In this edition of “The 8MS Advisor” we discuss:

·         What’s New at CSF – Our Re-branding Effort and New Customer Support Processes
·         Quarterly Customer Support Review Calls- New Process for 8MS Customers
·         What’s Hot in Toll Free- The Upcoming 855 Code Opening and CSF’s www.855Reserve.com
·         Discuss 8MS Platform Availability and Provide a Release Update
·         List Upcoming Events- Comptel Plus Trade Show in Dallas, and Channel Partners in DC
·         Provide 8MS Training Tips- Two Ways To Enter Numbers Into 8MS

We plan to produce between two and four newsletters per year. Please let us know what you think, and what subjects you would like to see in future editions.

Download the September version of the 8MS Advisor Newsletter

SMS/800 has informed the RespOrg community that the 855 Toll Free code will be opened on Friday, October 1, 2010, at 12:00 PM ET. csf Corporation will announce our comprehensive 855 code opening technology and service in the near future.

If you are interested in acquiring 855 toll free numbers, simply call us today at 732-356-6999 or fill out the Contact form that can be found on the top menu of this page. We will work with you to help you understand the 855 release process, and keep you up to date on the latest FCC developments.

For more about the 855 toll free code opening, see our previous blog post – more about 855 toll free numbers

855 Toll Free Number Availability

855 toll free numbers will be made available to the public in late 2010. The tentative date for release is 10/01/10.

The existing toll free number pool of  NPA’s 800, 866, 877, and 888 are nearly exhausted (per SMS/800). The current estimate for the exhaust date is 12/25/10.

Various techniques for the 855 release are still being reviewed and must be approved by the FCC. Techniques being discussed include percentage allocation of 855 numbers per RespOrg (based on the amount of active toll free numbers on the RespOrg), staggered openings (with limited 855 exchanges being opened per week), etc. We are actively participating in these industry discussions to make sure that we are fully prepared for the 855 release.

csf Corporation Can Help You Get 855 Toll Free Numbers

We have been in business for over 20 years, and we are the leading provider of SMS/800 interface products to the telecommunications industry. We help  telecommunications carriers, CLECs, cable companies, and RespOrg’s large and small to acquire and manage toll free numbers. We also have helped hundreds of end users acquire toll free numbers with our 800forall.com site. Large or small – we ethically and fairly level the playing field to help our clients acquire the toll free numbers they need.

Best Technology

We are currently enhancing our 8MS and 800forall.com software product in anticipation of the 855 code opening. We are also expanding our industry leading 8MS software suite to help our clients acquire new 855 numbers. This proven technology was used 10 years ago during the 866 code opening – working with us offers you the best chance to acquire 855 toll free numbers.

For more information – contact us today

If you are interested in acquiring 855 toll free numbers, simply call us today at 732-356-6999 or fill out the Contact form that can be found on the top menu of this page. We will work with you to help you understand the 855 release process, and keep you up to date on the latest FCC developments.

We will continue to provide updates on the 855 toll free number release here on our blog. Please check back frequently for more information, or use the RSS subscription feature so that you don’t miss any vital updates.

SMS/800 RespOrgs

Responsible Organizations access the national SMS/800 database to reserve toll free numbers for their customer and to route the numbers on the appropriate long distance carriers.

Most RespOrgs are telephone carriers or companies. Other companies that apply for RespOrg status are enhanced voice mail providers, VoIP carriers, call tracking and marketing analytics firms, or vanity number firms. Keep in mind that any company or organization that can demonstrate the required skills and financial responsibility can apply to be a Resp Org.

There is a special classification of RespOrgs called Independent RespOrgs. These are firms that manage toll free numbers for a set of clients – some of these clients may themselves be RespOrgs, and and some may be companies in the telephony industry who are not RespOrg’s themselves.

Becoming a RespOrg is a relatively easy process. As it states on the SMS/800 website you must:

1. Fill out and submit the Service Establishment Form.
2. Send your deposit to the SMS/800 Help Desk.
3. Pass the certification test.

We at csf Corporation have helped a number of companies through the process. The forms are trivial to fill out. The deposit is refunded by SMS/800 (with interest!) after one year. Many people are intimidated by the test, but we can help you prepare for the test. Most of our clients easily pass the test on the first try!

The best thing about becoming your own RespOrg is that you control your toll free numbers yourself. Your toll free numbers cannot accidentally be given away by a clerk at a carrier.

Some Independent RespOrgs claim that becoming a RespOrg is so difficult it isn’t worth pursuing. But how do you know if that Independent RespOrg will be in business tomorrow? What happens then when your critical numbers are on some other RespOrg code, and you cannot access them for days or weeks if they are tied up in some business or legal predicament?

Control of your own destiny (and toll free numbers) is the safest and easiest path.

To find out more about becoming your own RespOrg give us a call today at 732-356-6999.

The following proposal is being sent to the FCC by the industry.  It is not in place yet, but the recommendation will probably be accepted by the FCC soon.

“ATIS SNAC urges the Commission to instead limit toll free reservations by any one Resp Org to one-half of one percent (0.5%) of that Resp Org’s numbers in Working Status for the previous week, or 500 numbers, whichever is greater.  This Toll Free Number Conservation Plan should remain in place until the release of the 855 SAC.”

We don’t have any more information than this at this time. More to come!

This is a tricky question. Everybody knows who owns 1-800-Flowers. But what if a company wants to acquire a specific toll free number that is not currently in the SMS/800 spare pool? How can they find the current owner to start a possible conversation?

The first option is research. Start with Google or another search engine, and see if you can find the company via their advertising. Sometimes you can find the number because it is listed with a directory listing service. Another way to go is call the number directly and see what you can find.

Active toll free numbers are stored in SMS/800 and associated with a RespOrg. One way to see the current RespOrg for a specific toll number is to visit our http://800forall.com site. As part of 800forall we have provided a free service called “Who Owns This Number”. Enter the number at the top of the screen, hit the “Who Owns This Number” button, and we will return the RespOrg and contact number for the RespOrg.

Today our help desk started getting calls about SMS/800 updates that were showing as stuck in the Sending state.

We did a little research and checked with the SMS/800 help desk. The Canadian Service Control Point, BX01 has a small queue going.

Records in 8MS may show up with the green SCP status icon next to them -like this – in the Activity Log or CAD Management.

Clicking the SCP status icon call tell you which SCP(s) are not responding yet.

In this case the BX01 SCP has not responded yet. Updates have loaded across the rest of the United States, and calls originating from those areas are now active on your desired carrier routing.

Eventually as the Queue clears, SCP status messages will flow back to SMS/800 and 8MS and the record will correctly reflect an Active status.

If you have questions about SCP updates, or need help, simply contact us via our contact page.

Mark your calendar for the Fall Channel Partners Conference & Expo, taking place September 20-22, 2010 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington, D.C. If you register early you can save 25%.

Matt Noreen, our 8MS Product Manager will be in attendance. He will be contacting our customers and prospects to let them know he will be in the area, but he is also interested in meeting with carriers and RespOrg’s who want to streamline and automate their toll free provisioning.

If you’d like to set up some time with Matt, give him at call 732-302-0222 x6609.

They also perform an analysis to attempt to predict an exhaust date. In detail they have reported:

“A statistical analysis performed in February 2010, relying on data from August 1997 to January 31, 2010, indicates the current pool of Toll Free numbers will exhaust in second quarter 2014. The forecast also indicates that the 90% threshold of the current pool, or 28,629,000 Toll Free numbers in use, will be reached in fourth quarter 2011. Toll Free number utilization will continue to be monitored and the forecast will be updated as required.

Toll Free number growth has risen significantly since the statistical forecast was conducted.  If usage continues at the same level as the average growth rate for the last six (6) weeks, the estimated exhaust date for the current Toll Free number pool is as follows:

(A) Total Spare Numbers  = 4,180,559
(B) Average Growth/Week  = 82,859
(C) Spare/Average Growth = 50 Weeks (estimated exhaust date of 04/02/11)”

A problem like this is normally beyond the control of 8MS. You should call the SMS Help Desk to report this and SMS support will investigate the problem.