New Government Regulations Involving SMS require all organizations sending SMS messages to be 10DLC compliant.
What is 10DLC: 10DLC stands for "10-digit long code" and refers to the numbers used by Servgrow to send personalized messages. It also refers to the rules implemented by carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile for the use of these numbers. Carriers first rolled out 10DLC in 2021, and they have been constantly changing it since then. The biggest change this year was that the carriers instituted a manual vetting process for applications in early 2023. Overall, we support the goals of the 10DLC system, which are to register, verify, and track organizations and their texts to ensure that high-quality messages reach their intended recipients. Note that the carriers are each approaching 10DLC differently, which means that some compliance steps may be required to deliver messages to one carrier but not another.
Servgrow handles the registration process for our customers but there are a couple things you need to do in order to make the registration and approval process successful, and that is by being 10DLC compliant.
You must make sure you are 10DLC compliant before registering your business within Servgrow.
How to become 10DLC Compliant?
There are two key elements for being 10DLC compliant.
Website Forms: Correct verbiage on your website forms.
Privacy Policy: Correct verbiage on your privacy policy.
10DLC Compliant: New regulations require an opt-in message on all website forms and your website privacy policy. Failure to have an opt-in message on website forms and your privacy policy will result in a declined registration process.
Recommended opt-in message:
“By providing your phone number, you consent to receive text messages from [Your Company Name]. Message and data rates may apply. The frequency of messages varies.”
Mandatory: Due to new regulations, all company information submitted during this registration process must match the legal company information you have registered with your state. It is crucial that the details provided, including your company name, address, and tax identification number, are accurate and consistent with the official records held by your state's business registry. This compliance ensures that your registration with Servgrow is valid and in accordance with legal requirements. Failure to provide matching information will in most cases result in a declined registration process.
You will only have 3 attempts at successfully registering your phone number so make sure all steps are followed correctly.
Review and Approval Timeline: Along with the new regulations (A2P 10DLC) requiring all US businesses to register their dedicated phone number, comes a thorough review and approval process. This review and approval process is done via a third party associated with Twilio- who is the regulator in this case.
As far as time for approval, this can very depending on multiple factors- however we usually see an answer within 7 business days. This process is standard for any US company registering custom numbers.
Servgrow's 2way text messaging feature enables you to initiate and maintain a dialogue with a customer right within the platform, allowing you to stay productive without the need to toggle between different applications. Where available on Servgrow plans, this two-way messaging service comes at no extra charge, so you can communicate as much as you need without worrying about additional fees.
Two-way text messaging is available in the United States & Canada on select plans. Two-way text messaging is not available while in trial. To upgrade contact us via chat.
This article covers setting up two-way texting using the desktop version of Servgrow.
Two-way text messaging is accessible to administrators and users granted the appropriate two-way text messaging permissions. To modify these permissions, navigate to the Gear Icon > Employees > User and adjust their specific permissions accordingly. Each message transmitted via the message center will clearly display the sender's name for easy identification.
Step by step two-way text messaging set up guide...
Setting up your dedicated number
Before messaging your customers, you'll need to set up a dedicated phone number. This number will be used for sending your automated messages, as well as receiving replies from your customers.
With a dedicated phone number, all your automated text messages will originate from a consistent phone number associated with your company. This allows your customers to save the number in their contacts, ensuring they recognize it's your business contacting them about their service. Until this setup is complete, your automated text messages will be sent from a shared pool of phone numbers.
If you visit the message center prior to setting up your dedicated number, you'll see a message prompting you to do so.
To pick a dedicated phone number, simply navigate to the Gear Icon > Two-Way Text Messaging within Servgrow.
There are two steps to setting up your dedicated phone number:
Step 1: Register your company
Step 2: Choose your number
Step 1: Registering Your Company for the Dedicated Number
To ensure that your messages are successfully reaching your customers, it's essential to register your dedicated phone number with all the necessary details.
New regulations require that if you operate within the United States, you will need to register your number if you wanting to send text messages via a dedicated phone number. All enterprises utilizing Application-to-Person (A2P) text messaging with standard 10-digit long codes (A2P 10DLC) — which, in this context, refers to text messages dispatched via your dedicated phone number — must register their business's number in the U.S. This mandate is a move by carriers to curb the delivery of unsolicited messages or spam to their customers.
Here are some steps you can take to minimize any potential delays in your registration process:
Your business must match your legal business name that you have registered with your state or province.
Verify that the website or social media link you have submitted is operational. This check is part of the verification process to confirm that your entity is an established business.
Make sure that the website or social media link you've provided displays your legally registered business name and address. If there's a discrepancy, consider adding this information to the footer of your website or within your online Terms and Conditions. This is to further affirm the authenticity of your business.
Incorporate opt-in wording into any online contact forms you use. If this isn't something you've done yet, you can include the following statement on your form:
“By providing your phone number, you consent to receive text messages from [Your Company Name]. Message and data rates may apply. The frequency of messages varies.”
If you are using the request form through Servgrow, we will update the form accordingly in the near future, so there won't be any need for you to make these changes yourself!
Go here for more information on registering your company number.
Registering your company number includes a few steps.
Entering your business Information.
Entering a point of contact.
Let's start with entering your business information (1).
A. Business Name: Your business name must match exactly how you have your business name registered with your state or providence.
Good example:
State Registration = Cactus Plumbing LLC
Business Name (that you enter in the form) = Cactus Plumbing LLC
Bad example:
State Registration = Cactus Plumbing LLC
Business Name (that you enter in the form) = Cactus Plumbing
*Failure to match the state registration will most likely result in a declined review.
B. Business Address: Your business address must match the address on your website that you enter in C.
Make sure to add your business address to the website you enter in C prior to filling out the form.
C. Business Type: Business type must match your business type that you have registered with your state or providence.
If asked to provide your Tax ID (EIN), your company information must match EXACTLY or you will get declined.
D. Industry: The industries are set from the regulation, so try to match your industry with the closest one.
E. Website: Enter your website URL here (example: https://www.cactusplumbing.com/). Any forms that you have on this website must have the opt-in verbiage that is or similar to: “By providing your phone number, you consent to receive text messages from [Your Company Name]. Message and data rates may apply. The frequency of messages varies.”
Important: Your website will be verified by the regulation managing company to ensure that all forms have this verbiage. Failure to have this verbiage will result in a declined review.
F. Confirmation: Confirm that your website has this verbiage on all forms. Yes, it's that important.
Once you have all the information filled in exactly correct, click 'next'
Now it's time to enter in your point of contact (2).
Enter in the main point of contact for you company. This information can be different then your company information.
Once you have all the information filled in correctly, and save.
Once saved, your registration will go under 'review'.
The review process is not conducted by Servgrow. All reviews are processed by the regulating body and can up to 2 weeks.
Once your company has been reviewed, your company has been registered and it's time to select a dedicated number.
Step 2: Select Your Dedicated Number
After business registration approval, you'll now be prompted to select your dedicated phone number.
Once saved, your dedicated phone number will appear in the Dedicated phone number section of Settings > Two-Way Text Messaging. You can always refer back to it there in case you forget!
That's it! Now head over to your new inbox!