9 Critical Questions the Sirius Surge Planning Checklist Helps You Answer

Support surges rarely announce themselves in advance. Whether driven by seasonal demand, outages, recalls, launches, or unexpected events, surges expose weaknesses in even well-run operations.

The Sirius Surge Planning Checklist helps leaders assess readiness before pressure hits. Here are nine critical questions it helps answer.

1. How quickly can additional capacity be activated?
   It evaluates whether surge support can be deployed in days - or weeks.
   
   

2. Whether surge coverage exists across time zones
   It surfaces gaps in 24×7 or global coverage.
   
   

3. If agents are ready for complex, high-impact interactions
   Surges often bring emotionally charged or escalated cases.
   
   

4. Whether surge support is separated from steady-state work
   The checklist examines if core teams are protected during spikes.
   
   

5. How escalation paths function under stress
   It identifies breakdowns that occur only during peak demand.
   
   

6. If quality standards hold during volume increases
   It assesses whether SLAs and CX degrade during surges.
   
   

7. Whether activation decisions are clear and repeatable
   It highlights governance gaps that delay response.
   
   

8. How surge performance is monitored in real time
   Visibility often disappears just when it’s needed most.
   
   

9. Whether post-surge learning actually happens
   The checklist evaluates if organizations improve after each event.

For many leaders, the checklist confirms what intuition already suggests: surges are not a one-off problem, but a structural reality that requires deliberate planning.

To evaluate your organization’s surge readiness, review the Sirius Surge Planning Checklist here