at least two risk-diverse regions?
- Can your routing logic switch between cloud and local systems if needed?
- Are your BPO teams trained to spin up overflow capacity on demand?
- Do your AI systems include human oversight during escalation scenarios?
If you are unsure about more than one, your current strategy may be leaving CX exposed.
Final Thought: Plan B is Now Your Competitive Edge
It is time to stop designing for perfect conditions. Outages are part of the operating environment now, not the exception. But CX failure is not inevitable. It comes down to preparation.
The organizations that respond best will win long-term trust. That does not mean overbuilding. It means selecting the right BPOs, building hybrid systems, and maintaining human-led backups.
At capacity or under cost pressure? OC’s hybrid BPO and tech model helps clients add resilience without inflating headcount or capital spend.
Want to pressure-test your outage strategy or get matched with experienced partners?
Schedule a CX Strategy Call to benchmark your BPO’s resilience and explore your Plan B.
