How to keep your number when you change telephony: moving office, a new PBX, a new provider
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
The main rule: keep the number in the company’s name, and find out in advance what the change will touch. Moving office, going from a mini-PBX to a cloud PBX or adding an AI operator usually doesn’t change the number: the provider points it to the new system. When you change provider, the number doesn’t always move, so ask both providers beforehand. Don’t switch off the old system until the new one works, switch over at a quiet time and test with calls straight away.
First, find out whose name the number is in
A number is tied to a contract with a provider. Whoever holds the contract effectively owns the number. In many small businesses the number was opened in the personal name of the owner or the first manager. If that person leaves or loses the SIM, the number customers know goes too. So before any change, check the contract and, if needed, re-register the number to the company.
Which changes touch the number
| What changes | Does the number stay? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Moving office | On IP telephony usually yes; on a plain wired line it depends on the provider | Ask the provider before the move; if needed, move the number to IP telephony |
| Mini-PBX to cloud PBX | Yes | The provider points the number to the new system |
| Adding an AI operator | Yes | The provider gives SIP details and the operator connects to the same number |
| Changing provider | Not always | Ask both providers in advance; don’t close the old contract until the new route works |
| The employee who holds the number leaves | At risk if it’s in their name | Move the number to the company’s name in advance |
The switch-over order
- Check the contract and who holds the number.
- Ask the provider exactly what can change while keeping the number, what it costs and how long it takes.
- Set up the new system in advance: extensions, hours, who answers, where calls go at night.
- Pick a quiet time to switch: for example Sunday morning, not during a promotion or ad campaign.
- Right after the switch, test: incoming from a mobile and a city number, outgoing, and a call after hours.
- Keep the old system for a week or two, so there’s a way back if something fails.
What to write down about the old system
Before the change, write the current settings down in one place, so you don’t have to work out later how things used to be:
- Every number: which provider, contract number, whose name it’s in.
- Extensions, who they belong to and the order in which calls are shared.
- Forwarding rules: when busy, when there’s no answer, after hours.
- Old call recordings: download the ones you need before the system closes.
- Greeting and voice menu texts, if you have them.
Example: moving office
The travel agency Safar Tur is moving from Chilonzor to Yunusobod. Its number has been on business cards and ads for ten years. A month before the move it asks the provider and learns that the plain wired line can’t move to the new address, but the number can be moved to IP telephony. A week before the move, IP telephony goes live and is tested in both offices. On moving day customers notice nothing. This is only an example; your provider’s terms may differ.
Adding an AI operator keeps your number
Sado’s AI operator connects to your current city or mobile number through your provider’s SIP telephony, for example Sarkor or UTeL. Customers keep calling the same number, and the operator’s outgoing calls come from it too. Sado’s team does the setup; you don’t need a developer.
To lower the risk, start in stages: first give the operator only evening and weekend calls, then widen it. More: AI operator for incoming calls, connecting your own number and questions about Sado. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
How do I find out whose name the number is in?
From the contract or your provider. If it’s in an employee’s name, ask the provider how to move it to the company, and do it before any other change.
Will calls get lost during the switch?
Very few, if the old and new systems run side by side for a while and you switch at a quiet time. Make test calls right after switching.
Will our office phones still work with an AI operator?
You choose which calls go to the operator, and it can transfer a call to a staff phone when needed. If your office has a mini-PBX, we work out the call route together with your provider and the PBX.