Waiting for your number to port away from your old carrier is probably one of the most frustrating experiences you can have as a telecom service customer. It’s like waiting for an ex to give back the keys to your apartment—the last step in moving on. Most of the delays stem from your old carrier’s reluctance to release your revenue stream, but here are some simple steps you can take before submitting your port request to expedite the break up.
Check number portability:
This is an easy first step that can save you from the heartbreak of going through the number porting submission process only to learn your number can’t be moved from your current carrier. You can make sure your number can be ported to Flowroute by logging in to your account and navigating to the ‘Port Orders’ page of the ‘DIDs’ tab and click ‘Check number portability’.
Review porting documentation requirements:
It’s not enough to just submit a list of phone numbers and say, “get these numbers, please.” The process is actually quite heavily regulated. Imagine the chaos if anyone could request your numbers be ported to an account they have with another carrier.
Your new carrier requires documentation to legitimately request your numbers from your old carrier. Most importantly, you need to submit a current (no older than 30 days) copy of your bill that shows your phone numbers, physical service address, and the authorized name on the account you are porting numbers away from. If your bill doesn’t contain the required information, you can get a customer service record (CSR) from your current carrier.
Confirm losing carrier porting process:
If your numbers are serviced on either separate accounts or subaccounts of a main account, please call your carrier to determine how the port orders need to be submitted. Some carriers will let you port all your phone numbers from various accounts and subaccounts together, while others will reject a port if the request isn’t perfectly matched with the existing account configuration. Once you know what your current service provider needs, submit the port orders to us in that way. If everything on the account can port together, awesome; just submit one port order. However, if the numbers need to be broken out by account, submit a separate port order for each account so we know how to submit them to your current service provider.
Be prepared for the port:
Following the instructions above will help you get the fastest port possible by speeding up order processing on the part of your new carrier. You can learn the ins and outs of the process with this step-by-step guide to the Flowroute number porting process is a resource we created to help you familiarize yourself with the port request submission process.
Understand that ports generally take 2-4 weeks to complete despite your new carriers best efforts to submit the request to the losing carrier quickly. 2-4 weeks is an average, but depending on your carrier/circumstances it can go faster or slower. While you wait for your numbers to port, you’ll see that they are listed on your Flowroute account but won’t be active. As soon as the port is complete, your numbers will route through Flowroute. Before they do, make sure you prepare your phone system to receive calls to your porting phone numbers from Flowroute.
Move on and prosper:
Porting your numbers away from your carrier doesn’t have to be a painful experience. By being prepared, and understanding the process, you can make the break up a clean one and get on with your life as quickly as possible.
