A Salesmsg guide to 10DLC compliance, business registration,
A2P messaging, and beyond.
Alright, buckle up! We're about to help you unlock the full power of A2P 10DLC and make sure your business messaging strategy doesn't get caught up in red tape with "The Salesmsg 10DLC Blueprint”.
In today’s over-connected fast-paced world, having effective customer conversations is everything. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the fundamentals of A2P 10DLC, how it works, and the unique advantages of A2P messaging.
This guide will equip you with the knowledge and insights you need to elevate your SMS marketing, sales follow up process, and customer support. We’ll be your go-to textpert, guiding you through the twists and turns of compliance and rules around A2P 10DLC, so your messaging strategies don't hit any roadblocks. We'll also take a good look at how to get A2P 10DLC rolling, giving you the best practices and real-life examples to fire up your SMS messaging strategies.
Get ready to embrace A2P 10DLC with open arms and revolutionize the way you chat with your audience. Let's unlock the full might of A2P 10DLC together, making sure your business stays ahead in this ever-changing communication universe.
Ready to level up your messaging game? Then let's dive in!
Salesmsg's API documentation provides you with all the information you need to get started using our public API. Our easy-to-use interface makes it simple to get the data you need, when you need it.
Integration with an external API can be a daunting task. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to use Salesmsg API in your projects. By following these instructions, you will be able to quickly and easily get Salesmsg integration up and running.
A2P stands for Application-to-Person. This is tech speak for automated messages being sent from a software application to a real, live person (like you and me).
So, why is this important?
Well, businesses are using A2P messaging to keep in touch with their customers, clients, and users. For example:
Now, let's talk about 10DLC. It's a fancy term for 10 Digit Long Code. It's the rulebook for how businesses can send these A2P messages in the USA and remain compliant.
Imagine 10DLC as the referee in a football game. It's there to ensure everything runs smoothly and fairly. It makes sure that businesses sending messages play by the rules, so the messages can get delivered to the intended recipient.
Let's look at how 10DLC (10-digit long codes) and toll-free numbers fare when it comes to A2P messaging.
10DLC numbers are like your friendly neighbor - they're regular local phone numbers used to send A2P messages. Toll-free numbers, on the other hand, are like the big mansion next door. They're numbers with special area codes that let customers call in for free.
So, which is better?
That depends on what you need. Here's a quick comparison:
P2P (person-to-person) and A2P (application-to-person) messaging each serve their unique purpose in the business messaging realm. Let’s break down the differences between the two.
P2P messaging is all about one-on-one chats between two people, usually using personal phone numbers. It's perfect for friendly chats, informal convos, and individual interactions.
A2P messaging, on the other hand, is all about automated messages sent from apps or systems directly to people. These messages are usually sent in batches and can be used for all sorts of things, like transaction alerts, marketing campaigns, appointment reminders, and customer service chats.
Picture your phone buzzing with a flight delay update, a reminder about your doctor's appointment, or a flashy sale alert. This is A2P messaging doing its thing, keeping you in the know.
Unlike the personal nature of P2P messaging, A2P is more broadcast-oriented by nature. It uses shortcodes, long codes, or alphanumeric sender IDs to easily reach a large audience.
Both P2P and A2P messaging have their place in business. Together they allow you to deepen your relationships with clients and customers, while also reaching every single customer at scale.
Every business text message you send not only improves your bottom line, but connects your customers, clients, staff, stakeholders, and more.
Whether it’s a friendly nudge about an appointment, a reminder about an upcoming payment, or a personalized coupon, these simple messages directly tie into the success of your business.
But, without adhering to 10DLC regulations set by U.S. carriers, these messages won’t get delivered. If you’re using local numbers or 10-digit long codes to send texts, then it’s time to tune in.
To prevent spammers, scammers, and other malicious senders U.S. carriers had to fight back by upgrading their security standards. This means your business needs to use A2P 10DLC numbers and register your use cases to show you’re not a bad actor. Failure to do this means your business will get lumped in with spammers, scammers, and the like.
This registration process makes everything nice and transparent and helps creates a safe and trusted environment for sending messages.
To truly harness the power of A2P 10DLC, you need to develop an in-depth understanding of what A2P messaging is. Now, we’ll take a deeper look into A2P messaging and explore its applications, benefits, and real-world use cases.
A2P messaging can supercharge the results of your sales team. You’ll be able to send out personalized offers, exclusive discounts, timely follow-ups, and helpful product updates.
When you’re running marketing campaigns you can use ADP messaging to send event reminders, collect feedback with surveys, roll out better product launches, and foster better customer engagement along the way.
Small businesses can use A2P messaging to open a dialogue with customers, send order updates, handle support requests, and answer common questions. All of this together can help improve your customer experience and make the day-to-day business run more smoothly.
From banks and eCommerce platforms to healthcare providers and travel agencies, A2P messaging has become an indispensable asset, reshaping how businesses talk to customers while streamlining business ops.
There's no shortage of ways to use A2P messaging, and businesses in all kinds of industries are getting in on the action.
Banks and other financial institutions are using A2P messaging to send out transaction alerts, warn customers about potential fraud, and keep them updated on their account balance, all in real-time.eCommerce stores are sending order confirmations, delivery notifications, and special offers right to customers' phones.
In the healthcare space, A2P messaging is being used to remind patients about appointments, let them know when it's time to take medication, and send out health campaign messages.
Travel agencies are keeping customers in the loop with booking confirmations, flight updates, and travel advisories.
No matter the industry, A2P messaging has a lot to offer businesses of all sizes, helping them communicate more effectively while keeping customers happy.
Old-school communication channels have their place, but A2P messaging has some clear advantages over traditional channels like email and phone:
The proof of A2P messaging's power is in the pudding, and that pudding is the impactful, successful campaigns that it's helped create. In this part of the guide, we'll take a look at some examples of businesses that have used A2P messaging to pull customers in, boost sales, and keep customers coming back for more.
Let’s take a look:
To stay in the carriers' good graces, you need to register both your organization (brand) and the specific use cases (campaigns) you'll be texting about. If you don't, your messages might start getting filtered and not make it to your customers.
As you register your brand, you'll need to specify whether you're a sole proprietor, a private or publicly traded company, or a non-profit, and disclose the industry you operate in. This allows carriers to confirm your identity and make sure you're not a spammer.
T-Mobile and AT&T will up the per-message fees for unregistered A2P 10DLC messaging on March 1st—so you need to get registered before then. We're here to help you do that, so you can sidestep any unnecessary fees. Keep reading to find out how.
Let's pause for a progress check.
Enjoying this blueprint so far? We’re thrilled to see you forging ahead in the construction of your SMS messaging campaigns, outreach, and customer support, all while ensuring 10DLC compliance. So let’s hammer on and hand you a set of building blocks that outlines the steps you’ll need to follow for compliance and registration.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Embracing A2P messaging with 10DLC compliance unlocks a host of benefits for your business. In this section, we’ll cover the specific advantages that 10DLC compliance brings to your A2P messaging campaigns.
When adhering to the 10DLC rules, you can guarantee message delivery, improve customer interaction, and preserve your brand image.
One of the biggest benefits of 10DLC compliance is improved message deliverability. By following the 10DLC rules and guidelines you’ll improve your chances of your messages being delivered to your customer and clients mobile devices. Plus, it’ll help you avoid your messages getting flagged as spam.
This helps ensure that important messages like transaction notifications or time-sensitive alerts, actually reach your customers. Overall, this improves your customer relationships and reduces the risk of lost messages.
10DLC compliance isn't just a list of regulations you need to follow, they’re a powerful tool for increasing customer engagement. By using A2P compliant messaging, your business can send personalized and meaningful messages to your customers.
In turn, these will catch the attention of your audience, and lead to better interactions and higher response rates. The more you message, the more you’ll be able to gain valuable feedback to fine-tune your campaigns over time.
Adhering to the 10DLC guidelines shows that your business is committed to customer safety and consumer protection. Customers like companies they can trust, and abiding by industry standards is a perfect way to gain this trust. Compliance helps you build long-lasting customer relationships, preserves your brand’s reputation, and elevates you above brands that don’t play by the rules.
Failing to A2P messaging regulations can lead to hefty fines and penalties. You can keep those at bay by following the 10DLC rules, which ensure lawful messaging practices. For example, it could cost you $0.004 per SMS on unregistered accounts, or worse, a $10,000 fine on complaints about an unverified sender. Why take the risk when compliance can help you focus on what's really important - your business?
By deploying 10DLC compliance measures, businesses reduce the risk of contravening regulatory requirements, ensuring lawful and ethical messaging practices. Compliance minimizes the potential negative repercussions of non-compliance, protecting businesses against legal repercussions and reputational harm.
Keep these important dates in mind and register all of your 10DLC phone numbers to avoid these penalties:
Following 10DLC rules and making them part of your business can make your automated texting (A2P messaging) more effective. By sticking to these rules and checking off the right boxes, you gain the trust of mobile carriers. This means your messages are delivered smoothly and you can avoid unnecessary paperwork and delays.
The magic of 10DLC compliance is that it allows for messages to be sent automatically based on specific actions or events. This not only makes your operations more efficient but also allows for growth. With 10DLC rules in your toolbox, you can manage your messaging more effectively, spend less time on manual work, and grow your automated texting operations with ease.
Any further questions? We know you’ve got tons, so keep scrolling for more information. Still unclear? Ask or text us at (888) 409-2298
10 DLC stands for 10-digit long code. Easy enough.
For those of you who want to know the naming conventions for spelling and capitalization, there is no consensus, but it appears to be all caps and one space between the numbers and the letters — 10 DLC.
The 10-digit long code is a number assigned to a business for the purpose of business texting.
Yep, it’s really that simple.
Absolutely and 100%. We’re with you on this. We’ve got your back.
Salesmsg is an independent software provider (ISP), not a carrier. We don’t get to make the rules around 10 DLC. But we will be compliant with the rules and help onboard all customers into the world of 10 DLC compliance.
Salesmsg provides an easy process for clients and new customers to roll right into the new 10 DLC registration process. We’re ahead of the curve on this. We’ve been prepping for 10 DLC for years.
Here’s an easy breakdown:
A2P is application-to-person messaging, which is how a lot of businesses send SMS updates to their customers. Most of the time A2P messages don’t expect a reply — for example when you get a delivery notification for that sweet air fryer you ordered.
A2P and P2P? (person-to-person or peer-to-peer) are handled differently by SMS carriers, which is one of the reasons 10 DLC has come to existence.
10DLC allows businesses to send application-to-person text messages (A2P) using local long codes. Traditionally, sending A2P messages to local long codes has been discouraged according to CTIA guidelines.
Here are some of the biggest benefits:
10 DLC is already in effect. The rollout started March 1st, 2021. On June 1, 2023 both AT&T and T-Mobile will increase carrier fees for unregistered messages. Then, on July 5, 2023, gradual message blocking will begin on US-bound messages. After August 31, 2023, all messages sent from unregistered 10DLC phone numbers to US numbers will be blocked.
You’ll pay Network Access Fees (NAFs) with AT&T and will be subject to heavy message filtering and potentially blocking.
10 DLC is the collective decision of all major US phone carriers — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. Today, every carrier is participating, and there’s no escaping the requirement of 10 DLC if your business sends SMS.
For now, the registration for A2P 10DLC is only for local long-code phone numbers in the USA.
No. All you need to do is register your existing ten-digit number and you’ll get 10 DLC capabilities.
Yep! No problem. Even though the discussion around 10 DLC largely centers on A2P (app-to-person), two-way texting is perfectly legit.
Yes, of course.
Why do we need this extra layer of complexity and regulation? It boils down to a few things — 1) the profitability of the carriers, 2) the protection of the consumer, 3) and the benefit of the business.
Registering your 10 DLC is not free. Someone is going to have to pay for it. This translates into a “processing fee” for the carriers, which is probably going to add revenue and give their executives a bigger bonus. That’s the cynical capitalistic answer to the question.
The more genuine answer to the why, is consumer protection.
Just like regulations to prevent you from getting 45-million spam emails each day, the 10 DLC implementation's intent is to protect you from spam texts.
Don’t worry. Businesses stand to benefit as well.
With 10 DLC, you can be assured of superior deliverability and SMS throughput. 10 DLC provides all of the upside you’ve wanted in business texting.
Let’s boil it down. 10 DLC is a good thing — for your customers, for you.
And, regardless of how you feel about it, it’s good for John Stankey’s retirement plan. John Stankey, in spite of his name, is AT&T’s CEO. Just in case you were wondering.
Are you a business? Do you text? Then, yes, sorry. There’s no way around it.
We say yes. And we think you’ll agree.
10 DLC is designed to give businesses a superior and spam-free A2P communication with customers, leads, and contacts.
This is a big question. And a good one, because it shows you’re a shrewd business owner, interested in dollars and cents.
Way to go, you. Let’s answer it.
The only sustained fee for 10 DLC will be the $10 monthly charge plus whatever message fees and credits you use. In addition, most carriers will continue to levy message fees.
Yes, every number has its own required 10 DLC registration fee. Fees are levied according to the number, not the business entity.
However, additional pricing does not apply for phone numbers that have extensions.
If you’re a Salesmsg customer, pricing will change to reflect passthrough costs associated with 10 DLC registration.
Salesmsg will not profit from these increased costs. They are exclusively to ensure your business is 10 DLC compliant.
To register you’ll basically need to prove that your business is what you say it is. We’ll work with you every step of the way to get your business registered. Here are some of the common things you’ll need to provide:
Here are the main fees associated with 10DLC:
There is a monthly recurring charge (specific amount depends on use case) per campaign per brand:
To view our updated list of SMS and MMS carrier fees, please click here.
All of them. Here are the specifics:
The only reason you wouldn’t need to register is if you don’t send messages to US users or operate a very small business with an extremely low volume of messages. Otherwise, you do.
The Campaign Registry will run a verification check and will assign your business a Trust Score of Low, Medium, or High.
Please see this article for an in-depth overview of the message throughput and Trust Scores.
