Save your Numbers with GoTrunk Number Portability

Switching to VoIP can be quick and simple especially for small businesses but also a much longer process for larger companies. There are so many decisions to make that it is easy for the project to take weeks or even months, depending on the intricacies involved. SIP trunking or hosted VoIP? Buy new hardware or reuse existing equipment? Manage everything yourself or use consultants? Any business will face such questions during the deployment phase.

Not every decision is a choice between alternatives of course. You will make some business related decisions and face a few technical choices along the way as well. One concern of organizations is whether they can keep their old phone numbers even when they switch between technologies or vendors. Generally speaking, landline numbers weren’t portable on the PSTN. If you changed vendors, you had to get a new number. But with the advent of number portability, that is no longer the case.

What is Number Portability?

Number portability is a new aspect of telephony that lets anyone take their old number with them, even when they move to a new vendor. It is a huge benefit for both consumers and businesses. After all, who wants the hassle of informing all their contacts about the new number? Friends, family, co-workers, business partners, clients and so on. You even have to change it on various websites like your bank, credit cards etc.

The Process of Number Porting

The number porting process is subject to rules and legislation from the relevant regulatory authority, which can vary between different countries. Some companies may also charge a small fee for porting phone numbers. The process itself shouldn’t take very long and is generally completed with a business day or two. We can even port special numbers like the toll free ones, although it may take some more time.

Clients need to initiate the process and request that they want to port their numbers out to a new provider. Your business may need to settle all outstanding dues before the vendor will start the process. Sometimes there may even be an early termination fee or some such penalty, especially if you are breaking a previous contract to use VoIP. In some countries, vendors cannot refuse a number porting request as long as it is feasible from a technical standpoint.

Number Portability with GoTrunk

Number portability makes it simple for businesses to continue operations without any disruption. GoTrunk allows number portability so you can bring your old numbers and use them with the SIP trunks. There is no need for employees to remember new ones, clients don’t have to update the information in their databases and customers don’t have to change their habits when contacting you.

Just think of all the places where you display your contact information. Your business uses them in the automated answering systems, in marketing and ad campaigns, on the company website, in promotional materials, on business cards and so on. It would be very time consuming and tedious to go through all of them and change the data to new numbers one by one. You might miss one or two places that can result in confusion or people who aren’t able to reach your company.

With number portability, all that is not a problem at all. While some companies do change their contact information occasionally, you shouldn’t be forced to do so as a result of upgrading to new  technology. All your business contacts can continue to use the same number without any change. No one even has to know that there has a massive project behind the scenes and that your company has switched to VoIP.

With the SIP trunks from GoTrunk, businesses can continue to use all the old features and numbers that they are used to. Not only does it make it easy for new clients to switch to GoTrunk but also ensures that your business is free to leave if you don’t like the service. Many vendors tout the fact they don’t have contracts or minimum commitments for clients but conveniently forget to mention that number portability may not be an option available for clients. With such vendors, you might end up staying with them or afraid to move away because then you would lose your phone numbers.

It’s not just about the ease of use or even informing everyone about your new numbers. Switching away from your old numbers can mean losing the years of goodwill that your company has accumulated over the years. It can damage the organization’s brand image if you botch the move. Reputation matters a lot in many markets, so you should exercise extreme caution when changing important identification or contact data. GoTrunk number portability removes yet another obstacle for organizations that wish to use VoIP with SIP trunks. Using SIP trunks should be as easy as using hosted VoIP and GoTrunk offers that experience to businesses.