“Oh yay, another spam text!” – No one, ever
We can all agree that spam messages suck, especially when they come directly to our phones and interrupt our days.
The A2P 10DLC messaging standard is trying to solve that problem. Hooray for fewer spam messages!
But hold the celebration—if you’re sending SMS messages from your business, you might have a problem.
How can you get on the trusted sender list? And why is it such a big deal? Let’s walk through it step by step.👇
The TL;DR on A2P 10DLC (OMG!)
Businesses that use an application (like Close) to send text messages from 10-digit phone numbers need to register for A2P 10DLC approval. Carriers in the US introduced this messaging standard to protect individuals from spam texts.
So, why is A2P 10DLC necessary? 🤔
We all hate spam messages, but the problem is just getting worse. Phone carriers needed a way to deal with huge amounts of spam being sent through their networks, and this messaging standard was created to combat that problem.
Fanni Fekete, a customer services specialist at Close, explains:
“In Europe, phone providers always know who you are based on the phone number, but in the US it's not the case. So of course, spam and fraud are getting more and more prevalent, and with a 10-digit phone number, you can pretend you're a person. Carriers have now said they will block all SMS traffic that comes from an application with a 10-digit phone number. And if you want to use it, you have to register and get approved."
Now, spammers can’t hide behind local numbers. If a business sends messages to individuals using an application, and the phone numbers appear to come from another individual, they need to register and be approved (or otherwise face being cut off by the carrier).
In the US, carriers like ATT, TMO, VZW, and TMO (the strictest) are cracking down due to high rates of SMS fraud, which is why such a vigorous process is in place.
We don’t know about you—but we think this agreement is a great move. Less spam and more messages from companies you want to hear from is a win-win 👌
Does Your Business Need to Register for A2P?
A2P is not a federal regulation but rather an agreement between phone carriers. However, it is now mandatory to register and get approval from your provider to keep sending messages.
Here’s a quick test to see whether you need to register for A2P:
- Do you send SMS in the US?
- Do you use a 10-digit phone number to send those messages?
- Do you use an application (like Close) to send those messages?
If you answered yes to all three of these questions, you must register for A2P. There are also some important caveats to remember:
- If you apply as a sole trader, you can only register one phone number for SMS sends, even if you have multiple numbers
- If you apply as a business, you can register all of your phone numbers
Here’s a quick step-by-step on how to apply for A2P 10DLC approval — do it in Close. 👇
How to Register for A2P and Start Sending Text Messages to Your Customers
Like many regulations, the exact way to apply for A2P approval depends on your business and the application(s) you use.
Let’s talk through how Close customers can set up their A2P 10DLC registration:
Step 1: Register for A2P
To start your A2P 10DLC registration, open up your Close account.
Go to Settings > Communication > Phone & Voicemail > A2P 10DLC. You will see a button to register:
Now, it’s time to fill out the form. Carriers ask for a lot of information, and we’ve built this form to make sure everything is ready for your registration to be accepted as fast as possible.
Here’s the information you’ll need to fill out:
First, it’s time to add details about the messages you want to send. You’ll need to answer these questions:
- How many messages will your organization send per day?
- How do end users consent to receiving messages?
Your specific use case is important to carriers because they want to know what those SMS messages will contain. So, carriers ask for a description of the messages you plan on sending:
This description should be as detailed as possible so Twilio can quickly approve this part of the application. Something like this:
"We are a real estate company so we use this to communicate with buyers and sellers who have opted into our network of agents so that we can share properties on the market to coordinate viewings, request for new listings and close on sold properties."
Next, you must submit sample SMS messages so they can be checked against A2P benchmarks like spam filters, character limits, and message contents. Here is what you will see in our form:
Lastly, you’ll need to fill in your business details—The rest of the form asks for details about your business, like your registration number and address. If you access it from inside Close—everything will be pre-filled for you.
Once it's all filled out, we will send it off to our telephony partner, Twilio, for approval ✅
These are all no-nos and will lead to a carrier rejecting your application. So, be careful!
Step 2. Get Verified
After your registration is sent off, it will go through a couple more stages of verification:
- Twilio will verify your company's data results and approve your business profile
- Twilio will then verify your SMS volume limit
- Finally, Twilio (along with a 3rd party board like Campaign Registry) will verify your campaign using the use cases and example messages from your application
If your application gets the green light, external carriers will register your business and any associated phone numbers in their databases as trusted senders.
Step 3: Get Consent
Although carriers have approved you as a trusted sender, it's still mandatory to get opt-in permission from the people you are messaging. If you don't get content and start sending unsolicited SMS from your Close account, your account will be flagged for suspension.
Your consent message must include:
- Company name, so it's easy for the reader to know who is messaging them
- Description detailing what the messages you send will include
- Any fee disclosures, if reply messages will incur a cost
- Frequency, or how often you will send messages
- Customer care information, like how the receiver can contact you for help/more information
- Opt-out instructions, for example, STOP or Unsubscribe to get their number off your SMS list
- Links to your Privacy Policy/T&Cs describing your Terms of Service
Here’s an example of a good consent message:
By replying YES to this message, you agree to receive updates and transaction messages from {{YOUR COMPANY NAME}}. Text and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. To view our privacy policy, go to {{LINK TO YOUR PRIVACY POLICY}}.
It’s short, sharp, and ticks all of the consent boxes required by A2P 👌
Step 4: Enable Opt-Out
Along with getting opt-in consent, you must also give your audience a way to change their mind and opt out of your SMS campaigns.
Our partner Twilio automatically handles opt-out requests if someone responds to one of your messages with any of the following words: STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT.
We recommend adding an opt-out message to the bottom of every campaign message you send, like:
👉Reply END to stop receiving messages from us
Step 5. Stay Compliant to Stay Out of Trouble
Congrats, you got approved! Now, you need to stay that way.
Even after getting consent and enabling opt-in/opt-out, you must still follow the guidelines to remain compliant with A2P 10DLC.
Compliance helps boost your trust score, which is assigned to your campaign after your A2P registration is approved. Think of it as a credit score for SMS campaigns—it tracks things like:
- Sender identity. Each time you start a new conversation, you must clearly identify who you are and why you are messaging. For example, "Hey Brian, this is Carol from Close.com!"
- Unnecessary characters. Emojis, lots of exclamation marks, or unnecessary special characters can impact your trust score.
- Illegal content. Do we really need to point this out? Sending illegal content that's forbidden by carriers is a no-no (here's a list of forbidden message categories in the US).
- High failure rate. Sending messages to numbers that have not been validated, like disconnected mobiles or landlines, will significantly lower your trust score.
- Opt-out rate. High opt-out rates indicate you are sending messages to people who have not given consent.
Fanni says the last two indicators—high failure and opt-out rates—are red flags to carriers.
"Obviously, those are big clues that you bought a list, and people didn't really opt-in for your messages. For example, a high error rate indicates you tried to send an SMS but the numbers are nonexistent, which is also an indicator that you just bought a list or you didn't really check who you're sending messages to."
Fanni also explains that URL shortening tools like TinyUrl or free Bitly links are discouraged because they can trigger spam filters.
"If you have shortened links, that can get your messages flagged as spam, especially if you don't use the opt-out language. Close will try to send it, but the carrier will refuse to deliver and give us an error message to pass on to you."
So, if you see this:
Check your campaign for shortened links. If it does, replace them with proprietary and properly branded ones.
If you have already been given A2P 10DLC approval and are still having problems or being flagged as spam, reach out to support@close.com for help. While Close doesn’t control spam filters, we will contact our telephony provider to find out why your SMS was blocked and point you in the right direction to get it fixed.
Final Thoughts: A2P 10DLC is a Simple But Necessary Step for SMS Campaigns
Getting approved as a trusted sender is a non-negotiable to stick to A2P 10DLC guidelines. Without approval, your sales team is at risk of having messages blocked or worse—your account suspended.
Close has made it simple to submit an A2P 10DLC application and get approved so your sales team can continue to reach out to prospects and close deals. Just click here to get started 👉A2P 10DLC
