Falling for the Standard Interval Shield

You can always tell when technicians and provisioners are getting anxious, because they begin to find ways to protect themselves. For example, if a trouble ticket should reasonably be resolved by now, or if a project isn’t moving forward, a technician might reference the standard interval assigned for the project.

Here’s an example: You call your carrier because you want to change the ring-to number on your toll-free number. You may hear, in response to your request, “Our standard interval is 48 hours, so don’t ask me again until then.” The task actually takes about five minutes to accomplish as soon as someone begins working on it, but the carrier is probably too overloaded to get started on the project.

If you receive the standard interval line from your carrier, try to ask (in a nonthreatening and lighthearted way) why your order is being shot down. You could phrase your question like this, “What kinds of fires are you dealing with over there?” or “What are the other things on your plate?”

If you ask the right questions in the right way, you can get a better sense of the pressure cooker in which your technician is currently working. Your carrier may have just laid off five people in the department and three more may have left for better jobs at Krispy Kreme, so the people left are hopelessly swamped.

 Remember  Understanding the environment of the people who actually do the work at your carrier will make your life easier. They will be more comfortable telling you the truth rather than the official corporate-authorized story, and you can then adjust your expectations accordingly so everyone doesn’t feel crushed. So the next time you hear someone give you the standard interval routine, recognize it as the cry for help that it is.