10DLC best practices and approval process

US and Canadian mobile operators have recently enforced mandatory 10DLC registration if organizations are using SMS capabilities on local numbers with cloud platforms like Zoom. This is a paradigm shift from how SMS worked previously. The objective of this initiative is to introduce more trust into SMS communication originating from an organization and prevent the end consumer from receiving spam messages.

10DLC registration is a compliance framework that ensures that mobile operators know who is originating text messages from business phone numbers and for what purpose. Mobile operators also want to know how businesses are gathering permission (consent) from consumers before they text them. The 10DLC registration requires Zoom customers to provide very specific information for the mobile carrier’s review.

Learn more about SMS/MMS 10DLC Compliance for Zoom products, 10DLC rejections and proposed solutions, and 

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10DLC new messaging rules from mobile carriers

As SMS/MMS messaging has become more popular, spam messaging has proliferated and scammers have exploited it to take advantage of mobile phone users. In response to user complaints about unwanted messages, mobile carriers in the US (AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and others) are imposing registration requirements on messages sent via application-based services, like Zoom Phone and Zoom Contact Center. Carriers are doing so by classifying all such messaging as 10DLC application-to-person (A2P). 10DLC or 10-Digit Long Code refers to a standard approved by mobile carriers as a reliable channel for messaging via ten-digit phone numbers.

What this means for users of application-based messaging services is that they must register any messaging sent to recipients on the mobile carriers’ networks. Failure to register may result in mobile carriers imposing increased costs or messages being blocked. Mobile carriers have agreed to use The Campaign Registry (TCR), a third-party organization, to register customers so that they may send trusted SMS/MMS messages across the mobile carriers’ networks.

Zoom and other providers of application-based messaging services are taking steps to facilitate their customers’ registration with TCR to allow them to use messaging services to contact mobile phone users.

10DLC full registration enforcement

All US and Canada toll and virtual service phone numbers used for SMS/MMS within both the Zoom Phone and Zoom Contact Center services must adhere to industry standards and legal requirements by being included in an approved 10DLC campaign to continue sending SMS/MMS. Failure to comply with this industry and legal requirement will result in the inability to send SMS/MMS messages. You will no longer be able to send SMS/MMS if one of the below scenarios applies to you:

To check the registration status of your phone numbers, access the Phone Numbers section of the Zoom Phone or Zoom Contact Center web portal and review the Messaging Verification Status. Any number that uses SMS/MMS will need to have the status of Verified to continue using SMS/MMS.

Notes:

Timeline of 10DLC full registration enforcement

Soft Enforcement Date: June 18, 2024, at 8:00 AM (PT)

Final Enforcement Date: July 10, 2024 at 8:00 AM (PT)

10DLC campaign eligibility

Once a Brand is created, Zoom Phone admins will be able to create a Campaign. A Campaign defines the type of messaging you will be sending. To create a campaign, you must provide information about the types of messaging (for instance, account information, customer care, or marketing) and an example of what will be sent to mobile subscribers. This allows mobile carriers to be aware of what types of messaging will be sent to their customers. Once a campaign has been created, Zoom will associate it with the Zoom Phone or Zoom Contact Center numbers that will be used to send messaging.

Best practices for your campaign

Describe the purpose of your campaign

This step is to describe what you are sending via text messaging. You will describe what you are doing with the campaign and give examples of the content.

Campaigns can take up to 4 weeks for the carrier's review and approval. Please pay attention to the tips below to maximize your chances of being approved.

Provide a descriptive name for your campaign

Use a descriptive name for your campaign.

Good name example: Messaging to customers from the sales and marketing team

Bad name example: Text messaging

Bad names will get the campaign flagged, increasing the time needed to get the campaign approved.

Registration for 10-Digit Long Code A2P messaging

By registering, companies (in this case Zoom customers) that send SMS/MMS messages to mobile carriers’ subscribers can prove that they are a legitimate business and also share the types of messages they will be sending. Registration is designed to help mobile carriers more readily identify bad actors and prevent them from sending spam or other unwanted content to mobile subscribers.

The first step in the registration process is to register your Brand.

What should be the best practices for your sample messages?

Your sample messages are critical to the success of your registration for a campaign. This offers insight into the registry of what you are sending to your users. There is a manual process that someone reads the message and if it doesn’t meet their criteria it will be rejected.

You should provide the following in your message:

Good examples of a sample message:

Bad examples of a sample message:

Message examples that don’t follow best practices will slow the process as they will be rejected and need to be modified. Please follow the best practices to help expedite the process for campaign confirmation.

How to create a Brand and Campaign?

To allow our customers to comply with the registration, Zoom has built a solution that will allow admin users to create a Brand and a Campaign, and assign the Campaign to the phone numbers that are being used for SMS/MMS messaging. Please also note that any SMS or MMS messages sent via Zoom services must comply with the Zoom Phone and Contact Center Messaging Policy and the Acceptable Use Policy.

Follow these instructions to create a Brand and a Campaign.

What is a Call to Action? I received a campaign rejection stating “ Please provide a clear Call-to-Action that outlines how someone can opt-in and get into the message flow”. How do I resolve this?

"Call To Action” corresponds to the opt-in mechanism that you are asked to provide during your registration. In the registration flow, you can find this under Opt-in to SMS Messaging - How are you gathering consent to send SMS/MMS?

You must select at least one option here and provide a detailed description. This description should describe how a customer provides their permission to your organization to send them an SMS. Often, campaigns get rejected as the information provided is inadequate. So it is highly recommended to include a step-by-step description.

If you are using your website to collect information, please provide where the customer provides their phone numbers e.g. contact form. Please also include any disclaimers that you have on the contact form when collecting phone numbers.

The key thing is to describe in detail how you are gaining permission from your customers to send them SMS, whichever mechanism you choose. If sufficient detail is not provided, your campaign is very likely to be rejected

Opt-in Via Website

There are various ways to provide consent via a website. Here are some examples illustrating a number of options.

Example 1: When the user signs up for an account, the user must first enter their phone number. A 2FA message is sent to validate that phone number. After that, they are asked if they wish to receive account notification messages sent to the provided (and validated) phone number.

Example 2: The user fills out a form on the website where they can consent to receive notification messages. There is also a box they can check to receive product updates and/or marketing messages.

Example 3: The user fills in their phone number on a web form and consents to receive updates for any new opportunities.

Example 4: Under the “Contact Us” website option, there is a form to fill out to get more information. The user’s phone number is requested. Additionally, there is a checkbox that the user may check to receive information via SMS message.

Example 5: When a consumer uses our online form to make an appointment, they are asked if they would like SMS appointment reminders sent to their phone. If they check the box, YES, then appointment reminders will be sent.

Opt-in Via Email

Example 1: In our weekly marketing emails, we include a button that asks consumers if they would like to receive targeted information about upcoming sales via SMS. If they consent, then no more than twice weekly messages are sent.

Example 2: In our account validation email, we offer the consumer a button to opt-in for SMS messages. If the consumer consents, messages will be sent for shipping and product updates.

Opt-in Via Verbal Consent (including Voice Calls)

Example 1: While on the phone with the user, the agent asks the customer to confirm if they wish to receive additional information via SMS. If the user agrees, the information is sent.

Example 2: When a consumer requests directions via a phone call, we ask if it is okay to send them an SMS message with directions to our shop. Additionally, when consumers call us for an appointment, we ask if they would like to receive appointment reminders via SMS.

Example 3: We will ask the recipient if they would like shipping updates via SMS. If they say they would, all subsequent shipping notifications are sent via SMS.

Example 4: When a consumer is checking out of our practice, we ask if we can send follow-up appointment reminders via SMS. If they consent, we get their phone number and send a welcome message noting that subsequent appointment reminders will be sent.

Example 5: When a consumer checks out, we ask if we can send them follow-up notifications via SMS.

Example 6: Consumers provide their consent to the agent at the end of the call, agreeing to receive a customer satisfaction survey via SMS.

Opt-in Via Inbound SMS

Example 1: The customer can reach out to us via SMS (the phone number to text is on the website). We’ll send back a welcome message which notes that they will now receive updates via SMS.

Example 2: Employees may opt into messaging by texting the keyword START to a posted number on a bulletin board. The bulletin board post also contains additional information about the SMS notifications they will be receiving. There is also a welcome message after they send the START keyword.

My 10DLC campaign has been pending for more than 4 weeks. What can I do to get this approved?

Approvals for 10DLC campaigns are experiencing delays due to carriers carefully reviewing each campaign. To expedite the process, ensure that your campaign submission aligns with the 10DLC checklist. After making the necessary changes, including those to your website, kindly submit a ticket to Support to prompt the review of your 10DLC campaign. Enter the following:

Zoom Phone and Contact Center 10DLC glossary

With the introduction of 10DLC, there are terms used that can be confusing when setting up your account. The glossary below will help clarify some of the terms that are used frequently in the context of 10 DLC registration.

10DLC Campaign registration checklist

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Do not skip any steps in this process or your registration may be delayed, preventing you from sending text messages. You must complete each step.

Below is a checklist that we recommend Zoom customers follow to ensure that their campaigns are approved. You can also use this checklist to make corrections if your campaign has been rejected.

  1. Create a brand and have it approved.
  2. Create an SMS Campaign and have it approved.
    1. Follow the 10DLC Campaign creation checklist link EXACTLY.
    2. Configure campaign details and carrier questions and review the Confirmation page.
    3. Allow up to 4 weeks for carriers' review and approval.
  3. Verify that your SMS campaign is approved.
  4. Assign local phone numbers to your campaign:
    1. Assign 49 numbers or less.
    2. Assign 50 numbers or more.

If your campaign was rejected after review, please refer to the 10DLC Rejections and Proposed Solutions list for the most common rejection reasons and their remediation.

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Starting July 10, 2024, customers must add their phone numbers to an approved 10DLC campaign to keep using SMS/MMS capabilities on their numbers. Learn more about the 10DLC full registration enforcement timeline. Additionally, a brand must be created and approved before creating an SMS campaign.