Switch texting providers without losing the reply

Browse practical guides →

The short version. Make continuity observable before retiring the old service. A port and a data export are separate workstreams.

Inventory what has to move

List the numbers, account administrators, active conversations, automation rules and connected systems. Record which system owns the contact ID and where customer preferences live. Obtain the current provider’s export options and the destination’s import requirements. A spreadsheet of contacts may omit messages, attachments and assignments.

Choose a small sample of active and closed conversations. Check whether exported timestamps, sender identities and files remain intelligible outside the original inbox.

Treat the number as its own project

Get written confirmation of transfer eligibility, required account details, expected interruption and rollback options. Do not cancel the old service before the providers agree on the sequence. Moving a telephone number does not establish that every messaging channel or historical thread will follow it.

Create an internal contact sheet for the people who can resolve a routing problem. Set a time when staff are available to monitor incoming replies and explain a temporary change to customers if necessary.

Prove the cutover with a small checklist

Before resuming automations, send and receive with consenting test contacts, verify the displayed sender and confirm who owns each reply. Check that suppression preferences and stopped sequences remain stopped. Keep a record of timestamps and results for the switch.

Retire the old workflow only after the team can find the migrated records and handle exceptions. Keep the export according to your business retention policy, remove obsolete access and review the first new invoice against the agreed configuration.

Sources & further reading

These provider pages were checked for this edition. Provider statements are not independent verification of performance.

Switch texting providers without losing the reply

Inventory what has to move

Treat the number as its own project

Prove the cutover with a small checklist

Sources & further reading

Keep reading