Getting started and switching · For businesses evaluating 3CTel
Can I test the system before my number moves?
Yes. Every 3CTel system is configured on a temporary number before your existing number is ported. You call in from any phone, hear the greetings, navigate the main menu, confirm that ring groups reach the right people and that voicemail arrives by email. Staff sign in to the apps and place calls. Changes are made until it works the way you want.
Step by step.
Receive the temporary number
Once the build is done, your specialist gives you a temporary number that behaves exactly as your main number will after the port.
Call in as a customer
Use a cell phone. Listen to the greeting, press menu options, and confirm each one lands where you expect.
Have staff sign in
Ask everyone to install the desktop or mobile app, sign in and call each other by extension. Fix any missing users now.
Test edge cases
Let a call ring out to voicemail, call outside business hours, and try a transfer. Check the voicemail email arrives with a transcript.
Send feedback
Tell your specialist what to change. Menus, greetings, ring order and hours are adjusted quickly.
Approve the port date
When testing is complete, confirm the date for your number to move. Until then, your current provider keeps answering.
What to listen for
- Is the greeting the right length and does it mention the options in the order callers expect?
- Do calls to a department ring the right people, and for how long before voicemail?
- Does the after-hours message set expectations about when you will call back?
- Is the hold music acceptable, and is the volume consistent between greeting and music?
- Does caller ID show the temporary number now, and will it show your real number after the port?
Using the temporary number for real
Some businesses use the temporary number for outbound calls right away, so staff get used to the apps before the switch. Others share it with a few regular customers as a soft launch. Either is fine. After the port, the temporary number can be released or kept as an extra line if it is useful.
Testing without a port at all
If you are starting a new business or adding a new line, there is no port. The temporary number can simply become your permanent number, or you can pick a number in your preferred area code and go live once testing is complete.
Related questions.
How long can I test?
Testing continues until you approve the port date. There is no fixed limit, and nothing is billed before activation, so you can take the time you need to get the routing right and train staff.
Can I test with desk phones too?
Yes. Desk phones are shipped configured for your system and register to the temporary number setup. Testing on the actual handsets is the best way to check audio, headsets and Ethernet cabling before the switch.
Will callers to my real number notice anything during testing?
No. Your real number stays with your current provider and behaves exactly as it always has while you test. Only calls to the temporary number reach the new system, so customers see no change until the port completes on the date you approve.
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