Disaster State of Mind

Out of the blue. Unpredictable. Unimaginable. Unthinkable. There always will be disasters that sneak up on carriers and their networks. Some will be acts of God such as tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes. Others will be acts of man, such as September's terrorist attacks. With today's nearly ubiquitous news coverage, subscribers usually are aware of incidents that could affect the state of their service. Are you up to speed on the state of your own network?

Cingular Wireless
Total Hold Time: 15 seconds
Transfer/IVR Layers: 3
CSR: Thank you for calling Cingular Wireless. How may I help you?
WR: My boss is about to travel to New York City on business, and he wants to know if he will have trouble using his service in Manhattan?
CSR: No. The only thing is, if you don't have the nationwide plan, you're going to be charged a roaming fee.
WR: So you didn't have any sites that were affected during the Sept. 11 tragedy?
CSR: Yeah, there were a lot of sites that were affected in that area. So it just depends. You might get through, but then if you don't, it's because of everything that's been going on.
WR: Does he have other options if he can't get through on your network?
CSR: No, if he's roaming on one of those towers that was affected. I think they might have resolved that already. But if he's not able to get through, you know what's going on, and that would be the reason why.

Verizon Wireless
Total Hold Time: 10 seconds
Transfer/IVR Layers: 2
CSR: Thank you for calling Verizon Wireless. This is (name).
WR: I'm getting ready to go to New York City on business and heard you lost some sites when the World Trade Center was demolished. Will I have trouble using my service?
CSR: I don't think you will have trouble. They haven't had trouble over there. It seems like it's been pretty good over there.
WR: Is there a way for you to check on that for me?
CSR: I can call New York.
WR: Or would I have any options? Is there another service that you're routing people through if they're having problems with yours?
CSR: I think they're routing it. Give me one second. I'll call New York.
CSR puts WR on hold for 2 minutes and 40 seconds, then another CSR answers.
CSR: Thank you for holding. This is (name). How may I help you?
WR: I was trying to find out if I'd have trouble using my service in Manhattan.
CSR: No. We're not having any problems at this time, but you would have to change your scan over in your phone. In New York, you have to be on the B scan in order to make or receive calls in that area. Sometimes your phone automatically switches to that scan, and sometimes you have to go in and manually change your scan in the phone.

AT&T Wireless
Total Hold Time: 8 minutes
Transfer/IVR Layers: 3
CSR: Thank you for calling AT&T Wireless. How may I help you?
WR: I'm headed to New York on business and wanted to find out if I can use my phone in Manhattan.
CSR: Yeah, there shouldn't be any problem. But, depending on what kind of plan you're currently on, you may pick up roaming or long distance.
WR: I can usually use my phone in New York. But in light of recent events, I wanted to make sure that the service would be working, particularly in lower Manhattan.
CSR: Yes, right now we are. For a couple of days, we were having difficulties with the systems. We've put up temporary cell sites for the time being, so everyone in that area shouldn't have a problem using the phone while we get our cell sites back up.
WR: If I did have problems, should I call this same number, or is there another number to call?
CSR: Right now, you dial 1-800-888-7600. It's best that you call from a landline, because we can do some troubleshooting on the phone. I'm pretty sure you won't have any problems in New York, but if you do, you can always give us a call, and we'll take a look at that for you.

Editor's Note

Most carriers have disaster contingency and recovery plans. Each carrier should make certain that pertinent network deterioration and subsequent status reports are shared with everyone in the organization, especially those who interact with subscribers.