Use this decision after the office classified a customer change that arrived after a reopened no-response hold, sent the customer update and crew note, gave one deadline-based reminder, and locked the route note when the customer stayed silent. The late response is new input, not a new field instruction.
Reopen only a clean acceptance of the exact held item; keep the item closed when the response declines or cannot meet the condition; send every changed, incomplete, or unclear reply back to office review. Until a newer dated office note is issued, the locked route note controls.
| Late reply | Office decision | Crew instruction now |
|---|---|---|
| “Yes, approve the exact [dated] held scope” with still-valid access, price, and timing | Reopen after confirming capacity and issue a replacement customer confirmation and crew note. | Keep the old lock until the replacement note is dated and released. |
| Question, partial approval, new scope, different access, new date, price objection, or priority change | Return to office review and classify the new condition; do not call it a clean reopen. | Continue only separately authorized baseline work; hold the affected item. |
| Decline, expired access window, unsafe condition, unavailable materials, or missed policy condition | Keep closed or close out under policy, with a customer-facing explanation if needed. | Do not restore the item to the route. |
A late reply is clean only if it matches the held classification without adding a new decision. Verify that the customer accepts the exact scope, price or estimate is still valid, access and timing still work, and a route or return-work-order slot exists. If one fact changes, the late reply belongs in review, even if the customer says “go ahead.”
“We received your reply after the response window. The affected item remains [held/closed] while we review whether the original dated instruction still fits your requested scope, access, timing, price, and route availability. We will send a new dated confirmation before any crew plan changes.”
When the office approves a clean reopen, issue one replacement instruction that names the held item, the prior locked status, the new authorized scope, the date, the route or return-work-order plan, and the field stop rule. Do not revive older versions of the request or let the crew infer that unrelated work is back on the schedule.
Capture: the exact requested outcome, whether the caller accepts the dated held scope, access, timing, price questions, and any added work. Route: every late reply to office review, including apparent approvals. Never promise: that the crew will return, add work, change price, or change the route before the office issues a newer dated instruction.