Microsoft Teams has a great setup for phone VoIP (Voice-over Internet Protocol) systems. Many companies today utilize this functionality to make their call center processes simpler and more user-friendly. The trickiest part about the setup is when phone numbers need to be ported to Teams from an existing phone carrier. Here are important things to remember when submitting a port order into Microsoft Teams, so the process is smooth and effective.
Most of the information required in the port order is straightforward, but here are some insights on some of the more confusing fields.
Requested transfer date - Just because you select a date and time in this field doesn’t mean the phone numbers will be ported that day. There are several factors that could delay the port date, the most common reason being the losing carrier not wanting to let the phone numbers go.
BTN (Billing Telephone Number) – This is a phone number that is currently activated on the losing carrier’s side, not a phone number that’s already ported to Teams.
Account number/PIN – These are not required fields but having them filled out helps speed up the port process.
Letter of Authorization (LOA) – You can’t submit the port order until you’ve uploaded a signed LOA, but you can fill out everything in the order beforehand. You can save the order without submitting it first, then come back once you have the signed document ready to upload.
User vs. Resource Account Licensing
User Numbers – For users who will have one of the newly ported phone numbers assigned to their Teams account, they need to have a calling plan – Domestic Calling Plan, Teams Phone Standard, International Calling Plan, etc. - and a license that includes Teams and SharePoint (like Microsoft Business Standard). The calling plan license is dependent on users having Teams and SharePoint.
Resource Accounts – The only license a resource account needs is the Microsoft Teams Resource Account license, which you can get for free.
The Trouble with Losing Carriers
It’s possible a losing carrier will resist having the phone numbers ported over to Teams. The Microsoft Support team will reach out to the losing carrier and let them know they need to release the phone numbers. They might need you to send a recent billing statement and a Customer Service Record from the losing carrier. This proves that phone numbers are currently activated in the losing carrier’s environment. The best practice is to have that documentation ready before submitting the port order.
Once Microsoft has that documentation, they will be able to prove to the losing carrier that the phone numbers are theirs and they need to be released for the port. Depending on how agreeable the losing carrier is, this could take anywhere between a few days to a few weeks to sort out. It’s also possible the carriers are subcontracting their numbers, which would further complicate the process and may require multiple porting requests.
Toll-free Phone Numbers
Toll-free numbers are ported over the same way as regular numbers. However, the similarities end there. Once toll-free numbers are in your Teams environment, they require different licensing and setup to function.
Ready to Get Started?
JourneyTEAM has lots of experience setting up VoIP systems, including submitting and monitoring port orders. Please reach out with any setup questions!