To protect and provide businesses with a faster, more reliable way of sending text messages and protect consumers from spam and other illegitimate communication, mobile carriers have created new business text messaging standards known as 10DLC (10-digit long code). Skipio is very excited about the messaging possibilities of 10DLC! We anticipate all users will see positive gains. Here is what you need to know about 10DLC and how your business can take advantage of the changes.
How to register your 10-digit number
Who is affected by these changes?
What’s next for Skipio customers?
What Is 10DLC?
In the simplest terms, 10DLC is the new industry standard that US mobile carriers have created to help businesses safely and effectively communicate with customers through text messaging. As more and more businesses see the value of texting to communicate with their customers, carriers want to minimize and prevent spam communication.
Business text messaging has gone through major modifications just over the past few years as a result. The introduction of 10DLC represents the latest effort to improve business communication and protect consumers.
Any business that uses 10-digit numbers to send text messages should consider registering their number with mobile carriers through The Campaign Registry. If you’re a Skipio customer, you’re required to register and we walk you through the whole process at sign-up.
What Is the Benefit of 10DLC?
By ensuring your business texting number is registered with The Campaign Registry….
- more messages will get delivered
- messages will send faster
- your messages won’t be filtered as spam
- you avoid large fees invoked by the carriers
- recipients of your messages can trust that you’re sending them legitimate messages
- you save money because you don’t have to rely on short code
All of this means you’ll be able to have more conversations and build stronger relationships with the people who matter to your business. Plus, you save time and don’t have to worry about messages being lost among other businesses sending spammy messages.
Are There Other Options Besides 10DLC?
If you wish to continue using your 10-digit number without having to worry about low delivery rates, you need to register with The Campaign Registry and pay the associated carrier fees. (Mobile carriers are charging fees for registering and sending as part of the 10DLC program.) Otherwise, your messages are subject to increased filtering and each of the different carriers may fine you for improper usage.
That being said, you do have other options if you wish to completely forgo registration and avoid relevant repercussions. You may instead be interested in using a toll-free number or a dedicated short code.
Toll-free numbers, those that start 1-800, give you high message volume limits and are quick to obtain. However, you lose out on some of the personableness that comes with a local 10-digit number. For instance, if you have a team of users with their own business texting numbers, you aren’t going to give each of them their own toll-free number.
Short code numbers, which Skipio does also provide, are a great option if you wish to send mass text messages that don’t require responses. Keep in mind that there is also a registration process involved with acquiring a short code number and that short code is significantly more expensive than acquiring a 10-digit number (even with the new fees that carriers are charging for 10DLC).
How to Register Your 10-digit Business Texting Number and Brand
To register with The Campaign Registry and enjoy the benefits of 10DLC, you’ll be asked to provide information like the following. This is not a complete comprehensive list but an overview to give you an idea of the process.
- company name
- company contact details (including a text-enabled mobile number)
- company EIN (if applicable)
- website
- industry
- company address
- messaging use cases
The volume of your messaging helps determine what information you need to provide when registering your number and brand. For example, if your business sends more than 3,000 text messages per day or if you wish to have multiple business texting numbers associated with your brand, you may be required to have a company EIN and provide additional info (summarized above).
Please note that as of January 12, 2023, you may be required to complete a mobile verification. The phone number you provide when completing the brand registration must be a text-enabled mobile number.
After submitting your brand registration, you will receive a text message that you must reply “YES” to in order to complete verification. Failure to do so means your brand will not be verified and your business text messaging platform may not allow you to send text messages.
You’ll then complete the messaging use case (campaign) registration. You’ll be asked to provide examples of the types of text messages you plan to send for business purposes. All brand and use case information is then submitted to the mobile carriers. As set by the mobile carriers, verification may take 5-10 business days. This means you won’t be able to send any text messages until your verification is confirmed.
Your chosen business text messaging service should provide instructions for what will occur during this time. Skipio users still gain access to the platform and can do things like:
- Customize account and messaging settings
- Upload and sort contacts into groups
- Install integrations with CRMs, calendars, etc.
- Build drip messaging sequences and other automations
Skipio will provide updates on the progress of your verification status and notify you when the mobile carriers approve your chosen Skipio phone number for sending text messages.
What Are the Messaging Use Cases for 10DLC?
The 10DLC messaging use cases are sometimes referred to as “campaigns.” Think of them as the reasons you’re sending text messages. Common use cases include but are not limited to:
- marketing and promotional
- two-factor authentication
- account notifications
- customer care
- fraud alert
- transactional, related to sales and collections
Our goal at Skipio is to make sure you register your number with only the use cases applicable to your business and nothing extra. This is the easiest way to minimize carrier fees with 10DLC as different “campaign” types will influence the charges incurred.
Who Is Affected by These Changes?
In short, all business text messaging platforms and services are affected by the industry-wide adoption of 10DLC. Skipio and all similar services are independent software companies. We are not mobile carriers. Our goal is to help users comply with these new standards to ensure businesses are successful with business text messaging.
Ultimately, each individual business is responsible for compliance.
You may face significant fees and fines from each of the mobile carriers by failing to comply or attempting to circumvent the 10DLC regulations. In one such case, businesses can be fined up to $10,000 per message sent from an unregistered 10-digit phone number.
Skipio commits to registering all of our customers’ numbers and minimizing the fees associated with these new standards. We firmly believe these changes will create a better experience for you and for the people you’re messaging.
What’s Next for Skipio Customers to Do?
If you’re a current, active Skipio customer, you completed your registration prior to signing into your account. Any future Skipio customers will see the registration forms after they create their account.
As previously mentioned, mobile carriers are charging businesses certain fees for registering and sending as part of the 10DLC program.Your responsibility for carrier fees as a Skipio customer is outlined in this FAQ. Skipio passes these fees to the carriers.
This post was originally published September 28, 2021 and was most recently updated on January 12, 2023.
