SMS Software

10DLC Compliance: Step-by-Step Guide [2024 Playbook]

Text messaging or SMS remains the easiest way to reach your customers. However, if you are a US business, it’s mandatory to comply with A2P 10DLC rules to avoid penalties from wireless carriers and improve your delivery rates.

A2P 10DLC Compliance: What is it?

What does 10dlc stand for?

10DLC (10 Digit Long Codes) represents a new framework of regulations about business-to-individual text messaging, established and governed by The Campaign Registry (TCR). At its core, this compliance model mandates that businesses send text messages exclusively to individuals who have consented to receive such communications.

What is A2P?

Application to Person messaging or A2P messaging is when businesses use a platform to send different kinds of messages to their customers. US carriers have established A2P messaging channels such as 10DLC, short codes, and toll-free numbers that can be used as an authorized pathway to deliver messages.

To reduce the volume of spam messages received by customers, major US cell carriers, including T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, have introduced new guidelines surrounding A2P 10DLC services.

Besides reducing spam, complying with A2P 10DLC regulations helps to reduce the risk of your business messages being blocked by carriers. This compliance also improves the reputation and effectiveness of your messaging efforts.

To apply for A2P 10DLC compliance, you’ll require the following:

  • Brand Verification: Businesses must identify who they are to their carrier networks.
  • Campaign Registration: Businesses must register what type of messages they send to end users, such as discount offers or OTPs.

Note: The A2P 10DLC currently doesn’t affect any toll-free numbers.

Frequently asked questions about 10DLC

1) Why do I need 10DLC?

With 10DLC, you can offer a more personalized experience using local numbers. A 10DLC number supports all messages, including transactional and promotional, and can feature any USA area code. The 10-digit phone number also allows businesses to activate two-way messaging, where customers can message the brand back. If you already have a long local code, you can request to enable the same local code for 10DLC.

2) What are the benefits of 10DLC?

Here are some of the benefits of using a 10-digit number to send different marketing messages:

  • 10DLCs consist of local and recognizable area codes, making the numbers familiar and more personable.
  • Registering a 10DLC number costs less, and the monthly maintenance fees are around $15.
  • These numbers offer higher throughput, ensuring faster and more reliable delivery.
  • You can use 10DLC numbers to message or receive texts from customers in countries other than Canada.
  • 10DLCs support conversational texting, making them ideal for customer support interactions.

Book a demo with JustCall today to enhance your text messaging throughput using 10DLC numbers.

3) Why can I not use short codes?

A short code is a five or six-digit phone number built for high-volume text messaging. Businesses can use a short code to share text updates, promotions, and reminders with their consumers at scale.

  • Short codes are expensive to lease, and this doesn’t include A2P messaging platforms that will manage your SMS campaigns.
  • The approval process is lengthier than that of a 10DLC number. The CTIA commissions 3rd party organizations to verify legal history, EINs (Employee Identification Numbers), opt-in procedures, etc. This requires further testing with each mobile carrier, which can take months.
  • Short codes are not voice-enabled.
  • They are built only for one-way message blasts. Simple replies like ‘Yes’ or ‘JOIN’ are applicable, but a short code is not built for conversations like customer support chat.

4) Will toll-free numbers not work for SMS campaigns?

Toll-free numbers are 10-digit numbers beginning with an 800 area code. These customizable numbers can send text messages without incurring additional wireless carrier fees. Ideal for mid-to-high volume campaigns, toll-free numbers also offer a straightforward way to integrate SMS into your customer engagement strategy.

However, there are some limitations to toll-free numbers compared to 10DLC:

  • The throughput rates for toll-free numbers are generally lower than those for short codes.
  • The deliverability of campaigns is lower than with dedicated short codes or 10-digit phone numbers.
  • To avoid a daily messaging cap (2,000 messages/month) and strict filtering by wireless carriers, you must register your toll-free number, a process that can take up to 4 to 5 weeks

Benefits of A2P 10DLC  messaging and compliance?

10DLC messaging compliance is a win-win for both the customers and your business.
If compliant:

  • Your messaging throughput is enhanced so that you can enjoy ample deliverability and its results.
  • Your business has an identity for all messaging campaigns, aiding brand visibility. Your customers now recognize you, which fosters familiarity and trust.
  • You can scale your messaging campaigns easily.
  • Lastly, since the first three digits of your 10DLC number are the area code, this further solidifies your business’s local presence.

What happens if you fail to register for A2P 10DLC compliance?

If your business or campaign doesn’t register for 10DLC SMS compliance, you may face the following penalties:

Message filtering or blocking:

Messages from unregistered sources may be filtered or blocked by mobile network operators. This could prevent your campaign from reaching subscribers on time.

Service suspension:

Without ‘brand verification,’ mobile network operators may suspend A2P messaging services, hindering customer communication.

Fines and penalties:

Regulatory bodies and mobile network carriers may impose fines on brands that fail to comply with A2P 10DLC regulations. The severity of the violation will determine the penalty.

How to get 10DLC compliance?

The Campaign Registry (TCR)

The Campaign Registry is the official third-party platform that manages your 10DLC registrations. It provides insights into the source and content of messages, enabling mobile carriers to deliver a more dependable and straightforward messaging service for Campaign Service Providers (CSPs) and brands.

Some of the terms that you might come across when registering your business or campaign at TCR are:

BrandCampaign Service ProviderDirect Connect AggregatorMobile Network Operator
Brands are businesses that will be sending messages to their end users.A Campaign Service Provider (CSP) is the principal user of The Campaign Registry (TCR). They collaborate with various brands to develop and initiate SMS messaging campaigns.DCAs, like JustCall, are businesses directly linked to a Mobile Network Operator (MNO) Gateway and are responsible for sending messages on behalf of its clients.A Mobile Network Operator (T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.) provides connectivity to the end users.

What is a campaign use case?

Campaigns refer to the various types of messages that brands can send to their end-users. These messages can be transactional, promotional, public service announcements, political, etc.

There are a few different categories:

Standard campaign use casesStandard use cases include 2FA (Two-factor Authentication), delivery notifications, OTP generation, security alerts, etc.
Low-volume mixed campaign use caseIt is similar to the standard campaign use cases but usually comes with a lower monthly fee and is fixed at the lowest throughput tier despite the Trust Score.
Non-profits and emergency use casesThese include Charity / 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, Emergency Services, and Political use cases.

Trust Score, it matters!

The Trust Score is like a reputation parameter for your brand. It is a scoring system for your business in which you are rated between 0 to 100. The higher you get, the better it is for your marketing campaigns.

So what can you get from your ‘Trust Score?’

A low score will give you 10000 texts per day. A medium grants you 40000 texts, and a high will grant 200,000 texts per day.

Your chances of getting a ‘High’ score are significantly elevated if you get a ‘secondary vetting’ of a brand. If you do not opt for secondary vetting, chances are you will only be granted 2000 texts per day across all campaigns.

Note: Secondary vetting can take up to 4 working days to complete.

Things you need for Brand Verification for A2P 10DLC compliance

When filing for an A2P 10DLC compliance, you will need to keep the following information handy:

  • Company EIN or the Federal Tax Identification Number. (Do not submit your DUNS number. A DUNS number is unacceptable for US companies creating A2P brand registrations.)
  • Company legal name. This must be the same as the registered entity’s legal name. You can use an EIN lookup service to find the exact legal name.
  • DBA name or ‘doing business as’ name. (This differs from the company’s legal name.)
  • Contact details include phone number, email, address, and business website details.
  • Industry and legal formation of the company, whether a nonprofit, government entity, private company, or public company.

Just Call Gems: If your brand is a political committee, a campaign verification token will be required from TCR.

  • Consent to receive messages: Your end users must consent to receive texts from your business. This consent can be secured verbally, digitally, or in person. Your phone scripts or initial texts should include a consent request, especially reminder messages. While consent from your users is only required once, you will need to keep a record for future reference.
  • Online opt-in consent for messaging: If you need your end users to provide their contact information, including a phone number, the page/form should include a text message opt-in statement confirming consent. If this is not there, your verification might get rejected.
An opt-in method that allows customers to choose message receipt by sending a text.
  • Opt-in keywords: You need to provide a list of keywords that customers can use to start receiving text messages. These include ‘Subscribe’, ‘Join’, or ‘Start.’ This can be left blank if you don’t support opt-in via text.
  • Opt-in message: You will also need to create an auto-reply message for customers who opt into receiving texts from your business. The message should contain:
  1. The name of your business or brand.
  2. Confirmation that the customer has successfully opted in.
  3. A keyword for assistance.
  4. Instructions for opting out of text messages.
  • Campaign description: Companies may have multiple text campaigns. It is, however, important to define the reasons for sending text messages to your leads or customers. For instance, if you’re texting appointment reminders, you can label your campaign ‘appointment reminders.’ If you are texting for promotional purposes like a special discount during the holiday season, you can label your campaign as ‘Holiday season campaigns.’
  • Message samples: Submit two examples of the messages you plan to send. This provides insight into your interaction with customers via text. The samples should mirror your regular messages. If you have multiple campaign use cases, it’s recommended to choose samples reflecting these different scenarios.
  • Terms and conditions: You need to provide easily accessible terms of service.

How to complete 10DLC brand verification with JustCall?

You can complete your A2P Profile (Brand Registration) registration with JustCall by sharing the above details.

Step 1: Log into your JustCall account.

Log into your JustCall account.

Step 2: Click on Profile > Settings at the top right of the JustCall dashboard.

go to business profile dashboard

Step 3: Select the Business Profile section, and the compliance page will open. Provide the following information: Provide your business information, including:

  • Business Name
  • Business Type
    • Partnership
    • Sole proprietorship
    • Limited Liability Corporation
    • Corporation
    • Co-operative
    • Non-profit corporation
  • Business industry
  • Address
  • Business registration ID
  • Website URL
  • Contact information
  • Region of operations

Step 4: Once you have completed the form, click on submit.

Once you have filled up the form, click on ‘Submit’ to submit your compliance form

Note: If your campaign includes content around hate speech, cannabis, sex, alcohol, or firearms, it will get rejected.

Understanding your Brand Verification status

Once you initiate the Brand Verification process, you will encounter these four status types:

  1. Pre-submission
  2. Pending: After completing and submitting your form for verification, the status will show as ‘Pending’ until the TCR reviews your submission.
  3. Registered
  4. Registration unverified: If the TCR identifies discrepancies, your account will be marked as ‘Registration Unverified’.

If your brand registration process fails, it’s important to double-check the provided information. Ensure that your:

  • EIN matches.
  • The business name is spelled correctly and is within 65 characters.
  • The correct organization type is selected. Choose ‘Government’ for government branches and ‘Non-Profit’ for entities such as 501c3, 4, 5, or 527 political organizations.

What you should know about ‘Brand Vetting?’

If you’re dissatisfied with the message throughput rate you’ve received, you can request third-party vetting by TCR through the Brand Registration feature.

There are two levels of vetting:

  1. Standard Vetting: This quick, automated process assigns a score from 1 to 100, verifies your classification, and identifies potential problem categories. An additional fee of $40 is charged for this service.
  2. Enhanced Vetting: This level includes everything in the standard vetting, plus an evaluation by vetting specialists. The process may take 3 business days, culminating in a detailed summary report.

If you are a non-profit or a political organization, you should request political vetting to register your campaigns. In this, you will need to provide additional information such as

  • First name and last name of the candidate
  • Locale, tribal, state, or federal campaign
  • FEC Committee type code, committee ID
  • Candidate type
  • State-local committee type
  • Local committee state (US for president), local committee municipality, tribal location
  • Filing URL, filing record URL instruction, filing email
  • Election Date
  • Pin preference

Frequently asked questions about 10DLC brand verification

1) Can I go on TCR directly for US A2P 10DLC registration?

If you are an Independent Software Vendor (ISV), you can register at TCR. This process, however, requires you to understand telecom complexities such as Direct Connect Aggregators, rate limits, and daily messaging limits.

Here are some limitations to registering directly via TCR:

  • It currently needs to be shared across vendors for campaigns registered via TCR to be shared across vendors.
  • Migration between vendors will require new Campaign registrations in TCR, which can result in downtime.
  • Secondary vetting is not automated via TCR.

2) How long does it take to complete A2P 10DLC registration?

The registration process can take 16-20 business working days to complete. You can also reach out to help@justcall.io

3) I have a toll-free number. Do I need to register for 10DLC?

The current updates do not impact US Toll-Free phone numbers. Sending A2P SMS through Toll-Free numbers remains an effective option in the United States and Canada.

Note: For those sending messages to the US and Canada via Toll-Free numbers, registering your use case is required through a distinct process. For updates on your registration, please reach out to us at help@justcall.io.

4) My business is ‘UNVERIFIED,’ what do I do?

Step 1: Check if you have provided your EIN or DUNS. DUNS is not acceptable for 10DLC.
Step 2: You can search for your EIN or business name here.
Step 3: Validate EIN and business name here. For this to work, you will need to log in.
Note: Since there is a global rate limit on EIN, you can only validate 3 to 4 times for an EIN before attempting again.

5) Do I need to register if I am only testing or sending a low volume of messages to the USA?

If you have a valid Tax ID, you must register even if you send low volumes of texts. You can register as a Sole Proprietor Brand designed only for small businesses or individuals.

You can register for Low Volume Standard Brands if you send less than 6000 message segments.

6) Which brands can register as a Sole Proprietor Brand?

  • If you do not have a valid tax ID.
  • Can confirm their identity using OTP verification.
  • Starter Brands must include a valid and accurate business name, first name, last name, email address, phone number, and physical address.
  • Have a valid US or Canadian address, including P.O. boxes. (Other countries are not allowed).

7) How to do brand verification from other countries?

Canadian brands:
If you are a Canadian brand sending messages to the US, you must use your provincial corporation number as your EIN/ID. You can also use your federally-issued Canadian corporation number if the verification fails. Do not use your business number or federal tax ID for brand verification. Ensure that the address you input matches the one registered with Corporations Canada.

Other countries:

  • Before submission, European companies should verify their brand information using the VIES VAT number validation.
  • Australian companies need to use their ABN and the official ABN Lookup tool.
  • New Zealand companies should use their NZBN and the official NZBN lookup tool.
  • In Hong Kong, companies should use their Companies Registry (CN) number, which is found via the official CN lookup tool.
  • Companies from other countries should enter the numeric part of their VAT ID or, if unavailable, their primary corporation registration or tax ID number.

How to do campaign registration?

Before starting campaign registration, ensure you have a registered 10DLC brand.

Campaign Registration enables carriers to understand your campaign’s purpose and the type of message that you will send to your customers. Typically, campaigns last at least three months and are automatically renewed by TCR unless canceled. Once your campaign has been canceled, a campaign cannot be reversed.

Usually, campaign applications are reviewed multiple times before being verified. This is why submitting your applications at least two weeks in advance is best to avoid disruption.

Once verified, you can link your 10DLC numbers and send your campaigns.

Campaign Registration process:

  • Campaign use case: This determines the nature of the messages sent to your subscribers. For certain use cases, selecting sub-use cases may also be necessary. The campaign use case is important as it influences the subscription cost and defines the maximum throughput permitted by the carriers.

Here are some of the campaign use case types:

Campaign typeDescription
2FAAuthentication or OTPs that are required for account verification.
Customer careCustomer support, account management, and various customer engagement channels.
Delivery updates or notificationsDelivery status update-related text messages.
Marketing messagesPromotional marketing messages such as discounts, upcoming offers, etc.
Public service announcementsPublic service announcements aim to increase audience awareness on a specific topic. For example, COVID-related precautions.
Mixed messagesThese campaign types can include delivery and promotional text messages.
  • Campaign details: You must provide a campaign name, description, and campaign reseller ID.
    • Campaign name: This alphanumeric name is given to the campaign and acts as an ID.
    • Campaign description: This field should contain 40 characters and describe the campaign.
    • Campaign reseller ID: If you are registering on your customer’s behalf, you must request a reseller ID and add the ID to all your campaigns.

Note: Under the 10DLC framework, every reseller must identify themselves as such and acquire a reseller ID. This ID is required each time the reseller registers a 10DLC campaign for a customer.

  • Message Flow/Call to Action (CTA): This section must contain the following information about your campaign:
    • Brand name
    • The consent mechanism – online form, text-to-join, point of sale, etc. Additional information about the consent flow (URL/form, script) is also required.
    • Frequency
    • Pricing disclosure
    • Stop/Help disclosure
    • Privacy policy and terms and conditions
  • Subscriber information: You must also add opt-in, opt-out, and help information for your campaigns.
  • Campaign samples: Here, you can list several examples of messages you plan to send to your subscribers. Based on your campaign’s use case, you might need to supply between 1 and 3 sample messages.

Campaign registration status and their meanings

Campaign statusDescription
Pending reviewYour campaign is under review and is awaiting approval.
Updates requiredYour pending campaign requires some changes. You can either go to the dashboard and make those changes and update the campaign or reach us at help@justcall.io.
Carriers reviewYour campaign is getting reviewed by partners and carriers.
ActiveYour campaign is now active. You can link the numbers and send SMS messages to your subscribed users.
CanceledYour campaign is now canceled. You must create a new campaign if you wish to resume sending messages.
SuspendedYour campaign is non-compliant and has been suspended due to a possible violation. You can reach out to our team for further details or help.
TerminatedYour campaign has been terminated due to violating 10DLC’s terms and conditions.

How can I improve my chances of getting ‘verified’ campaign registrations?

  • Consistency in the brand’s name, website, and sample messages: If your brand name is abc.com and your sample registered website is xyz.com, your campaign will be rejected.
  • Consistency in sample messages and use cases: If you register for promotional texts but your sample text is transactional, it will get rejected.
  • Large organizations need to have the same email domain and website. Personal email accounts do get rejected. While there are some exceptions; however, providing the same email address and website domain is best.
  • Make sure that your website is in working order.
  • Avoid duplicating campaigns as much as possible. Brands with the same EIN or excessive campaigns with similar attributes might be considered high-risk and rejected easily.
  • If you use templated messages, indicate ‘fields’ in the sample message within brackets to help reviewers understand which parts are templated.

Note: You can refer to this document for campaign registration recommendations and best practices.

Take advantage of 10DLC messaging with JustCall

JustCall simplifies the 10DLC registration process to minimize disruption to your business. The straightforward process allows you to navigate the form independently or seek assistance from our support specialists.

Reach out to help@justcall.io for any queries regarding your A2P 10DLC compliance.

With a foundational role at Saas Labs, Anand has been a key player in establishing the Product Management function and spearheading the launch of our Conversation Intelligence solution. His expertise in AI innovation guides both the strategic direction of the products and a team committed to excellence.

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