The short answer is yes! But each type of phone number will have a slightly different process and timeline.
Toll-Free Phone Numbers
We have good news - we can usually bring over your toll-free phone number! There will be a short process we will walk you through to contact your current texting provider and ask them to release the number. Just reach out to support by clicking the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of your screen and let us know that you want to bring your number over and we will help you in that process, which typically takes about 1-2 weeks.
Local Phone Number
We are also usually able to bring over your current local phone number. Sometimes it's important to churches that they not change phone numbers when starting a new service. Again, just reach out to support by clicking the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of your screen and we are happy to walk you through this process, which typically takes about 2-3 weeks.
However, we want to encourage you to think twice about using a local number for your church texting. While sometimes the local area code can feel appealing, you can send more messages per second on a toll-free number than a local number and your messages are more likely to get flagged as spam using a local number. Check out this article for more information.
Note: To transfer your local number to Gloo, you’ll need your current texting provider’s Account Number and PIN. If you do not know these details, please reach out to your current texting provider so that you'll be prepared to provide them as part of the porting process. You will need a compliant privacy policy on your website - reach out to support@gloo.us for the requirements!
Dedicated Short Code
Good news again! We can usually bring over dedicated short codes! In order to do this though, you must own the short code. Certain providers like Clearstream and Sinch may still be leveraging "shared short codes" where multiple organizations were able to send messages through the same code, and things were gated by different keywords. Shared short codes no longer exist, and are being phased out. Gloo does not operate any shared short codes, and you must own your own code in order to transfer it.
If you're interested, just let us know when you join the Gloo community that you want to bring your short code over and we will help you in that process. Know that in doing this, there is a risk of an interruption in service of the short code while that transfer takes place. Reach out to us by clicking the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of your screen to talk details.
Note: All Short Codes are required to have a Gloo+ membership.