Transfer your existing phone number to Nova

Bring the business number your customers already know into Nova by submitting a transfer request with your current carrier details, then uploading the signed letter of authorization and a recent bill.

In the sidebar, open Settings, then choose Phone Lines under Communications. The page address is /settings/communications/phone-numbers. Transfer Number is at the top right of the list, and open requests are listed under Transfer requests above the lines.

Before you start

• Your role needs permission to create phone transfer requests.
• Have a recent bill from your current carrier. You need the account holder's name exactly as the carrier has it and, if you have them, the Billing telephone number, the Account number and the Account PIN / passcode.
• Keep the number active with your current carrier until the transfer is Live. Cancelling early can make the transfer fail.
• A transfer takes days, not minutes. The request shows where it is: Started, Pending, Approved, Carrier, then Live.

Steps

1. Press Transfer Number. The Transfer Number drawer opens.
2. Type the Number to transfer, the Current carrier and the Account holder name.
3. Fill in the Billing telephone number, Account number and, if the carrier uses one, the Account PIN / passcode.
4. Under Service address, enter the address the carrier has on file. Set the mode to Search to look it up, Existing to copy a branch or organization address, or Manual to type it in.
5. Under Authorized contact, give the Name and Email (and a Phone if you can) of the person who can sign the letter of authorization and answer questions.
6. Under Destination setup, type the Display name the line will have in Nova and pick a Branch if it belongs to one. Under Authorized users, choose who will use the line; you are chosen already, and Add me puts you back if you removed yourself.
7. Leave Voice and SMS / messaging on under Capabilities needed unless you only need one. Activation defaults holds recording, routing and voicemail choices for the new line; the recommended ones are already set.
8. Add any Notes for the Nova team, such as timing you need to avoid.
9. Press Submit and continue. Nova opens the Transfer request at Checklist and uploads. Drop the signed letter of authorization and the bill onto their checklist items, and any other files under Other supporting files.

What you see

• Each request under Transfer requests shows its number, status and how many required uploads are still missing. Press it to open the request.
• The open request shows its progress, your details (locked once the Nova team starts reviewing) and Comments and timeline, where you reply with Post comment.
• Once the transfer is Live, the request shows Live number and Manage line, and the number appears in the Phone Lines list with the name, branch and users you chose. If you turned off Activate on completion, the line arrives switched off. Set voicemail and forwarding like any other line; see Set up who answers a phone line and where calls go.
• Until then, nothing changes for callers; your current carrier keeps handling the number.

If something looks different

• A finished, rejected or cancelled request is missing from Transfer requests: the list shows open requests only. Open Filters and set Transfer requests to Show all requests.
• The request shows Rejected: the carrier or the Nova team turned it down, usually because a name, address or account number did not match. Read the reason on the request, then press Transfer Number and submit a new request with the corrected details.
• You need to stop a transfer: open the request, choose a Cancellation reason such as Timing changed or Staying with current carrier, press Cancel request, then Confirm cancellation.
• Transfer Number is missing: your role cannot create transfer requests. Ask your admin.

Open Phone Lines