The Simple Guide to Text Registration

If you're like most people, you're probably used to receiving all sorts of spammy text messages that you never signed up for. As frustrating as it can be to constantly get bombarded with unwanted texts, it's worth keeping in mind that the mobile carriers are being pressured by our government to take action. In an effort to cut down on spam, the carriers have put in place a registration process that any business, organization, or individual must go through if they want to continue sending text messages via software tools like Text-Em-All. If you're new to the world of text registration, don't worry - this guide has got you covered. We'll explain why carriers are cracking down on spam, how the registration process came to be, what you can expect during registration, and what the consequences are if you don't register.

See how Text-Em-All is making registration easy for customers

How big of a problem is text spam?

The problem of spam text messages is a major issue in the United States. According to recent data, Americans receive an estimated 4.5 billion spam text messages each year, which is a staggering number. These spam messages often come from unknown or illegitimate senders, and they can range from annoying promotions for products or services to outright scams that attempt to trick people into sharing personal information or sending money. Not only are these messages a nuisance, they can also be dangerous and lead to financial or identity theft. The issue has become so severe that mobile carriers have been forced to take action to protect their customers, which has led to the implementation of text message registration requirements.

What types of organizations are impacted?

Lots of different types of organizations and individuals utilize mass texting services like Text-Em-All. Wireless carriers are primarily concerned about trying to stop high volume fraudsters and haven't really thought about the impact to smaller organizations. There are really 3 main types of text messaging that organizations utilize.

1. Informational
2. Marketing/Promotional
3. Conversational

Abuse of texting tools and services

SMS compliance is complicated and difficult to understand, and while organizations like the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) and laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) have been put in place to help develop consistent process and rules - the abuse of texting tools and services remains a problem. Services like Text-Em-All have to pay a fee for every message segment sent and carriers don't want to lose this revenue to alternative messaging apps like WhatsApp.

How are the carriers solving this problem?

In the past, carriers have relied on content filters, artificial intelligence (AI), opt-out mechanisms, and complaint tracking to mitigate spam. The problem here is that each carrier or aggregator is operating independently, their rules are not transparent, and they're sometimes slow to react. The biggest issue though is that the carriers don't have visibility into who the end user sending spam messages is.

Going forward, the carriers have come up with text registration as the preferred solution. Here are some of the primary benefits for carriers.

1. Identifies the sender (both the service provider and end user)
2. Identifies the use case and expected messages
3. Restricts delivery speed and message volume

Breaking down the registration process

The most important part of this new process is that organizations must identify themselves before sending messages. The process is slightly different for local text numbers (10DLC) vs toll-free text numbers. Here's what you need to know about each.

10DLC registration

• Organizations register as a brand which carries a one-time fee
• Numbers are associated with campaigns which have recurring monthly fees
• Message delivery speed and message volume limits
• Approval takes several days to complete

*Registration has a variety of one-time (up to $45) and recurring fees (up to $10/month) associated with the process. Most services pass these fees directly to customers, Text-Em-All does not. See how we're making registration easy.

Toll-Free text number verification

• Requires documented proof of consent to receive messages from your contacts
• Message delivery speed and message volume limits
• Approval takes several weeks/months to complete

Information needed to register

• Organizational information including an EIN/TIN
• Contact details
• Types of messages being sent
• Examples of messages being sent
• Details on how you received consent

Consequences of not becoming a registered sender

Failing to complete text message registration can have serious consequences for businesses that rely on text messaging as part of their communication strategy. Without completing the registration process, your text messages may be flagged as spam by mobile carriers, and as a result, they may not be delivered to your intended recipients. This can seriously hamper your ability to communicate with customers, and it can also damage your brand's reputation if customers begin to see your messages as spam. In addition, failure to comply with text message registration requirements can result in legal and financial penalties, as non-compliance can be seen as a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). It's important to take text message registration seriously and to make sure your business is fully compliant to avoid these negative consequences.

In conclusion, senders who don't complete registration will experience increased rates of message failures due to stronger messaging filters and limits. We've seen a significant increase in the number of blocked messages for our customers. Many of these blocks are "false positives" triggered by filters carriers are putting in place. Regardless, once a block occurs, the text number cannot send further messages until the issue is resolved. Our teams have been able to resolve 80% of blocked messages and most within 24 hours for registered numbers. Blocks or message failures for unregistered senders cannot be resolved.

Get registered today and help stop spam texts!