Switching guide
Switch providers. Keep your number.
We set everything up before anything moves, port your numbers for you, and ship desk phones ready to plug in if you want them. Your old service keeps working until the day it switches.
- Keep your existing numbers
- Forward first, port when you are ready
- Desk phones on request, set up before they ship
- Your call flow built with you
How switching works
Six steps. We do the ones with paperwork in them.
- Step 1
Get a quote
Tell us how many people, which numbers you have and who you are with now. A photo of your current bill is the fastest way: it has the numbers, the carrier and the account details a port needs.
- Step 2
We set it up before anything moves
Once you accept the quote we build your account: extensions, business hours, your call flow, voicemail, and the AI receptionist if you added it. Desk phones, if you asked for them, are configured for your account and shipped. You can try it all before your numbers move.
- Step 3
Forward first, if you like
Your current carrier can forward calls to Hey Quad, all of them or only the ones you miss, while the number stays where it is. Plenty of businesses run this way for a few weeks before porting.
- Step 4
Port your numbers
We file the port with your current carrier: a signed letter of authorization and a recent bill, with every detail matching their records. If they push back, it is almost always a mismatch, and we correct and resubmit the same request.
- Step 5
Switch-over day
The carriers agree a date and we tell you as soon as it is confirmed. Your old service keeps working until then, so nothing goes dark. On the day, calls and texts start arriving at Hey Quad.
- Step 6
Then cancel the old service
Only after the port reads complete. A cancelled line cannot be ported, so cancelling early is the one thing that reliably kills a port.
What to have ready for a port
Your latest bill from your current carrier. Every detail has to match their records, which is why a mismatch is the most common reason a port is rejected.
- The business or account-holder name, exactly as the bill shows it
- The person authorized to make changes on the account
- The billing telephone number, often not the number you are moving
- The account number and, if your carrier uses one, the account PIN
- The service address on the account
We generate the letter of authorization for you to sign. The full walkthrough is in the help center: connect your existing number.
Questions about switching
- Can I keep my phone number?
- Yes. Your number is yours, and moving it is called porting. We handle the paperwork with your current carrier. Toll-free numbers move by a separate process; tell us on your quote and we handle those too.
- How long does porting take?
- Across the industry a port commonly takes one to four weeks, and most of that is the current carrier reviewing the request. We cannot set their pace, so we do not promise a number of days: we tell you the confirmed switch-over date as soon as the carriers agree it, and your old service keeps working until then.
- Will my phones go quiet during the switch?
- They should not. Until the switch-over date your number stays live with your current carrier, and on the date it starts ringing at Hey Quad. If you would rather not wait, forward your calls to us first.
- I am still in a contract with my current provider.
- Tell us the end date on your quote. Porting a number away usually ends the service on it, and some providers charge for leaving early, so check your agreement before you schedule the port. We can time the switch-over for your contract end, and forward calls in the meantime.
- Do I need new desk phones?
- Not necessarily. Desk phones are available on request, configured for your account before they ship: Yealink, Polycom, Grandstream, Cisco, Fanvil or Snom. Many phones you already own that speak SIP can register too. Or skip hardware and use the browser and the Windows app.
- What do you set up for us?
- The account, your users and extensions, business hours and holidays, your first call flow and voicemail, the AI receptionist if you add it, texting registration if you text, the 911 address for each number, and desk phones if you asked for them. Then we walk your team through it on a call.
Coming from a big provider? See what each one sells on top.
Get your itemized quote.
Send us your current bill with the quote request and we will tell you what moves, what it costs at your address, and when it can switch. Written, within one business day.
Call 657-HEY-QUAD: our AI receptionist answers, takes your details and puts you through.