Porting numbers for Zendesk Talk

If you have an existing phone number that you use for support calls, you might be able to port this number to our Talk phone service provider, Twilio.

This article contains the following topics:

• Before you start
• Information to submit when porting a number
• What to expect after your request
• Porting a number out of Zendesk Talk

Before you start

To get this process started, we need some information from you about your current number and your provider. Before initiating a port request with us, keep the following in mind:

• You must be a paid subscriber to Zendesk Talk for us to port a number. We can't port numbers for customers on a trial subscription. We are unable to make exceptions to this.
• We can port most US and Canada phone numbers. Outside of those countries, porting is handled on a case-by-case basis and is not guaranteed. However, our team is happy to work with our partner to attempt porting any number that Zendesk Talk currently supports. Just send us the information requested below and we'll see what we can do!
• Porting US and Canada numbers can take between one and four weeks. Other numbers can take 6 or more weeks, its always a good idea to check with Twilio for the specific porting timeline. During the process, consider forwarding calls from your current provider to a phone number in your Zendesk Talk instance to provide a smooth transition.
• Once a porting date is set by Twilio, changing it can be difficult and cause potential issues. Don't initiate ports until you are ready.
• Notify your current carrier to not disconnect the number until you tell them it's OK.
• Japanese numbers with the prefix +813 cannot be ported into Talk.

Note: External numbers for outbound calls is a feature only available on the Talk Professional and Enterprise plans.

Information to submit when porting a number

When you are ready to port your number, send an email to [e-mail] with the following information:

Note: We recommend not initiating the port until your go-live date to prevent porting early -- but can, at your request, initiate before that. Although you can request a go-live date. it's possible that your number could be ported in before this date. Note that we cannot choose a day and time for the port to happen but can often ask that a port is delayed until a certain date.

• The phone numbers you want like to port.
• The phone carriers for the numbers.
• Does the carrier use Twilio?
• The country for the phone number.
• Your most recent billing statement for the number.
• If you are porting a US-based number, include this Twilio Letter of Authorization form. If you are porting from a different country, our team will reach out to you for any additional forms we may need
• If you are moving a number from another Twilio-based carrier and have your Twilio SID from the current carrier, please also include that. If you are moving from a current Zendesk account to a different Zendesk account, give us the subdomain the number is currently on and the one it is being moved to.
• If the number to be ported is a cellphone number, you'll need to submit your account details and PIN number in the porting request

What to expect after your request

We will keep you up to date throughout the porting process. We might reach out to you to obtain additional documentation or information if specific countries have different requirements. If at any point in the process you have questions, let us know.

Porting a number out of Zendesk Talk

Timeline: Zendesk is not in control of the timeline of port-out requests, this is controlled by the gaining provider. 

If you want to move your Zendesk Talk number to another provider for any reason, you can email us for guidance. Typically this is initiated on the gaining providers side first, and we automatically approve (if your account is in good financial standing) when your gaining provider attempts to move the number from Zendesk Talk.