What is A2P 10DLC?
10DLC is a new messaging standard introduced by major US carriers that requires all companies sending A2P (Application-to-Person) SMS traffic to be registered. This is irrespective of whether you are sending a bulk sales campaign or you just use SMS for occasional transactional messages. It also only applies to companies messaging in the U.S. and U.S. territories using 10-digit long code phone numbers(like your Jiminny Voice phone numbers).
It allows businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) type messages. Carriers in the US consider all Jiminny Voice SMS traffic to be A2P. Registering your business provides better delivery quality and lower filtering currently imposed by carriers on unregistered traffic.
Why are carriers enforcing registration?
Protecting mobile subscribers from unsolicited messaging such as spam, fraud, or abuse is the main reason registration is mandatory.
Unwanted messaging is a huge issue in the messaging industry; unwanted messages can result in complaints, fines, or outright disconnection by carriers. Mobile users who receive lots of spam or other unwanted messages may decide to start opting out of or ignoring all messages from businesses, even legitimate ones who follow all rules and best practices.
How do I get registered?
You can register by sharing your business and SMS use-case details here.
Registration Fees
Campaign registration has a recurring monthly fee, passed down from carriers. Jiminny will absorb this fee.
What information will you require to be registered?
- Your business registration details including:
- Business legal name
- Business address
- Business type (Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, Co-operative, Limited Liability Corporation, Non-profit Corporation)
- Business industry
- Business registration number and registration type (ex: EIN Tax ID, VAT)
- Business regions of operations (countries and/or continents)
- Website URL
- Contact data for an authorized company representative(s)
- SMS Traffic Use-case and Opt-in Processes
Approval Process
After you have submitted your information, the Jiminny team will submit it to our telephony partner Twilio for approval. Your registration is approved by a 3rd party board called the Campaign Registry. For your data to be approved, certain things have to be in order. See best practices.
As per the above best practises, campaigns can be rejected. If this happens, you may be charged a fee to resubmit. To ensure your campaigns are approved, you will need to:
- Ensure data accuracy and consistency - As per the best practices linked above, ensure that your company details above are accurate. See below the common mistakes that lead to campaign rejections:
- Ensure your use case involves consumer consent before sending messages
A clear opt-in process is mandatory even if you only send transactional messages. You must show, beyond reasonable doubt that your SMS recipients are consenting to receive SMS from you.
Creating an opt-in process
Before sending SMS through Jiminny Voice, you must first obtain consent from your prospects and customers. Please note that an opt-in process is mandatory and non-negotiable.
Sending unsolicited SMS may put your account at risk of being suspended. If you don't have an opt-in process, create one before starting your registration process.
Acceptable opt-in processes
Your campaign registration will be rejected without a proper opt-in processes. The below guidelines give you the necessary language to help ensure registration is approved without a lot of back and forth.
Your opt-in process may vary depending on your lead generation methods. You can go with either of the below:
-
Sign-up through webforms
If your leads come through sign-ups or filling webforms/surveys, you must include a way for them to know that providing a phone number means they will be receiving SMS messages from your brand.
Example
End users opt-in by visiting https://www.jiminny.com/signup/ and adding their phone numbers. They then check a box agreeing to receive text messages from Jiminny Inc. -
Booking Links
Booking software such as Calendly that provide for collection of lead data when booking a meeting are also acceptable. They must include a checkbox where a lead can explicitly consent to receiving SMS.
Example
Users share their phone numbers when booking a meeting on our Calendly booking link https://calendly.com/jiminny/bookdemo. They tick a checkbox to consent to receiving SMS from Jiminny Inc. -
Cold Emailing and Calling
If you buy your leads or use a lead generation tool, SMS shouldn't be your first method of outreach. First reach out to your leads via other methods such as emailing and calling. You should include the email template or call script used to gather consent. If using calling, make sure the call recording is stored as you may need this proof later if customer disputes giving consent.
Examples of a cold email/email opt-in language:
We first send them an email requesting to send them periodic SMS with promotional offers, to which they reply with a phone number to consent.
We first call them and request to send them periodic SMS with important or time-sensitive information about their account, such as upcoming renewals, and obtain consent during the call.
Include an email template or call script when we ask you for registration details to ensure approval.
Example email template:
Dear [Contact's Name],
As a valued member of our community, we would like to ensure that you stay up-to-date with important information and exclusive offers.
In order to provide you with the best possible experience, we would like to seek your consent to send you SMS updates on your mobile phone.
By opting in to receive SMS updates, you will have the advantage of being among the first to receive important announcements, event notifications, and other relevant content.
Please reply to this email with your phone number to grant consent.
You can reply to our SMS messages with STOP at any time to opt-out.
Thanks,
[Your name]
Example of a cold call script:
Tom: Hi, is Jerry available?
Jerry: Yes, speaking.
Tom: Hi Jerry, I'm Tom from Jiminny. We're offering SMS updates for valuable information and exclusive offers. Are you interested?
Jerry: SMS updates? Tell me more.
Tom: It's a convenient way to receive important updates and limited time offers directly to your mobile phone. Can I add your mobile number to our SMS updates list?
Jerry: Sounds interesting. How can I give my consent?
Tom: This call is recorded so you can give your consent here.
Jerry: Alright, please add me to your SMS list.
Tom: Great! Consider it done. Thank you, have a wonderful day!
What happens after registration?
After a successful registration and when your campaign use-case has been approved, you will be assigned a trust score. This is your company's credibility according to carriers. This will determine how many SMSs you are allowed to send per day per carrier. Exceeding this threshold will see your messages fail. To keep your trust score high, please make sure you abide by:
- Ensuring Opt-in. Only send SMS to customers who have opted in to receive SMS from you. This will make sure that your opt-out rate remains low. A high opt-out rate will indicate to carriers that you are sending cold SMS, which is unlawful. If you are using SMS for cold outreach, make sure to receive consent via email or call first. If your account is ever flagged for high opt-out rates, you will be at risk of having it suspended if you don't provide proof of opt-in for a random set of contacted leads picked by the affected carrier.
- Avoiding High Failure Rate. Use third-party sites to validate your contact list before you import them to your CRM and start sending SMS. That way, you are not sending SMS to landlines which is another signal to carriers of spam messages without consent. As per above, a high error rate due to invalid numbers or landlines will significantly lower your trust score.