Porting numbers

When businesses change providers, some will just change their phone numbers. But this is inconvenient for customers—and can cost you valuable revenue. If they’re used to calling you on one number, they might not appreciate being made to switch to another.

There is a solution to this dilemma: Number porting. With number porting, you can transfer your existing phone number to your new phone provider, so customers can reach you the same way they always have.

What is number porting?

Number porting, also known as local number portability (LNP), is the process of transferring your existing phone number to a new phone service provider from your existing provider.

There are a number of reasons why businesses might want to switch to a new phone provider. The new provider might offer them lower prices or more advanced features (like real-time call transcriptions or call recordings).

Long story short, if your new provider has a good number porting service, it makes the switch more painless.

(This is especially convenient for businesses that want to upgrade to a new phone system—for example, when switching to a VoIP phone service from a landline system.)

How does phone number porting work?

Number ports require your existing carrier to approve the release of a particular telephone number—one that’s already in use—to a new carrier. The new carrier then handles the activation process for that phone number, so you can continue to use it through their service.

Depending on your new carrier and your losing carrier, there may be some costs involved when porting phone numbers, like early termination fees, and pricing will usually vary.

Porting your phone number shouldn’t take very long to complete—but again, that depends on your existing carrier. It’s not uncommon for carriers to try to stretch out this process as long as they can and make it difficult for your new provider to finish the port. (They don’t want to lose your business. Understandable, but annoying.)

Typically, it takes no longer than a week to port an existing number to a new phone service provider.

How to port your existing phone number: An easier way to switch phone service providers

Switching phone service providers can seem a daunting task, for both small businesses and larger organizations. There are so many things to take into consideration, like timelines, risk factors, and adoption issues. Dialpad makes that process incredibly easy with a system that can be deployed and scaled quickly and easily.

To initiate a number porting request:

1. Log into the Dialpad admin portal.

2. Go to Admin Settings.

3. Under the Office section, select Number Porting.

4. Click New Port Request. your Dialpad admin just needs to log into the admin portal, then go to Admin Settings > Office > Number Porting > New Port Request.

From there, enter the mobile numbers you want to port and where you’d like those numbers assigned—for example, the main company number or a specific individual in the business. Dialpad will then carry out the request for you:

Porting numbers to Dialpad: Why do it?

Simple porting process

Dialpad makes the porting process easy, with no interruption to your service. Local area code numbers can be ported in three to five business days, and toll-free numbers in five to 10 business days.

Minimal—or no—porting charges

Costs associated with number porting will vary, and typically there are some fees involved with porting international numbers and fax numbers, depending on the provider. With Dialpad, it’s free to port local numbers in the US and Canada. And since there’s no disruption to services during porting, you can also keep serving your clients and customers during the process.

Information you'll need for porting numbers

Porting an existing number into Dialpad is pretty simple—you just need some account information on hand. To initiate a port request, make sure you have:

• The account owner’s full name and the complete address that’s associated with the service

• The list of the numbers you want to port over to Dialpad

• The existing account number (this is usually only needed for mobile phone numbers)

• The associated PIN number for the account (again, this is usually only needed for mobile numbers)

Your previous carrier can provide you with a copy of your Customer Service Record, which will contain all the information listed here.

Porting a local phone number

Most small businesses have one or multiple local phone numbers that customers use to reach them. These are usually the easiest types of phone numbers to port. Just get a few details from your current provider (like the name on the accounts and the address associated with them), and then put in the request with Dialpad. Once they’re ported, you can begin assigning numbers to departments and specific team members.

Porting a toll-free number

You can also port in any toll-free 1-800 number owned by your business. The account administrator would just need to get the account details from the previous service provider, fill out an LOA (letter of authorization), and submit the number transfer request. We’ll then be able to complete the number porting to your new Dialpad account within five to 10 business days.

Ready to port your numbers?

If you’re looking for a smooth transition as you switch from your existing service provider, you’ve come to the right place. Number porting is such a great feature to have because it means your business can take advantage of better services and features (such as text messages)—while exerting pressure on carriers to offer improved deals and higher service standards.