What is messaging compliance on 10DLC and why does it matter to your business?
Mobile carriers now require you to register your brand, campaign, and number assignments with The Campaign Registry (TCR) before enabling SMS. The TCR is the information hub that works with carriers, messaging companies, and industry partners to establish common standards for A2P 10DLC messaging. This is required regardless of how you currently utilize SMS.
What It Is and Why It Matters
Businesses that want to send text messages to their consumers must abide by a series of compliance efforts, which will help combat text messaging spam. Communications sent via text messaging must comply with relevant laws, industry regulations, and company policies. These efforts involve monitoring and enforcing standards for content, language, timing, and distribution of messages to ensure they are appropriate and adhere to the required standards.
Who Is Impacted?
Everyone who utilizes business text messaging is impacted, regardless of volume. If you send one or thousands of text messages, you must register with TCR. Everyone who wants to send SMS messages must register; there are no exceptions. Without registration, your messages will be blocked and will not reach their intended recipients. Not all business communications service providers are helping their end-user customers with registration, but our goal is to make registration as painless as possible.
Now more than ever, it has become increasingly important for businesses to understand and comply. If your business sends outgoing single or bulk text messages, complying with 10DLC SMS and MMS regulations is crucial, as non-compliance could result in a disruption of service.
Industry Terms and Definitions
- Business messaging is what it sounds like: when businesses you purchase goods or services from send text messages to their consumers.
- SMS and MMS are used to send text messages. SMS messages are traditional texts – under 160 characters with no attachments, pictures, videos, emojis, or other media. MMS are texts that have any of the above media.
- TCR is the reputation authority for business messaging on 10DLC. The Campaign Registry (TCR) is a central hub for Application-to-Person 10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) messaging campaigns.
- 10DLC phone numbers are 10-digit phone numbers used by businesses for text messaging. They help protect brand and reputation, as well as ensure messages are communicated in a consistent and effective way.
- 10DLC messaging is a service that allows businesses to send large volumes of text messages to customers more quickly, reliably, and accurately than standard short code messaging.
- A2P is the industry descriptor for the type of messaging used by businesses (application to person).
Benefits of 10DLC
- Improved Delivery Rates: 10DLC helps ensure SMS and MMS messages deliver quickly. This is because messages sent through 10DLC are sent over dedicated A2P routes.
- Enhanced Customer Engagement: By sending messages through 10DLC, businesses are able to keep their customers aware and up to date on upcoming products, services, and promotions. Brand awareness, customer loyalty, and engagement increase as a result.
- Reduced Spam: The 10DLC solution features a range of anti-spam measures that help to ensure messages are only sent to users who have given their consent and have opted in. This helps reduce the amount of unsolicited messages being sent out, thereby improving the customer experience.
- Compliance with Regulations: 10DLC helps businesses comply with industry standards and provides clear guidelines for how to send A2P messages. This helps ensure businesses are not at risk of non-compliance and maintains positive business practices.
What are the brand tiers and how do they affect my business?
- Once a brand has been approved, carriers will place each brand in their own class or tier level based on their assessment of how trustworthy the brand is.
- Class and Tier levels will have different throughput rates and even different surcharges. The higher the brand tier, the higher the throughput rates and lower the surcharge rates.
- Repeated violations of spam or content policies can lead to lowering of the brand tier. This can drastically slow down the brand’s allowed throughput rates, as well as lead to more expensive surcharges.
Do I Need to Register 10DLC?
Yes, you need to register 10DLC in order to send outbound SMS text messages to US-based numbers.
How Do I Register 10DLC?
Call or text our support team at 877-411-2987 to get started.
What information do I need before registering?
The best way to ensure a seamless registration process is to have all your documentation at your fingertips. It’s also important to note that the approval process can take up to 30 business days. By gathering everything you need and submitting the correct information, you’ll minimize your wait time for approval.
- Verification letter—This letter will come from the IRS (U.S.) or the Canadian government and will contain the necessary information for your brand registration
- Legal entity registered name and address
- Country of registration
- EIN (US) / Business Number (Canada)
- Organization type—If your company is publicly traded, have your stock symbol registration letter from the SEC
- Company SMS phone numbers
- Proof of customer consent
- Website URL
- Messaging examples—Messaging examples include Consent, Opt-in, Opt-out, and Help
Additional Knowledge Base References:
How to Assign a User to a Phone Number and Enable SMS in PBX
