A port moves your existing phone numbers from your current carrier to Vocatech. The numbers do not change. Your callers never know anything happened.
Porting is free with Vocatech. Typical timeline is 3 to 7 business days once the paperwork is in. Most delays are not technical. They are paperwork mismatches, which are easy to avoid if you know what to check.
What a port is
Every phone number in the US is tied to a carrier in a shared database. Porting is the formal process of telling that database to point your number at a new carrier.
Your losing carrier (the one you are leaving) has to approve the transfer. They cannot block it, but they can delay it if anything on the request does not match what they have on file.
Get a CSR first
A CSR is a Customer Service Record. It is a one-page document from your current carrier listing every number on your account, the billing name, and the service address exactly as the carrier has them stored.
Call your current provider and ask for a CSR. Most will email it within a day. Send it to us. We use it to prepare the port request so the information matches on both sides.
If you cannot get a CSR, your most recent phone bill often works instead. We just need the account number, the exact billing name, and the service address.
The timeline
Once we submit the port request:
- Day 1. Request goes to the losing carrier for validation.
- Day 2 to 3. Losing carrier either accepts the request or rejects it. Rejections almost always come back with a specific reason (name mismatch, address mismatch, pending order).
- Day 3 to 6. Once accepted, a firm port date (the FOC date) is set.
- Port day. The number flips to Vocatech at the scheduled time. Usually we schedule this off-hours.
Simple ports finish in 3 to 5 business days. Larger ports (multiple numbers, hosted PBX accounts, toll-free numbers) can stretch to 7 to 10.
Cutover timing
We schedule the actual flip for a quiet window. Most customers pick after hours on the port day so the business does not lose a single call during the handoff.
You do not have to be present. Phones auto-provision. If your Polys are already on and registered at the office, the flip happens without anyone noticing.
What can go wrong
Four things cause 95% of port delays. Check all four before you start.
- Name mismatch. Your port form says "ABC Inc." but the carrier has you as "ABC Incorporated." Rejected. Match the CSR exactly, even the comma.
- Billing address mismatch. You moved and never updated the address on your phone account. Rejected. Update the address with the losing carrier first, then port.
- Pending orders. If you have a pending change on the account (a line add, a feature change, a payment dispute), the carrier blocks the port until the order clears.
- Account PIN. Mobile ports and some business accounts need a transfer PIN. Get this from the losing carrier ahead of time.
Do not cancel first
This is the one mistake that cannot be undone.
Do not cancel your old service before the port completes. Once the account is closed, the number is released, and it may not be recoverable. Keep the old account active until we confirm the port is done. Your losing carrier will stop billing you for the ported numbers automatically.
Never cancel your old carrier before the port is confirmed done. Ever.
Toll-free and special cases
Toll-free numbers port through a separate process (RespOrg change) and typically take a few extra days. Vanity numbers, numbers that have been on a parked account, and numbers tied to alarm lines all have their own wrinkles. If anything is out of the ordinary, tell us up front so we can scope the timeline.
When in doubt, call 718.395.1550 and we will walk through the specifics of your account.