That's about as long as it takes for a longer form of content, like a blog post, to gather feedback from the moment of publishing. You know how you're doing within that time frame. No comments, likes, or retweets, and you can be sure it will just sit there, a virgin in your stream. That doesn't mean it's not interesting, it's just not timed right for some reason.
90 minutes is the time it takes to play a football game - yes, in Italy we do call it that - although it may take a little longer to win a World Cup. 90 minutes is a long time if you're running up and down a regular soccer field - I know, I played the game - and it's a long time to be waiting for an answer, a goal, a score, something.
In customer service situations, 20 minutes may seem like an eternity. What happens if it takes you 90 minutes to diagnose an issue and come up with an answer? After all, it took more than that time to come up with the product or service, align the business to deliver it, and bring it to market.
But once the product or service is ready, marketers want to get the word out about it as broadly as possible and with as much bang as possible. Only to wish customers would wait to speak up if there is a service issue. Which is where the rubber meets the proverbial road.
So, if 90 minutes is our symbolic time it takes to diagnose and solve an average problem (yes, I'm aware of the issue with declaring any problem average), what are the options?
OPTION 1: Could you make up speed with breadth? In other words, could you spread your presence over as many social networks as possible to involve customers wherever they are? By being a known entity, you may go farther than other companies in gaining an understanding of what is important to your customers, first, and deliver that as you keep fixing the rest.
OPTION 2: Would you be willing to make up speed for participation? In other words, allowing your customers and peers to help diagnose and create solutions, moving the forums to your own Web site or Web properties, and sharing the outcomes.
OPTION 3: What if you made up speed with attention? This is something a company and individual earns over time and over actions - visible, public actions of regard and consideration. It is the question and age old flattering gesture of attention that we focus our conversation at Fast Company Expert blog, where we explore why and how fluency in customer conversation is a key business driver.
What other options can you think about?