Overview
External Communication Management is the process for receiving, reviewing, responding to, and retaining records of communications from external parties related to security, availability, and system reliability. It ensures external inquiries and notifications are handled consistently, accurately, and in alignment with SOC 2 CC2.3 requirements.
Step-by-Step Process
Identify communication channels
The Security Lead identifies all approved external communication channels used for customers, partners, and the public. This includes support systems, status notification platforms, and approved messaging tools. The output is a documented list of authorized external communication channels.
Role: Security Lead
Define communication criteria
The Security Lead documents what types of external communications are permitted, required, or restricted (e.g., security incidents, outages, data requests). This ensures staff understand when and how to communicate externally. The output is an approved communication criteria document.
Role: Security Lead
Receive external communications
Designated team members monitor approved channels on an ongoing basis to receive external inquiries or notifications. Each communication is logged automatically or manually upon receipt. The output is a timestamped communication record.
Role: Security Analyst
Assess and classify requests
The Security Analyst reviews each external communication to determine its category, urgency, and required response. Security-related or high-risk communications are escalated according to internal procedures. The output is a classified and prioritized communication entry.
Role: Security Analyst
Prepare and approve response
The assigned responder drafts a response based on approved messaging and communication criteria. Where required, the Security Lead reviews and approves the response prior to external release. The output is an approved response message.
Role: Security Lead
Send external response
The responder sends the approved communication through the original or designated external channel. Responses are sent within defined timeframes based on priority. The output is a sent and timestamped external response.
Role: Security Analyst
Retain communication records
All external communications and responses are retained in the system of record according to the organization’s retention policy. Records must be searchable and tamper-evident. The output is an auditable communication history.
Role: Security Lead
What You Need Before Starting
- Approved list of external communication channels
- External communication and incident response policies
- Access to Zendesk, StatusPage, and Slack
- Defined escalation and approval matrix
Evidence Your Auditor Expects
- Zendesk ticket export showing external inquiries and responses with timestamps from the audit period
- StatusPage incident history log with publication and update timestamps
- Slack channel message history screenshots showing external communications with dates
- Approved external communication policy document with last review date
How This Looks In Your Tools
Zendesk
Log in to Zendesk and navigate to Admin Center > Channels > Messaging and Email to confirm approved external intake methods. Ensure support email addresses and contact forms are enabled and documented as official channels.
To review communications, go to Tickets > Views and select the relevant external support view (e.g., “Customer Requests”). Open a ticket to review the requester, timestamps, internal notes, and public replies. Use the ticket fields to classify priority and tag security-related issues.
To retain evidence, use Admin Center > Data Management > Reporting to export tickets for the audit period, ensuring created date, updated date, and responder fields are included.
StatusPage
Log in to StatusPage and navigate to Dashboard > Settings > Team Members to verify who is authorized to post external updates. Confirm notification templates and subscriber settings under Settings > Notifications.
To post or review communications, go to Dashboard > Incidents and select an incident. Review incident creation time, updates, and resolution posts to ensure timely and accurate communication.
For evidence, export the incident history or take screenshots of the incident timeline showing posted updates with visible timestamps.
Slack
Log in to Slack and review approved external-facing channels (e.g., shared channels or Slack Connect) via Channel Settings > About this channel. Confirm channel purpose and approved participants.
To monitor communications, open the relevant channel and review message history for external messages. Use message timestamps and thread replies to demonstrate review and response actions.
For retention, export message history using Workspace Settings > Analytics > Exports or capture screenshots showing channel name, messages, and dates within the audit scope.
Common Audit Findings
- Unapproved communication channels used
- This occurs when teams respond to external parties using informal or undocumented tools. Prevent this by maintaining and reviewing an approved channel list and disabling unauthorized tools where possible.
- Missing response approvals
- Responses are sometimes sent without required review due to unclear approval thresholds. Prevent this by documenting approval criteria and enforcing review workflows for security-related communications.
- Incomplete communication records
- Auditors find missing timestamps or response details when records are not consistently retained. Prevent this by using centralized tools and performing periodic record completeness checks.
- Delayed external responses
- Delays occur when ownership or prioritization is unclear. Prevent this by defining response SLAs and regularly reviewing response time metrics.