It’s no secret that over the past 10 years, VoIP technology has displaced a significant percentage of traditional, premise-based digital phone systems.
It’s also common knowledge that cloud-based VoIP & data applications are taking over the technology landscape in droves. And the companies using these applications are reaping tremendous benefits.
As a matter of fact, deploying and supporting these cloud-based VoIP & data solutions represents over 90% of what we do at IDeACOM. And this demand for the cloud has been an incredible transformation to experience firsthand.
Need a few examples?
Let’s start with the shift in your personal life because it’s a great place to drive this point. Just think about your own online habits and subscriptions… with Amazon, Netflix, Apple, Microsoft, Google, YouTube, streaming music, and all social media. Or services like Uber & Lyft, Alexa, the Ring doorbell, Dropbox…
The list goes on and on because everything is literally at your fingertips, available from anywhere! But I digress.
Getting back to your business and leveraging the cloud to your advantage, one of the most important aspects of your business and your brand is your phone number. Seriously… Despite all of the enhancements and hoopla with new technology, your customers still need to call you. Right?
Your phone number is an integral part of your sales, marketing, and customer service initiatives.
Losing it would be devastating and potentially life-threatening to your existence. And for this reason, we want to put a spotlight on “porting” your phone number(s).
Thanks to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC requires all local exchange carriers to offer number portability; which means that you own your phone number(s) and are free to move them to the service provider of your choice.
And porting your phone numbers is how you let your provider (aka carrier) know that you intend to move to (or move away from) their service. However, it’s not as easy as simply placing a call or sending an email.
There’s a process that carriers follow that we all need to adhere to, which begins with a document referred to as a Letter of Authorization, or LOA for short.
A properly completed and executed LOA is the first step for moving your phone number(s) from one provider to another. In many cases, it involves moving away from a traditional carrier to a VoIP provider.
Yet because so many companies already have a VoIP solution in place, many times we’re moving services between VoIP providers. But for all intents and purposes, it’s the same regardless.
The point being, porting is a big deal.
And you (actually your vendor) need to get it right the first time. So how do you get it right?
You contact IDeACOM.
Porting phone and fax numbers has literally become a daily occurrence for us. Which brings me to my second point.
You don’t want to do this alone.
You can’t afford to get this wrong! You need a trusted advisor who knows how to successfully navigate the porting process and work on your behalf.
Over the years, we’ve been called in to “fix” some number porting situations gone bad. It’s something to avoid at all cost because it’s very stressful for everyone involved. Enough said…
Keep it simple and put IDeACOM’s experience to work for you. Contact us to learn more.
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