How to Notify Customers After a Data Breach (and Stay Fully Compliant in 2025)

I have a confession to make: I am Patient Zero of the Digital Dark Age. Not the boring kind where archaeologists of the future can’t open our old PowerPoint presentations, but the exciting new kind where we collectively lobotomize ourselves with artificial intelligence.

The rising urgency of fast, compliant Communication.

Every week, another Australian organisation joins the growing list of data breach victims. From healthcare networks to insurance providers and government departments, the reality is clear: breaches are no longer a question of if, but when.

And when that happens, your first 24 hours matter most.

Under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) Scheme, Australian businesses are legally required to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) “as soon as practicable.”

But what does “as soon as practicable” actually mean in 2025, when customer expectations, compliance pressures, and Communication channels have changed dramatically?

This article breaks down exactly how to notify customers after a data breach, step-by-step and how a unified platform like COMUNiQ helps you stay compliant, consistent, and credible every time.

1. Understanding the legal framework

Before sending a single message, you need to know what’s required by law.

The NDB Scheme at a glance:

Applies to all entities covered by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Requires notification to OAIC and affected individuals when a breach is likely to result in serious harm.
Notifications must include:
- The identity and contact details of your organisation.
- A description of the breach.
- The kinds of information involved.
- Recommended steps individuals should take.

Failure to meet these requirements can result in significant fines and, just as damaging, loss of public trust.

In 2025, regulators are placing growing emphasis on speed, clarity, and multi-channel accessibility — meaning businesses must be ready to deliver accurate messages quickly, across digital and physical channels.

2. Step-by-step: What happens after a breach

Step 1: Identify and assess the incident
Confirm what happened, when it happened, and what personal data may have been accessed. Document all findings, this will form the basis of your notification.
Step 2: Engage your legal and compliance teams
Determine whether the breach meets the NDB notification threshold. Legal counsel should confirm wording and tone before Communication begins.
Step 3: Prepare your notification plan
This is where most organisations struggle. Coordinating messages across email, SMS, print mail, and voice can take days, and every delay increases risk.
Using COMUNiQ, teams can create an incident record, upload affected contacts, and prepare notification templates, all within one secure portal.
Step 4: Send notifications across multiple channels
Start with email, but never rely on it alone.
Many individuals don’t open breach emails, and regulators expect a reasonable effort to ensure receipt.
That’s why COMUNiQ’s workflow automatically escalates:
→ Send email → track delivery → if unopened, trigger SMS or print → confirm delivery.
Step 5: Track, log, and verify delivery
Compliance isn’t just about sending notifications, it’s about proving that you did.
COMUNiQ’s live reporting dashboard shows who received, opened, or responded, while the audit trail records every step for verification.
Step 6: Purge and close the incident
Once notifications are complete and reports are filed, COMUNiQ automatically purges sensitive incident data after the defined retention period, maintaining privacy and compliance integrity.

3. What should a breach notification include?

The OAIC expects clear, human Communication. Here’s a checklist of what to include:
Mandatory elements:

Who you are and how to contact you
What happened and when
What kind of information was affected (e.g., names, IDs, financial data)
Steps individuals can take to protect themselves
Where to find more information (hotline, website, or support email)

Optional but recommended:

Reassurance of containment measures
Confirmation of whether law enforcement or regulators were informed
Links to password reset or fraud-monitoring services

Tip: Keep the tone calm, factual, and empathetic — remember, you’re communicating with people who may feel anxious or violated.

4. Common mistakes Australian businesses still make

Despite clear guidance, many organisations still falter when executing breach notifications. The top issues include:

Over-reliance on email: Around 40% of recipients never open breach notifications.
Delayed Communication: Waiting for full investigation before initial outreach, regulators expect faster preliminary alerts.
No follow-up verification: Failing to confirm receipt or maintain audit logs.
Fragmented messaging: Using different tools for email, print, and SMS, increasing room for human error.

Platforms like COMUNiQ were designed to solve exactly these challenges by unifying every Communication step, from incident creation to proof of delivery.

5. How to communicate effectively after a data breach

Be transparent and proactive
Even partial information is better than silence. Customers value honesty over perfection.
Use plain language
Avoid legal or technical jargon. Explain what happened and what the customer should do next.
Escalate through multiple channels
Different people respond to different mediums, digital for immediacy, print for reliability.
Log everything
Your audit trail is your insurance policy. Regulators expect clear documentation showing when and how each individual was notified.

6. Why multi-channel Communication is no longer optional

Today’s consumers expect consistent, responsive Communication across all touchpoints.
Regulators, meanwhile, expect businesses to make a “reasonable attempt” to ensure message delivery.

In practice:

If an email bounces, an SMS should follow.
If the SMS goes unread, a printed letter must be sent.

That’s why COMUNiQ integrates digital and physical delivery into one seamless workflow — something traditional CRMs and marketing tools can’t do.

In one interface, you can:

Create and manage incident campaigns
Validate contact data
Automate escalation across channels
Generate live compliance reports
Maintain complete audit logs

The result: your notification moves from draft to delivery in minutes, not days.

7. The future of breach Communication in Australia

As cyber incidents rise and the Privacy Act reforms continue, the expectation for transparent, timely Communication will only grow stronger. AI tools are now helping attackers craft more convincing scams, making trustworthy, verified Communication even more critical for brands.

In 2025, organisations that communicate clearly, quickly, and credibly will be the ones that keep their reputation intact.

8. Bringing it all together

Breach notifications aren’t just a legal box to tick, they’re a moment to demonstrate responsibility and reliability. Handled well, they protect trust, compliance, and brand integrity.

Handled poorly, they damage all three.

That’s why forward-thinking organisations across law, finance, healthcare, and government are choosing COMUNiQ, the unified print-and-digital platform built to manage breach notifications from start to finish.

Ready to see how it works?

Experience how COMUNiQ brings control, confidence, and consistency to every message you send.