In this porting guide, you can find information about the basic workflows for porting your phone numbers.
The guide covers the following topics:
- In which countries do we offer porting?
- How much does it cost to port my existing numbers to Talkdesk?
- How long does it take to port my existing phone numbers?
- How to start your porting process
- Providing accurate porting information
- Ensuring that the request is not rejected
- Don't disconnect services with your current carrier
- Porting date
- Order cancellation requests
Porting Coverage
In which countries do we offer porting?
Talkdesk is working on reviewing and extending its coverage at a fast pace. In case you have any doubts about the portability of your phone number, please contact our Support team.
How much does it cost to port my existing numbers to Talkdesk?
You can port your existing phone numbers to Talkdesk, free of charge for the standard porting process. We do require, however, that you have an active account with Talkdesk.
How long does it take to port my existing phone numbers?
The time it takes to port existing phone numbers may vary depending on the location, the country's regulations, and the parties involved, such as the losing and the receiving carriers.
US porting process takes between 2 to 4 weeks after documentation approval. However, please note that there have been some instances of the porting process being completed in 48 hours. The amount of time varies depending on the carriers involved. Any rejection by the carriers due to incorrectly submitted information can cause delays.
In US porting requests, we pre-add your phone numbers to your Talkdesk account a few days after the request is submitted. We do this so that you can configure your numbers in preparation for the actual porting date.
For other countries, we pre-add your phone numbers to your Talkdesk account when we receive a preliminary porting date from our telecom provider. This should still give you enough time to configure your numbers.
To minimize the time it takes to port a phone number, we suggest you proactively contact your carrier first to inform them of your intention to port and request a Customer Service Record (CSR) before submitting your porting forms. The details need to match 100%, otherwise, the porting request will be rejected by your current carrier.
Understanding Number Porting
How to start your porting process
If you wish to port numbers to Talkdesk, please submit your request here: https://support.talkdesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
Please let us know the country and the number(s) you wish to port in, together with the Talkdesk account name to which the numbers will be ported. We will get back to you with all the information you need to send us to get your porting request started. That information can vary according to the country and phone number type.
The Talkdesk support team will then share the Letter of Authorization (LOA) with you as well as the list of documents required. Talkdesk will submit the porting request as soon as you provide all the necessary documentation, and the signed and dated LOA.
See the full Talkdesk porting workflow below:
Providing accurate porting information
The Letter of Authorization (LOA) is an industry-standard document used by carriers or resellers to authorize the transfer of a phone number. It contains all the relevant information about phone numbers and their owner or authorized signatories, with the respective signature authorizing the porting. The LOA may be specific to the country or region, as well as its language and specificities.
Regulations in some countries require a local business address and specific documentation to use a phone number. To know each country’s specific requirements please contact the Talkdesk Support team.
This documentation will be reviewed by both the receiving and the losing carrier, and if it is not compliant with the national compliance requirements, the porting request will be rejected. Hence, its utmost importance that all the documents are legible, recent, and coherent to the LOA and compliance regulations.
Ensuring that the request is not rejected
Please note that if the documents are not compliant with the following guidelines, the porting request may be rejected, causing significant delays. Although we are strongly committed to providing you with a smooth porting process, Talkdesk cannot be deemed responsible for any incorrect submissions and delays resulting from failure to comply with the guidelines.
- Submit the document in PDF format.
- Submit it in the correct orientation (for instance, if the pages are upside down, the document will not be accepted).
- All data must match exactly and be consistent with the record in the existing carrier.
- The name and address on both the LOA and the proof of ownership must match.
- The first/last name on the LOA (Letter of Authorization) must match the signature.
- The telephone numbers you wish to port must be clearly indicated, preferably using the E.164 international standard (example: +16175551212).
- If asked for a Responsible Organization (RespOrg) by the losing provider, please reach out to us so that we can provide it to you.
- The LOA and the proof of ownership documents must not be older than 30 days.
If your port request is rejected, check what could be the reason from the list of most common reasons.
Don't disconnect services with your current carrier
If you want to port your numbers to Talkdesk, please do not disconnect or inactivate them, since only active numbers can be ported. You may also ensure that no freezes or suspensions exist that would prevent porting activity with the current carrier.
Porting date
It is not possible to choose a porting date or a porting window. Porting dates are agreed upon between the receiving and the losing carriers and cannot, unfortunately, be customized. As well as porting windows, which are usually standard according to the country.
During the porting window, the losing carrier will release the number(s) and Talkdesk will receive them and ensure they have the correct back-end configuration.
Nonetheless, you can proceed in advance when Talkdesk announced the porting date. The numbers will be available in your account and you can ensure they have the right setup in advance of the porting date:
- Update the number(s) friendly name(s).
- Assign the number(s) to Studio flow(s).
- Define their ring groups. This is important for reporting purposes, and to ensure that the right agents have access to performing calls from the number(s).
Order cancellation requests
In case you need to cancel your porting process, please ensure that is done with, at least, two business days of advance notice of the porting date. To cancel your order, Talkdesk will need to inform every carrier partner involved, and that can take time according to the timezone and business days of each party. You can also inform your current carrier directly to ensure the numbers are not released.
Porting Rejection
Why was my port request rejected?
The majority of numbers are portable, however, there are some common reasons why the losing provider may reject a port request. In almost all cases, the rejections can be solved by contacting the current carrier and getting the correct and necessary information.
If you want to prevent rejections, you should always contact your carrier first to make sure you have the right information or to request a Customer Service Record (CSR).
Here’s a list of the most common reasons for port request rejection:
Unsatisfactory Business Relationship
This one is probably one of the rarest, but it typically means that you have an unpaid balance or that your carrier charges a port-away fee. To resolve it, you have to pay any balance/fee to the provider and send us an e-mail to confirm this action.
All Data Mismatch/Name Mismatch/Address Mismatch/Company name Mismatch
This is exactly what it sounds like, meaning, the information you submitted on your Letter of Authorization (LOA) is different from what your carrier has on file. You should contact your carrier to learn what’s on your CSR and send us a new LOA with the right information. You may need to talk directly to your provider’s porting team in order to learn this information or to get a copy of the CSR.
Inactive Number
This means the numbers are not in service with the losing provider. To resolve this, you must contact your carrier so they can reinstate the numbers and contact us once the numbers are reactivated.
Unauthorized Signature
In this case, the person that’s authorized to make changes to the account is not the same person who signed the LOA. You have to reach out to the losing carrier to learn who’s this person or to update the authorized person, and then contact us so we can resubmit the request or send us a new LOA with the right signature.
Wrong Wireless Account PIN
In order to port wireless numbers, you have to give us a PIN. Note that the PIN is sometimes the last four digits of the account holder’s Social Security Number. To resolve this, you need to contact the carrier to obtain the PIN number they have on file and then e-mail us that information.
Incorrect/Missing Account Number
This means the Account number you submitted is wrong or it’s not there at all. You need to contact the losing carrier to learn the Account number and send us an e-mail with it.
Invalid Billing Telephone Number (BTN)
The billing telephone number is typically a master number used to identify an account with many phone numbers. To solve this rejection, contact your provider to obtain the billing telephone number and e-mail us that information so we can resubmit the request.
Unportable Numbers
Unfortunately, there are some regions from which our telecom provider can’t port phone numbers. In this case, you can either buy a new number from us or use call forwarding.
Resold Account
To resolve this rejection, simply contact the losing carrier and request a CSR or provide detailed directions on how to port the number away.
Number Port Out
Can I take my numbers with me if I decide to leave Talkdesk?
Should you decide to leave Talkdesk, provided you have met all payment and other obligations under your Talkdesk agreement, you can port the numbers you have with us to another provider.
Please note that portability rules vary by country and not all countries provide support for portability.
In order to do this, you will need to contact your new provider; they will manage this process and inform you of any information/documentation required from us. There is no charge for port-aways.
Important:
- Please let us know in advance your intention to leave so we can authorize the request when it comes to us, otherwise, port-out requests can be automatically rejected.
- Your Talkdesk account must be kept active, and payment and other obligations under your Talkdesk agreement must be satisfied, until all the numbers you want to keep have been successfully ported out.