That’s right, go ahead and just accept the inevitable – anything to do with technology is bound to be difficult to implement. You can plan all you want but there will ALWAYS be something that gets overlooked or changes at the last minute. This not only goes for your hardware/software projects or telecom systems but also for something as simple as activating a Blackberry.

Let me tell you about my latest adventure with Corporate America. We are Verizon Wireless Agents in a brand new B2B (business to business) Channel program. It took us literally a year to get through the various roadblocks to achieve that status – but that’s a story for another time. In any event we had a brand new customer that signed up for our Total Care program. We took care of everything, phones, computer network, carrier services– which was no easy task as they had a go-live date of less than two weeks. As part of the Total Care we were asked to help with securing several new Blackberry’s and moving one user’s account over to the business. Sounds easy right? Remember what I said about difficult to implement? Right. The first CSR we spoke to said they would need a copy of their business certificate and first month’s phone bill. The problem was they hadn’t been in business long enough to have a first phone bill. So they advised us that a copy of the CSR (customer service record) from the line order would do. After gathering that information we submitted it and were told that they didn’t qualify for the B2B program after all. Net result – we had to bring the client to the Verizon Wireless store as we were told this would be absolutely pain free and seamless. Right. After (3) hours and numerous changes in what kind of paperwork needed to be filled out to pass credit we finally got it done. Ultimately, believe it or not, the client had to add the Blackberry’s to his personal Verizon Wireless account. Even though he had been a loyal Verizon Wireless customer for (10) years, had never missed a payment AND had stock in the company they still wouldn’t establish a business account for him without that first month’s landline phone bill. Talk about crazy …he’ll have to move all the units to the new business account after he brings in his first bill.

What’s my point? Exactly what I started with – anticipate that things will not go according to plan and you’ll have a lot less stress. Plan as usual but don’t be thrown off when things blow up…its par for the course in the world of technology.