Trust · SMS & A2P 10DLC compliance

Properly registered SMS, delivered, not blocked.

Business SMS requires the right registration, use-case approval, consent records, and opt-out handling. We manage that readiness path — including Brand and Campaign registration, carrier review, number provisioning, and STOP/HELP handling — and keep production SMS disabled until the required checks pass.

Walk through SMS setup with us See what setup includes ↓

TCR Brand registered

The Campaign Registry

Campaign approved

Per use-case vetting

Carrier-verified

AT&T · Verizon · T-Mobile

STOP / HELP handled

CTIA-compliant

Opt-in audit log

7-year retention

Activation controls

SMS stays off until readiness is verified.

Activation is customer-specific. We verify the sending identity, use case, registration path, consent evidence, STOP/HELP handling, opt-out synchronization, and number readiness before production SMS is enabled.

Before activation

SMS is disabled while business identity, use case, registration, consent source, and number readiness are reviewed.

✓

Activation gate

Production sending opens only after Brand/Campaign approval, STOP/HELP behavior, and opt-out synchronization are verified.

✓

Costs and timing

Carrier, registration, number, and implementation costs are scoped for the customer and approved before they are incurred.

Managed SMS activation

Scoped

Registration path, number provisioning, carrier costs, consent workflow, and implementation effort vary by business and use case. We document the plan and obtain approval before customer-specific costs are incurred.

Sending number verified

Brand registration (TCR) required as applicable

Campaign approval required as applicable

Carrier verification verified

Consent + STOP/HELP verified

Opt-out synchronization verified

Costs before activation approved

Activation timing customer-specific

Start setup

We file your Brand + Campaign within 48 hours of payment.

The 7 stages of SMS setup

What we do between paid and live.

Each stage is concrete work. We file paperwork, vet your brand, provision numbers, and run the carrier-verification gauntlet so your patients/clients actually receive your SMS.

Day 1-2

TCR Brand registration

We file your business with The Campaign Registry — legal name, EIN, address, vertical (healthcare, retail, professional services). Brand Score returned in 24-48 hours determines messaging throughput tier.

Day 2-4

Campaign use-case approval

We file your use case (account notifications, marketing, customer care, mixed) with sample messages and opt-in language. TCR + carriers review and approve.

Day 3-5

Phone number provisioning

10DLC long code OR HIPAA-eligible toll-free verification, depending on your vertical. Number is reserved on your business account, not shared.

Day 5-7

Carrier verification

AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile independently vet your business and approve message flow. This is the longest single window — carriers run their own anti-spam reviews.

Day 7-9

Opt-in workflow build

Custom opt-in landing pages, paper-form QR code, STOP/HELP keyword handlers, and audit-log infrastructure spun up for your practice. CTIA-compliant boilerplate inserted automatically.

Day 9-12

Voice Training calibration

You paste 15-30 messages you've sent to clients/patients. We extract your voice profile (greeting, formality, sign-off, distinctive phrases) so SMS drafts read like you, not like a marketing automation tool.

Day 12-14

Production handoff + first send

First production SMS campaign goes live, monitored. Delivery rate verified across all three carriers. Opt-out and STOP handling verified end-to-end. You're live.

10DLC vs Toll-Free

We pick the right number type for your vertical.

Healthcare-covered practices (dental, optometry, specialty medical, medspa) typically run on HIPAA-eligible toll-free. Non-medical verticals (salon, fitness, HVAC, plumbing, trades) typically run on 10DLC. We choose based on your TAM, throughput needs, and compliance posture.

10DLC · 10-Digit Long Code

Regular area-code number.

High-throughput business SMS. Cheaper per-message. Requires TCR Brand + Campaign registration. Best for non-medical verticals.

Higher throughput (up to 4,500/sec)
Lower per-message cost
Standard for trades, fitness, salon, retail
TCR Brand Score determines tier
Local area code (matches practice geography)

Toll-Free · 855/800/877/888

HIPAA-aligned business number.

Verified business SMS via Twilio toll-free verification. Higher trust signal. Aligned with healthcare compliance review. Default for HIPAA-covered customers.

Enhanced carrier vetting (better for medical)
Universal recognition as legitimate business
HIPAA-aligned compliance posture
Default for dental, medspa, optometry, specialty
Includes voice capability (calls + SMS on same number)

CTIA + TCPA opt-in compliance

Every message has explicit consent on file.

A2P 10DLC registration handles the carrier side. CTIA + TCPA compliance is the consumer-protection side. We handle both as part of setup.

Explicit opt-in capture

Every patient/client signing up through your booking flow, paper form, or front-desk intake provides explicit SMS consent. The moment of consent is logged with timestamp, IP, source, and language version.

Visible STOP / HELP / UNSUBSCRIBE

Every message includes opt-out language. Replying STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE triggers immediate suppression. Replying HELP returns your practice contact info. Both handled automatically — you don't have to think about it.

Permanent suppression list

Opted-out numbers cannot receive any future messages without explicit re-opt-in. The suppression list survives campaign archives, practice handoffs, and data exports. Seven-year audit retention.

Per-practice audit trail

Your dashboard shows every opt-in event (where, when, language version) and every opt-out (when, source) for every contact. Available for export anytime — useful for HIPAA audits and TCPA defense.

Time-of-day enforcement

TCPA prohibits commercial SMS between 9 PM and 8 AM in the recipient's local time zone. Our send-campaign engine enforces this automatically — message scheduling for nighttime sends gets queued to morning.

Healthcare-specific safeguards

For HIPAA-covered customers: outreach drafts never include specific procedure codes, treatment details, or clinical findings. PHI is referenced only as 'your appointment,' 'your visit,' or 'your treatment.' Patient-facing identifiers limited to first name + first initial of last.

SMS compliance FAQ

What every operator asks about SMS.

01 What is A2P 10DLC and why does it matter for my practice?

A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person messaging over 10-Digit Long Codes. Since 2023, all US carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) require businesses to register their messaging program with The Campaign Registry (TCR) before sending SMS at scale. Unregistered messages get filtered or blocked entirely. For your practice, this means: send a single reactivation campaign to 200 dormant patients from an unregistered number, and most of them will never see the message. Proper A2P registration is what makes 'we send SMS for you' actually work.

02 When can SMS be activated?

SMS remains disabled until the sending number, Brand and Campaign registration, consent source, STOP/HELP handling, opt-out synchronization, and channel readiness are verified. Phase 1 is managed so those checks happen before any production campaign is activated.

03 What costs can be involved in SMS activation?

SMS activation can involve carrier, registration, number-provisioning, verification, and implementation costs. We scope those costs for the specific business and use case and obtain approval before they are incurred; this page does not promise a universal setup fee or unlimited messaging.

04 Why is SMS activation managed?

SMS activation depends on business identity, approved use case, registration, carrier review, documented consent, and reliable opt-out handling. Retention IQ verifies those prerequisites for each customer before enabling production sends.

05 What's the difference between 10DLC and toll-free verification?

10DLC (10-Digit Long Code) is a regular US area-code number, e.g. (310) 555-0123 — high throughput, lower per-message cost, requires TCR Brand + Campaign registration. Toll-free (855, 800, 877, etc.) is a verified business number — lower throughput, higher per-message cost, requires Twilio toll-free verification directly with carriers. For HIPAA-covered healthcare practices, we typically recommend toll-free verification because the carriers' enhanced vetting process is well-aligned with healthcare compliance review. For non-medical (trades, salons, fitness), 10DLC is standard.

06 How long does SMS setup take?

Timing varies by use case, registration path, carrier review, number provisioning, and the completeness of consent records. We provide a customer-specific activation plan and keep SMS disabled until every required readiness check passes.

07 Do you handle SMS opt-in / opt-out compliance?

Yes. Every SMS we send includes STOP / HELP keyword handling per CTIA requirements. Opt-outs are honored immediately and permanently — opted-out numbers cannot receive any future messages without explicit re-opt-in. We maintain audit logs of every opt-in event (the explicit consent moment) and every opt-out, with 7-year retention. Per-practice SMS opt-in / opt-out workflows are built during setup so your patients/clients see the same compliant flow whether they joined through your booking page, your front desk, or a paper form.

Want SMS setup walked through with your team?

15-minute call. We'll confirm whether 10DLC or toll-free fits your vertical, what your setup timeline looks like, and what the per-message economics will be at your patient/client book size.

Book a walkthrough Existing customer sign in

15 minutes · no sales pitch Works with your booking platform