A few months ago, VirtualPBX released the VirtualText App and greatly expanded our customers’ ability to send, customize, and automate their text messages. But our team hasn’t stopped there. Soon, we’ll be releasing even more functionality around bulk and marketing features with a private beta set to take place in the next few months. However, customers across the business telephony industry are becoming familiar with another important date on the calendar: the 10DLC registration deadline. As of March 31st of this year, phone number registration will become mandatory for all businesses sending text messages in the USA.
Why Do Businesses Need to Register?
There are a lot of technical terms and acronyms surrounding this date.
- 10DLC refers to local numbers, ten digits in length including the area code
- A2P means Application to Person – essentially any text message that is sent using an application (like the VirtualText App)
- Short Codes are text messages campaigns set up for specific purposes like a political run for office
- Text-Enabled Toll-Free Numbers are toll-free numbers that have been enabled for text messaging. While this concept is simple to understand, it’s important to remember that your existing toll-free and local numbers can be enabled for texting without interrupting your voice services, so you can keep the same number your customers are already familiar with.
Mobile carriers process messages to ensure they comply with industry and legal regulations before they reach your customers. Registering your number(s), who they belong to, and how they will be used ensures your messages reach your customers and your business stays compliant. It also protects your customers from spam or unwanted messages. The team at VirtualPBX is creating a simple registration process which will be released in the coming weeks.
What is Needed for the 10DLC Registration Deadline?
All business texting providers will ask for industry-required information like your legal company name, address, and industry and we’ll establish a primary contact for any follow-up about messaging on a number. You’ll also be asked to describe your messaging use case and how your customers opt-in to your messages. At VirtualPBX, the process itself will consist of a few questions in an online form. Our team will also be standing by to help answer any questions around compliance or the registration process itself. Our goal is to make this as simple and transparent as possible so that you can feel confident in the messages you’re sending and tap into the possibilities for increased customer engagement that texting provides.
How Can You Prepare for the 10DLC Registration Deadline?
Revisit Your Opt-In Process before the 10DLC Registration deadline
The options to opt-in for text messages varies across use cases but can usually be boiled down to a few common entry points:
- An online form promoting special offers when a customer signs up for texts
- A customer sign-up flow where a checkbox can be ticked to receive updates via text
- Opt-in keywords texted to a number or QR codes scanned by customers
A major component of business text messaging compliance is consent. How and when did your customers agree to receive text messages from you?
Set Up Auto-Response Canned Messages
Equally important to opting-in for text messages is the ability to opt-out of text messages. Most services, like the VirtualText App will include an opt-out keyword pre-programed, allowing your customers to stop receiving messages from that number forever – or until they opt-in again. Of course, you may choose to include keywords with other purposes as well. Here are a few common auto-response canned messages to consider before the 10DLC registration deadline:
- STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE to stop receiving messages
- HELP to request a customer service agent to answer a question
- HERE to indicate a customer has arrived on-site for a pickup order
Take advantage of advanced business texting features
VirtualText App
Powerful Texting App for Businesses
The VirtualText App brings the ease, convenience, and increased engagement of texting into your business. Send out appointment reminders, confirm orders, and manage curbside delivery right from your main business number with this business phone app.
