Learn How To Obtain a Customer Service Record (CSR) From Your Carrier
What is a CSR?
A CSR is a copy of how your telephone records appear in the telephone company’s database. It contains information about each separate line charge (i.e. type of service, federal access charge, number portability charge, calling blocks on the line, 911 charge, etc.) that encompasses your monthly service charge on your bill.
In addition, a CSR reveals the service location of the account, the billing address, additional directory listings, PIC designations, hunting order, features that are being charged and on which line these features appear, calling plans that may include monthly charges, and taxes applied to each of the items on the record.
CSR and Porting
The information on your CSR is important for the porting process. When you initiate a port out request, your current carrier will match some of the information contained in the request with what they have on file in the CSR. If enough pieces of data match they will allow the numbers to be ported away.
Carriers have their own rules around what data is required for a match. Generally speaking they match on the following:
- The name of the business on the account
- The zip or postal code of the service address (this is often not the same as the billing address)
- The account number or the BTN/ATN of the account
Having your CSR handy before starting the porting process it the #1 way to speed up porting. Most delays in porting are caused by submitting incorrect data when initiating the porting process.
In some rare cases, we can obtain a CSR for you. Carriers are not obligated to release these to other carriers. It's always best that you obtain one directly from your current carrier.
How To Request and Obtain Your CSR
Call the customer service number or support number for your carrier. If possible, ask to speak with someone in the porting department. Clearly state to them that you'd like a copy of your CSR. Your current carrier is legally obligated to provide a CSR to you, usually within 24 hours.
Have the CSR sent to you over email. It's better to get the full details rather than only getting part of the information over the phone. Once you have your CSR, use the data provided to complete your LOA.