What to do when your vendor drops the ball
Not long after I moved to the US, Metaswitch sent me on a trip to Minnesota in the middle of winter – and in the interests of efficiency I was going to visit two different customers. I was flying into Fargo on a Sunday night, and would then drive east, spending a couple of days (and executing a cut) with Customer A Monday-Wednesday, and then finishing the week with Customer B in Brainerd. I’d reserved a rental car online the week before, but when I landed at 10pm that Sunday night, things started to go wrong.
I confidently walked up to the rental counter and said I had a reservation. Gave my name, drivers license… and was told they had no record of my reservation. How odd.
I showed them a print out of the confirmation page, and the agent patiently showed me that this page showed a summary of my planned reservation, with a Confirm button at the bottom. Apparently I had never hit confirm, so I had no reservation.
Hmmm, that was a dumb mistake to make, but no matter.
- “Please could I rent a car?”
- “No, sorry, we don’t have any available.”
- “What about tomorrow morning?”
- “Sorry sir, we don’t have any cars available until Wednesday.”
I tried the other rental companies at Fargo airport (there weren’t many). Zip. No cars available at any of them for several days.
The next morning I was able to find a local cab company that was willing to drive 70 miles into Minnesota and drop me at my first location. This wasn’t ideal – to be walking from my hotel to the customer’s office every day in below-zero temperatures – but at least I could focus on my job for a couple of days.
But how was I going to get to Brainerd?
One of the techs I was working with said he had an old beater car that he thought would probably make it to Brainerd without breaking down. He offered to sell it to me for $200 and then I could just leave it in Brainerd. I wasn’t convinced abandoning the car was a good idea, and I was worried that Metaswitch might object to my expense claim when I told them I bought a car.
Luckily, someone had a buddy who worked in Brainerd, and we were able to arrange for this total stranger to pick me up early on Thursday morning (after a long night of maintenance work) and give me a ride across the state to visit my next customer.
Unfortunately, the drama was not over. No sooner had I arrived in Brainerd, that I got a call saying that we had major service issues following our maintenance work back, and could I go back to help out? So… I got a ride to the airport rental car place, rented a car of my own, drove back to Customer A, only for the problem to be fixed before I arrived (thank you amazing Metaswitch support team) so that I then turned around again and returned, rather belatedly, to Customer B.
Thankfully, the rest of the trip went smoothly, but the experience left an impression: when a key part of your plan breaks down, everything else can quickly unravel.
And in the world of telecom, that’s not just a travel anecdote—it’s a real risk.
When your vendor forgets to show up
In this case, I was the vendor who dropped the ball. But more often in telecom projects, the risk lies with a third party – a vendor, a carrier, a subcontractor – whose part of the project you’re depending on to move forward.
Maybe they promised you a seamless porting process, or flawless TDM-to-IP conversion, or a shiny new hosted voice platform. But when go-live arrives, you’re left standing at the proverbial counter, hearing the words, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing available.”
So how do you avoid the telecom version of being stranded in Fargo?
1. Do your homework (and then follow through)
It’s easy to feel comfortable when a vendor seems reputable and has a nice sales pitch. But experience tells us that promises are only part of the story. You need to ask the tough questions, check references, understand how their technology actually works (not just the marketing gloss), and—importantly—confirm that they have what you need when you need it.
Had I double-checked my confirmation email, I might’ve noticed that my car reservation didn’t actually exist. In the same way, before you begin relying on a vendor, make sure all the features are in place, all the agreements are signed, the details are clear, and expectations are aligned.
2. Start small, test early
One of the best ways to uncover hidden gaps is to roll out your project in phases. Launch with a small pilot—just a few lines, a limited geography, or one service area. This gives you the chance to evaluate how your vendor performs under real-world conditions, before you’ve committed your entire network to the solution.
In my case, a small mistake in the planning phase derailed the whole itinerary. But in your network, a small rollout that reveals a vendor’s limitations might be just the thing that saves your larger project.
3. Don’t go it alone
Telecom projects are complex, and it’s not always easy to know what questions to ask—or what red flags to look for. That’s where having a trusted third-party expert can make all the difference. Whether you’re selecting a new platform, negotiating with a SIP provider, or migrating off a legacy switch, an experienced guide can help ensure you don’t miss something important. Like, say, confirming your reservation.
Most vendors we’ve worked with in the telecoms space are well meaning, and have good products – but not every product will fit your needs. That’s why it’s important to make careful decisions, ask lots of questions, and ask for expert help when you need it.
4. Build your backup plan
Finally, it’s always good to ask: “What if this doesn’t work?” Whether it’s maintaining an old switch for a few extra months, or keeping an alternate vendor in the wings, thinking through your fallback options can reduce stress and risk when surprises arise.
Choosing the right vendor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in a telecom project. So take your time, plan carefully, and make sure you’ve truly hit “confirm” before you set off.
And if you’d like help reviewing your plans or choosing the right partner, we’d be delighted to assist. Just fill out our contact form and we’ll make sure your next trip—metaphorical or otherwise—runs a whole lot smoother than mine.
