Phone Numbers: They're Not As Important As We Think

MY PHONE NUMBER MIGHT CHANGE?!

    We get it. A phone number is like our trusty sidekick. We’ve had it for ages, it’s familiar, and we’re worried about losing it. But here’s the thing: phone numbers are having a midlife crisis.

Behaviors & Technology of Yesteryear

    Remember the days when people memorized phone numbers? When we’d proudly recite our digits to anyone who asked? Those days are as gone as dial-up internet. Today, our phone number is more like a social security number – important, but not something we shout from the rooftops. It's meta. Background information that's needed, yet don't actively think anything about.

    To highlight a security vulnerability within an example of old vs. new: Some might still be using a Rolodex. One could use their phone's camera to video record flipping through them all while the office was vacant, and now all that data was stolen in less than 30 seconds. Extremely insecure and obsolete means of storing data, today.

    As we trade in our old, clunky phone system for a shiny new one called 8x8, think of it as upgrading from a rotary phone to a smartphone, or emailing a PDF instead of sending a fax. Upgrades! Better service and options, for less money. With 8x8, our phone can go wherever we go. It’s like giving our phone a jetpack! Plus, 8x8 can be customized in TONS of ways!

Embracing New Thinking

    We know some numbers are sentimental, and we’re doing our best to transfer as many as possible. ESPECIALLY main/primary phone numbers that represent a larger entity. But let’s be real: How often do callers actually dial a phone number from memory these days? How often do WE forego the touch of a saved contact in lieu of manually dialing a phone number?

    Our contacts probably have a contact for us saved on their systems just like we have one of them in ours (a computer, Outlook, a cell phone). And if they don’t, they’ll find us on Google, LinkedIn, our website, etc. Then, they'll manually dial and probably save/update the contact in the same action. Just like we do.

    We know we need the correct phone number, but we never care what the number actually is. We're not dialing from memory anymore, nor are we manually dialing – and if we do, it's rarely if ever manually repeated. We save the contact, and forget the meta.

Moving On

    While we will work diligently to keep our existing numbers (because it's preserving history, too), don’t stress if a few "slip through the cracks." Should this happen, we know it'll be linked to the numbers being mismanaged in the past, and we're no longer using that vendor. Akin to losing a favorite pair of socks or favorite pair of glasses – very annoying, but business must go on!

    Simply email old contacts and new, as best you can, a heads up that your number has changed from the long time 405-NXX-YYYY to a new 405-NXX-ZZZZ. They'll update their contact for you, and move on with business -- thinking nothing more of it, ever.

When Will I Know If My Temporary 8x8 Phone Number Becomes Permanent

    The porting/transfer process will be submitted in bulk once the heft of transitions have been completed. This process takes a few weeks. During that process, the number we're requesting for port/transfer is simultaneously linked to your temporary 8x8 number/account. If successful, all automatically updates! Nothing extra needs to be done by you or IT.

    Should one fail, that is when we'll know the number was not managed carefully and your 8x8 number becomes permanent. That is when we'll know websites/printed stock (eg: business cards) need updated. That is when we'll know it's time to email contacts a heads up that your number has changed from the long time 405-NXX-YYYY to a new 405-NXX-ZZZZ.

    We then ask our old provider to cancel all remaining phone numbers except those tied to a building's fire alarm/building alarm/HVAC alerting/Chiller alerting, etc. Those systems require the kind of phones they already have, and need to remain exactly how they are. However, that is when the money-saving begins. This means our old services stay active, overlapping our new services by design until the last possible second.

Focus On What's Ahead

   Focusing on what we cannot control instead of what we can control is not a healthy, forward-thinking attitude. Instead, we will take what tools and benefits we're getting out of this transition and not focus on numbers we might lose. Because as we think deeper about it: nobody cares what the phone number actually is anymore.

   There are tons of exciting possibilities with 8x8. We can work from anywhere, make and take calls from our computer, browser, smartphone, and even use it for virtual video meetings instead of Teams.

    Embrace the future of phones. Our phone number could change in the transition, but our ability to connect with clients and colleagues is about to level up! ✨