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SOP-T1-19: Handling Third-Party Engineering Escalations

Out-of-Scope Firewall & Switch Inquiries — Tier 1 Support Standard Operating Procedure

Document ID: SOP-T1-19

Version: 2.1

Owner: Tier 1 Support Associates

Approver: John Martinez — T1 Manager

Applies To: Tier 1 Support Associates

Related SOPs: SOP-T1-02 — Monitoring Down Notifications SOP-T1-12 — Handling Deals Not Managed by Hyper Networks

1. Purpose

This procedure guides Tier 1 associates in handling engineering issues — firewalls, switches, and similar equipment-level concerns — for accounts whose equipment is supported by a third-party engineering partner. These issues fall outside Tier 1 scope and must be routed to that partner for assistance. The covered account(s) and the partner's contact details are listed in the T1 Internal Contact Sheet.

2. Scope

This procedure applies specifically to covered-account inquiries about firewalls, switches, or comparable engineering-level equipment. It also covers Monitoring Down notifications on covered-account circuits/deals, where the correct next step depends on whether the circuit involves a firewall or a carrier.

What this SOP does not cover

This procedure only covers firewall/switch engineering inquiries and the related Monitoring Down triage step. For covered-account issues that are connectivity-related and involve a carrier, follow SOP-T1-01 or SOP-T1-02 as appropriate instead of this SOP.

3. Roles & Responsibilities

Tier 1 Support Associate: Identifies that a covered-account inquiry is an engineering issue out of Tier 1 scope, routes it to the engineering partner, and follows up on resolution before closing the ticket.

T1 Manager: Approves this SOP.

Third-Party Engineering Partner: External engineering support for the covered account's firewalls and switches; primary and secondary contacts are listed in the T1 Internal Contact Sheet.

4. Prerequisites

Non-Technical Prerequisites

  • Active ticketing system/CRM account to check whether a covered-account circuit involves a firewall or a carrier.

Technical Prerequisites

  • Ability to distinguish a firewall/switch engineering concern from a standard connectivity issue when reading a customer's inquiry.

5. Procedure

STEP 1 — Identify the Engineering Inquiry

When a covered-account customer sends an email inquiring about firewalls or switches, recognize this as an engineering-level issue that is out of Tier 1 scope.

STEP 2 — Route to the Engineering Partner

Send an email to the engineering partner's primary support address for assistance.

Engineering partner contacts

Primary and secondary contacts (email and phone) are kept in the T1 Internal Contact Sheet. Email the primary contact first; use the secondary contact or phone number for follow-up.

STEP 3 — Monitoring Down Notifications on Covered-Account Circuits

If a Monitoring Down notification comes in for a covered-account circuit/deal, check the ticketing system/CRM to determine whether the circuit involves a firewall or has a carrier.

Decision

If the circuit has a carrier → follow SOP-T1-02 (Monitoring Down Notifications) instead of this SOP.

If the circuit involves a firewall → continue with this SOP and route to the engineering partner (Step 2).

STEP 4 — Confirm Resolution Before Closing

Make sure the issue is resolved before closing the ticket.

If the engineering partner does not respond, monitor and follow up for 72 hours using the standard no-response monitoring sequence before closing the ticket.

6. Escalation Criteria

  • The engineering partner does not respond within 72 hours → escalate to the T1 Manager before closing the ticket, rather than closing solely due to non-response.
  • Unclear whether a covered-account issue is a firewall/switch engineering concern or a standard connectivity issue → Check the ticketing system/CRM for a carrier association first; if still unclear, confirm with the T1 Manager before routing.

7. Do's and Don'ts

Do

  • Route firewall and switch inquiries to the engineering partner — this is out of Tier 1 scope.
  • Check the ticketing system/CRM on every covered-account Monitoring Down notification to determine firewall vs. carrier before deciding which SOP to follow.
  • Confirm the issue is resolved before closing the ticket.

Don't

  • Don't attempt to troubleshoot firewall or switch configuration directly — route it to the engineering partner.
  • Don't follow this SOP for covered-account circuits that have a carrier — use SOP-T1-02 instead.
  • Don't close a ticket solely because the engineering partner has not responded — work the 72-hour no-response monitoring first.

8. Revision History

v1.0: Original knowledge-base article format. The document did not explicitly state what to do for covered-account issues that are not firewall/switch related, and the Monitoring Down triage logic (firewall vs. carrier) was stated but not clearly separated from the main engineering-routing procedure.

v2.0: Restructured into standard SOP format (Purpose, Scope, Roles, Prerequisites, Procedure, Escalation Criteria, Do's/Don'ts, Revision History). Added an explicit “What this SOP does not cover” note in Scope directing carrier-related covered-account issues to SOP-T1-01/T1-02. Split the Monitoring Down triage logic into its own step with a clear decision callout. No contact information or procedural content changed.

v2.1: Prepared for public-facing publication: removed customer names, internal staff names and email addresses, third-party vendor names and contact details, and internal tool names (replaced with neutral terms such as “ticketing system” and “monitoring tool”). Contact details now live in the T1 Internal Contact Sheet. No procedural steps changed.