Introduction
"Porting" is the process of moving phone numbers between providers.
Porting is a multi-step process that takes an average of four weeks if there are no blockers. Common blockers include: inaccurate PIN numbers, account name mismatch, incorrect billing address, etc. This four-week timeline is an estimate and will likely vary from case to case. The process includes coordination between Lofty's upstream provider and your service provider to transfer the number to Lofty. The four-week estimate could vary because of the need to interact with a variety of parties during this process.
*IMPORTANT:
- Lofty only supports porting in U.S. and Canadian local numbers from other providers. Other countries are not currently supported.
- 10DLC registration must be complete and verified before users are able to text in Lofty. For more information, please see: A2P 10DLC Registration
Summary
- (1) Submit your Porting Request
- (2) Number is Submitted to Carrier Partner
- (3) Response from Carrier
- (4) Porting Date is Scheduled
- FAQs
(1) Submit your Porting Request
Please read the requirements very carefully before submitting your porting request. Porting phone numbers is a timely process and requires all information before submitting. Any incorrect information such as a mismatched billing phone number or incorrect PIN will cause a delay in the porting timeline.
You will need to provide the following when you submit your request:
Required Information |
|
1. | Your Current Carrier (numbers coming from Follow Up Boss follow a different process so please include which app the number is coming from) |
2. | Your Account Number |
3. |
Name on Account This name should appear exactly as it does on the phone bill with the losing provider. Make sure to check if it is the name of your business or the name of the admin/account owner. |
4. | Service Address (Street Address City, State, Zip) |
5. | Billing Telephone Number |
6. | The last 4 Digits of SSN (optional - sometimes required by the carrier) |
7. | All numbers to be ported + the user the number should be assigned to* |
8. |
PIN Numbers There may or may not be a PIN. The PIN is usually associated with the phone number, so there could be multiple PINs. The client may need to reach out to their previous service provider for the PINS. The port will be delayed if the client fails to provide the correct PIN number. |
9. |
A copy of the most recent phone bill or Customer Service Record (CSR) This must be from within the last 30 days, and should include the owner/authorized user's name, billing account number, billing/service address (this must be an actual physical location), and the billing phone number on file. |
10. |
A Signed Letter of Authorization (LOA) (for Twilio) You will need to list all numbers and sign the LOA. A template is available here if you do not already have it. |
Notes:
*We recommend that you create a CSV sheet that shows the numbers to be ported, the PIN, and the person that phone number should be assigned to. For example:
Phone Number | PIN | Agent Name | Agent Email (in Lofty) |
888-888-8888 | 1234 | Mickey Mouse | mmouse@lofty.com |
444-444-4444 | 5678 | Donald Duck | donald@lofty.com |
Once you have gathered all of the required information, you can submit your port request to support@lofty.com or to your Customer Success Manager.
To ensure that your port request processes as smoothly as possible, you will need to make sure all the information provided matches the service information on file with the current carrier. If the information you provide to us does not match the current carrier's records, your port request will be rejected, which will delay the port request until the information you provide matches the information the carrier has on file. If you are not sure about this information, you can contact your current phone service provider.
(2) Number is Submitted to Carrier Partner
If everything in Step 1 was done correctly, your request will then be submitted to your soon-to-be former carrier as a port request. During this time, do not close your account with your carrier and keep your numbers active.
NOTE: Timeframe may be longer depending on the carrier partner.
(3) Response from Carrier
At this point, your request will either be approved or rejected:
Approved
If approved, then you will receive a porting date for when your number will be ported to Lofty.
Rejected
This occurs for a variety of reasons, such as an incorrect PIN for an account, an address or zip code that doesn’t match the current carrier’s records or a port request made by an unauthorized user on the account. Additionally, you will need to reach out to your carrier to find out what is needed in order to move forward. Depending on the needs of the carrier, this will add an additional amount of time to your porting request. Step 2 will then be repeated.
(4) Porting Date is Scheduled
The Lofty Support Team or your CSM will reach out to you to keep you up-to-date on when your number will be transferred to Lofty. Once you have verified that the number has been transferred to your Lofty project, you can begin using your virtual number on Lofty.
FAQ
Is there a possibility that the number that is being ported over will be inaccessible/down/offline during the transition process?
The overall process will take up to four weeks to complete meaning that we need to request our provider to get the number for us. Once they have accepted the ported number, we will change your virtual number to the ported one immediately. This transition should be a seamless one.
Typically, when a number is moved, there is a scheduled porting date. During that date, there is potential for some downtime.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at <support@lofty.com>, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by a chat with us through your Lofty CRM.
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