Managed Porting Handbook

Updated: 09/11/2024

Objective

Assisting our Reseller or Resale partners and Direct Customers with the porting process and giving guidance on when and how to get numbers ported over.

Applies To

  • US Reseller or Resale Partners
  • Number Porting

Procedure

Use the following guides and links to help you through the porting process to ensure the most success when porting with 8x8.
Do not raise Porting Assist cases from within PartnerXchange!

Before the Port

  • Use the Number Transfer Tool on 8x8’s website to confirm the portability of the customer’s phone numbers.
  • Ensure that there are sufficient licenses in the PBX to port the numbers into (i.e., X Series, Additional Number, or Toll Free Number licenses).
  • Make sure you have a list of all the numbers that you intend to port and a copy of the customer's bill. A CSR from each carrier is also recommended to have on hand and may be required for some port requests.
  • Decide which path you would like to take: Self-Service or Managed.
    • For Self-Service Porting, submit a port request in Admin Console. Up to 999 numbers are allowed per request. There is no charge for this service. The desired port date can be specified. Updates will be available in Admin Console and communicated via email. Most rejections can be fixed with self-service, but some require assistance from an LNP agent. Self-service porting is only available for numbers in the US. Use the Managed Porting options for all other countries. The standard SLA is 7-10 business days for a submission under 50 numbers and 15-21 business days for over 50, assuming all the information is submitted correctly. Once the port date is gained, port time is 11:30 a.m. EST.
    • Use Managed Porting to have an 8x8 porting specialist manage the entire porting process. Order the Managed Local Number Porting SKU in PartnerXchange. The cost is $5/number with a $50 minimum charge.
      • 1-10 numbers is a minimum of $50 dollars (flat fee). More than 10 numbers is $5 dollars per number.
    • A welcome message with instructions will be sent once the order is placed. For larger requests the standard SLA is 15-21 business days from submission assuming all the information is submitted correctly but can depend on complexity. Once a port date is gained ports can be scheduled between 5:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. PST. Managed Porting is only available for US and Canadian local and toll-free numbers. Managed porting is included in paid Implementation Services.

Submitting the Port

Depending on the service you opt for, we offer different guidance for port submission.
Self-Service Porting
Self-service or automated ports have some restrictions. If these guidelines are not followed, the port request will be delayed or canceled.
  • For automated porting, you must split orders based on the following criteria:
    • Each port request must only have one area code and prefix (first 6 digits of a phone number).
    • Each port request must only have one carrier.
  • The date you select is the "earliest requested date." The actual transfer date may happen on or after that date.
  • Follow this guide for how to Submit a Port Request in Admin Console
    • You can call into LNP at 1-888-898-8733 and select option 1 and than 4 for porting assistance
    • You can also contact Partner Xperience for assistance 
Managed Porting
  • A case will be created for our managed porting team if you purchase outside of deployment once you sign off the SKU. Cases are generated within 24 hours after purchasing and then 48 hours for the managed porting to assign.
  • If you have ordered a paid implementation SKU, a Managed porting case will not be created. Instead, you will work with the Implementation or Deployment agent to gather the appropriate documents and information.
  • Contact your sales rep or channel account manager to engage the managed porting team to create this case if you will not be working with an Implementation rep and will self-deploy, as they will need to engage the managed porting team to start the process.
  • After we have a case and it has been assigned, If we do not hear back from you within a few weeks (the agent will attempt to contact you over this time frame), we will place the case in a status of pending your response. If it remains in this state for 5 days, the case will close out. If this happens and you would like to re-engage on a paid porting engagement, email managedporting@8x8.com with the case number and details and we can clone/reopen the case.
What do we need to complete Managed Porting?
  • The following documentation:
  • Come up with an ideal date for the numbers to transfer over. Most Number Transfer Projects take between 15 and 21 business days. Keep in mind that while we will try our best, we cannot guarantee any port date until we get confirmation from your carrier.
Managed Porting Agent Response SLAs and Escalation Path
  • Initial Contact SLA: 2 business days (typically within 1 business day)
  • Inquiry response: 2 business days (typically within 1 business day)
If these SLAs are exceeded or you have an escalated situation, you can follow the escalation path below.
  1. Reach out to your port coordinator directly via the case.
  2. Call LNP at 1-888-898-8733 and select option 1 and than 4.
  3. Email managedporting@8x8.com (make sure to include the case number and account name).
  4. Contact Vanessa Robles (LNP Regional Manager). Email: managedporting@8x8.com.
  5. Escalate your case via the Partner portal.
If a case is resolved due to no response, a new case will need to be created once you are ready to start porting. Follow the escalation path and email us to get a new case going. Provide the closed case for reference. We can not keep cases open until you are ready to port due to case load.
If you case has closed and you need to start a new site or port additional numbers after a case has been completed mail managedporting@8x8.com and provide the closed case and ask that we create a new case for a new site.
  • Include the order number to verify that you have purchased Managed Porting for the new site.
 We can not keep cases open until you are ready to port due to case load.

Tracking the Port

Depending on which service you order, the tracking of your status can be quite different.
Self-Service Porting
  • You can Check the Status of a Port Request in Admin Console.
  • If you submit a port request and have selected a requested date within 7 days of the submission, you may not get notified that the transfer date was confirmed until the night before.
  • It is not uncommon to get a transfer date after the requested date.
  • You will get an email from noreply@8x8.com when either.
    • A port fails, with instructions on how to resolve the issue.
    • A transfer date is gained, instructing you on what the date is, and what to do on the date of port.
  • Contacting LNP Team for your self-submitted ports.
    • Call LNP at 1-888-898-8733 and select option 4.
    • Escalate your case via the Partner portal.
Managed Porting
Port requests are often processed on the backend before they are submitted into Admin Console. While the assigned agent will keep you updated, you can either reach out to the agent via email or by posting on the case.

Day of Port

Numbers porting over can often be stressful, check out these tips for common ways to make it easier.
Timing
  • Most self-service ports happen between 3:00 to 5:00 a.m. PST; however, in some rare cases, they can complete as late as 3:00 p.m. PST that day. We are not able to accept requested times for self-service porting.
  • Managed Porting time frame is Monday through Friday 5am till 3 pm pst
  • Expedites Managed Porting: If you need a date sooner than one that is 15-21 days out , once we gain a port date you will need to agree to the expedite fee ($75-$300 per number) and provide us the earlier date. We will ask your sales rep to send out an invoice and also proceed with the expedite request. Be advised that expedites are just requests and the losing provider can deny the request.
  • On Day of FOC agent will enable the port at the time requested and can take up to 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
    • Depending on complexity or amount of numbers port completion can take some time to complete.
Notifications 
  • You will receive an email once the number transfer process completes. With Managed ports, the agent assigned will test a portion of your numbers to verify there are no issues with the port.
    • With self-service porting, that email will come via a system-generated email. For managed ports, your porting coordinator will inform you that the transfer is complete, in some cases, you may still get the system-generated emails as well.
Agents are completing multiple orders and will not inform you when the enablement starts and provide updates (unless there is issues) 
Common Configuration Issues
  • Numbers not assigned: Any numbers that are not assigned to a user or service will ring busy until they are assigned.
  • Auto attendant ringing busy: The most common reasons for auto attendants ringing busy after the port are due to a greeting not being set up. Check the Business hours, after hours, lunch, and alternate menus to ensure there is a greeting for each.
Common Carrier Issues
  • Calls from the losing carrier still route to the old carrier: They may still have a record of the phone number on the former provider. We recommend contacting the losing carrier and requesting a scrub if this goes on for more than a few hours.
  • Calls from a mobile carrier still route to the old carrier: It often takes time for the translations to propagate. Try again with a different carrier, or wait a few minutes. If this issue is experienced for more than a few hours, we recommend contacting the losing carrier and requesting a scrub.