Clinic Fax Number Onboarding Guide
Learn how to connect your clinic's existing published fax numbers into Intelligent Office Suite with zero downtime, full carrier porting, or instant virtual provisioning.
Option 1: Call Forwarding
Keep existing telecom carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast). Dial *72 to route faxes instantly.
Option 2: Number Porting (LOA)
Transfer legal ownership to Sinch or Twilio. Submit LOA + utility bill to cancel legacy analog charges.
Option 3: Dedicated Virtual DID
Provision a fresh local number on Sinch or Twilio dedicated strictly for digital clinical referrals.
Option 1: Instant Call Forwarding (Zero Downtime)
Call Forwarding is the quickest and most popular way to onboard an existing clinic fax number. You retain your current phone provider (such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast Business, or Spectrum) while routing incoming faxes straight into Intelligent Office Suite's AI ingestion pipeline.
How It Works:
- Your office maintains its public marketing fax number (e.g.
(555) 100-2000). - In OfficeSuite, configure an Inbound Virtual Routing DID provisioned from your Sinch or Twilio carrier account (e.g.
(555) 987-6543). - Set up unconditional call forwarding from your physical fax line to the Virtual Routing DID.
- All incoming faxes dial your existing published number, transparently forward to the routing DID, and land in your Fax Inbox with AI triage.
Carrier Star Activation Codes
To activate unconditional call forwarding, plug a standard analog telephone handset into your physical fax wall jack and dial the carrier star code followed by your 10-digit Inbound Routing DID:
| Telecom Carrier | Activation Code | Deactivation Code | Portal Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Business | *72 + [Routing DID] | *73 | Business Voice Portal > Call Forwarding Always |
| Verizon Business | *72 + [Routing DID] | *73 | Verizon One Talk / Voice Portal |
| Comcast / Xfinity Business | *72 + [Routing DID] | *73 | Business VoiceEdge Portal > Forward All Calls |
| Spectrum Business / Charter | *72 + [Routing DID] | *73 | Spectrum Business Voice Manager |
| Frontier Communications | *72 + [Routing DID] | *73 | Account Center > Call Handling |
| CenturyLink / Lumen | *72 + [Routing DID] | *73 | Control Center > Unconditional Forwarding |
Testing Your Forwarded Line
After dialing *72, send a test fax to your primary published number. Verify that the incoming document arrives in your Fax Inbox within 30–60 seconds.
Option 2: Carrier Number Porting (LOA)
Number Porting transfers the legal carrier ownership of your existing fax number directly to your Sinch or Twilio account. This allows you to eliminate the monthly charge of your legacy copper/analog telephone line while keeping your existing clinic number forever.
Your existing telephone service must remain active during the porting process. If you cancel your phone service with your current carrier before the port completes, your phone number will be released back to the telecom pool and lost permanently.
Required Documentation for Porting
To submit a port request to Sinch or Twilio, gather the following documents:
- Letter of Authorization (LOA): A signed form authorizing the carrier transfer with the exact legal business name and authorized representative signature.
- Copy of Recent Bill (COB): A billing statement from your current carrier dated within the last 30 days showing:
- Billing Telephone Number (BTN)
- Customer Account Number
- Service Address (matching carrier records)
- Carrier PIN / Passcode: Required by wireless/cable providers (Comcast, Spectrum, AT&T) to release the number.
- Customer Service Record (CSR): Optional but recommended from your losing carrier to ensure exact spelling match of company name and street address.
Step-by-Step Porting Process
Step 1: Submit Port Request
Log into your Sinch Dashboard (Numbers > Porting) or Twilio Console (Phone Numbers > Port & Host). Enter the numbers to port and upload your signed LOA and latest bill.
Step 2: Carrier Validation & FOC Date
The losing carrier validates the request within 3–5 business days and issues a Firm Order Confirmation (FOC) date when the transfer will occur.
Step 3: Zero-Downtime Transition
On the FOC date, telecom routing switches over in under 60 seconds. In OfficeSuite, navigate to Settings > Fax Numbers, click Fetch Numbers, and select your newly ported line.
Option 3: Dedicated Virtual DID Provisioning
If your clinic wants a clean slate or a dedicated line exclusively for digital referrals, imaging requests, and diagnostic reports, you can provision a brand new local area code virtual DID directly through your carrier.
Advantages of a Dedicated Virtual Line:
- Instant Activation: Provisioned and operational in under 2 minutes.
- Zero Hardware: No physical analog telephone lines, paper machines, or toner maintenance.
- Automated AI Webhook: OfficeSuite automatically registers the inbound fax webhook on Sinch or Twilio upon saving.
- Location Mapping: Assign dedicated branch numbers to Downtown, North Clinic, or Westside facilities.
How to Provision in OfficeSuite
- Ensure your Sinch or Twilio integration is connected and active in Settings > Integrations.
- In your Sinch or Twilio carrier console, purchase a new local phone number with Fax capabilities.
- In Intelligent Office Suite, navigate to Settings > Fax Numbers and click Add Fax Number Line.
- Click Fetch Numbers to automatically discover and select your new carrier DID.
- Click Save Fax Number Line. OfficeSuite immediately configures the carrier webhook endpoint via REST API.