Messaging Compliance

What is Messaging Compliance: 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. 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.

Industry Terms & Definitions

  • Business messaging is what it sounds like: when businesses you purchase goods or services from send text messages to their consumers.
  • A2P is the industry descriptor for the type of messaging used by businesses (application to person).
  • Businesses use SMS and MMS 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.
  • 10DLC is a messaging solution designed by US mobile operators to help businesses comply with regulations and enhance customer engagement. The solution enables businesses to send and receive higher volumes of text messages while improving delivery rates, reducing spam, and avoiding non-compliance.
  • TCR Registration - The Campaign Registry™ is the reputation authority for business messaging on 10DLC.

10DLC FAQ

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.

What is 10DLC Messaging?

  • 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.

What is a 10DLC Phone Number?

  • 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.

Do I need to Register for 10DLC?

  • Yes, you need to register 10DLC in order to send outbound texts to US-based numbers.

Benefits of 10DLC

  • Improved Delivery Rates: 10DLC helps to ensure that 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 to ensure that businesses are not at risk of non-compliance and can maintain positive business practices.

What do I need to do to register?

TCR registration is a part of the 10DLC program as created by the US mobile operators. This impacts everyone who utilizes A2P messaging, regardless of volume. If you send one, or thousands of text messages, you must register with TCR. Everyone must register; there are no exceptions. Without registering, businesses will experience service interruption, and their A2P messages will not reach consumers. Not all service providers are helping end-user customers with registration, but NUSO’s goal is to make registration as painless as possible. 

What is The Campaign Registry (TCR)?

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.

How does this affect you?

Business text messaging users must register with the TCR (The Campaign Registry). This requirement is set forth by the mobile carriers to help combat spam and fraudulent text messages. By registering with the TCR, businesses will obtain a “Campaign ID” which will be required to send commercial text messages. Failure to register will result in the inability to send text messages.

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 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.

Start taking action now by:

Identifying which phone numbers you send text messages from. For every campaign, you will be expected to share:

  • Legal Company Name and contact information
  • EIN/TIN Industry Segment
  • SMS/MMS Use Case
  • A description of the business messaging application that sends your text messages
  • An understanding of your messaging content
  • Opt-in and opt-out procedures for customer engagement use cases (i.e., marketing)

Your Company Brand vs. Campaign:

  • Each business customer (defined as having a unique tax ID) must create a “Brand”. Bob’s Pizza Shop is a brand, while ABC Real Estate would be a separate brand.
  • Each Brand must have at least one Campaign, and each Brand can have multiple Campaigns. Think of a campaign as being a use case. Bob’s Pizza Shop may have two campaigns – one UCaaS campaign, and a second for marketing.

What is NUSO doing?

NUSO has built functionality in the NUSO Management Portal to register every brand and campaign with the TCR. Contact us for more information.

What Happens If I Don’t Register?

Those who do not register will experience service interruption of outbound SMS/MMS messages from phone numbers not associated with an ‘Approved’ A2P Campaign. The portal will provide the ability to not only register a brand and campaign, but it will also provide the option to decline and disable messaging services.