SWITCHING / KEEP THE NUMBER, REVIEW THE SERVICE
Bring the number your callers recognise into a conversation about the service you need next.
Confirm the full number, its current provider and the authorised account holder. Collect a recent service record and the information needed for a portability enquiry. A prefix alone does not prove who currently carries the number.
Check the contract term, notice requirements, outstanding commitments and any services tied to the number. Separate the caller’s cost from the charges your business pays to receive or route calls.
Set out destinations, opening hours, overflow, unavailable-team handling and reporting needs. Discuss any SIP, Teams, contact-centre or agent integration as a specific requirement, subject to technical confirmation.
Confirm transfer eligibility, costs, responsibilities and the proposed date before approving the move. A service review is not a guarantee that every number can be transferred on the same timetable or commercial basis.
Keep the existing service in place until the receiving provider confirms the appropriate sequence. Agree who monitors the cutover and who can resolve a routing or activation issue. Do not assume zero disruption without an agreed plan.
Check agreed destinations, opening-hours behaviour, the handoff to people and any reporting. Compare the result with the accepted specification and retain the service contacts for follow-up.
Porting an existing number aims to retain the number while changing the service provider. Moving from an 0845 number to a corresponding 0345 number changes what callers dial and requires eligibility and provider checks. Keep both the technical and communication plans explicit.
Ofcom describes the 034 and 037 ranges as migration routes associated with existing 084 and 087 numbers. Confirm the corresponding number and eligibility with the provider before promising customers a new contact route. Read Ofcom’s published explanation.
For the portability framework, see Ofcom’s number portability information. The receiving provider must confirm the process for your specific number; do not apply mobile PAC or residential switching timescales automatically to a business intelligent-number transfer.