Why porting numbers keeps your business agile

When it comes to your business, you shop around for a price that reflects the service you want on insurance, materials, and transportation. Why not do the same for your phone service? If you’re afraid that switching providers means that you have to change phone numbers, then you have nothing to worry about. You can switch providers and keep the current number for your business. This service is known as porting numbers.

How does porting numbers work?

Porting a phone number means transferring an existing number from one phone service provider to another. It is important to understand that porting a phone number is different from forwarding. Forwarding a number means you keep the account with your current phone service provider and have the calls forwarded to a different device. With porting, the account from which the number came from is closed when the number is brought over to a new provider.

Legalities of porting business phone numbers

What many may not realise, is that by law, phone service providers must allow businesses to port phone numbers to a different provider if they wish. Unfortunately, in an effort to retain clients, phone service providers have been found in violation of number porting laws. Providers told clients they were unable to port their numbers. This is highly unlawful and providers who violate this law face fines and penalties.

What are the advantages of porting your business’s phone numbers?

The ability to port your business’s number offers numerous advantages. Let’s take a look at 3 benefits.

1. Make sure your brand stays recognisable

Over time, your business’s phone number or numbers become a part of your brand. This is especially true if you have a unique number or if you’ve had the same number for a long period of time. Changing the number that all of your clients are familiar with can:

Lead clients to believe your business has changed hands, which can create distrust.
Make clients assume your business has indeed closed.
If you decide to change phone service providers, porting your number will ensure consistency and eliminate confusion for your customers.

2. Reduce the amount of paperwork and potential communication errors

When you choose to port your business’s number, you eliminate the amount of paperwork that must be done in order to ensure all clients and suppliers have the correct number. If you take on a new number, you must change your number on:

• Invoices
• Bank statements
• Company website
• Online advertising
• Paper advertising
• Television advertising
• Business cards

The list goes on and on as to the amount of material that must be changed in order to reflect a new phone number. Making these changes costs both time and money. Porting your business’s number saves your company a substantial amount of resources.

3. Prevent competitors from capitalising on your business’s number

Just as you look at certain brands’ logos and instantly associate them with quality, the same can be said for numbers that are easily recognisable and attached to respected brands. If you choose to get a new number instead of number porting, you open the door for your competitors to take on your old number.

This means that customers may use the service of your competitors instead because they mistake your competitor for your business based on the phone number.

PORTING YOUR BUSINESS’S NUMBER TO WINDSOR TELECOM

Porting your business number to Windsor Telecom

Windsor Telecom makes porting your business’s number convenient so you can focus on other aspects of running your business.

• Make sure you do not have any outstanding charges with your current phone service provider.
• Fill out our short, one-page porting form.
• Send in the form, authorisation letter, and recent invoice from your current provider.

After you have completed these three easy steps, our team will take it from here. We will handle the porting of the requested number, activate your new account, and disconnect your old account in a timely manner. For your porting needs, please fill in the form below and one of our experienced team members will be touch with you shortly.