A downtime registration service is discussed herein that enables client systems that rely on electronic record management systems to continue generating records during a downtime event for the electronic record management system without relying on a workaround that requires temporary identifiers or reentry of data. The downtime registration system improves the efficiency and accuracy of electronic systems because workarounds that involve using temporary identifiers, or reentering data collected during the downtime, increase the amount of work done and the chance for errors to be introduced into the records. The client systems are in communication with an outside facility providing advanced services, which track the records generated during normal operation (i.e., not downtime) so that new records created during downtime properly reuse existing record identifiers or assign new identifiers that correspond to the clients' record keeping policies.