Campaigns

10DLC Campaigns are designed to protect consumers by requiring companies to identify themselves and their message intent and category (Use Case), as well as verifying that your customers have agreed to messaging, also known as Opt-In. You can think of a Campaign as the reason why you're contacting your customer (or why they're contacting you), and how they agreed to receive your messages. The ultimate goal is to improve deliverability for your company as a legitimate sender and provide a less "spammy" experience for your customers.

More than one phone number can be associated with a Campaign. For example, if you want nation-wide customers to have the ability to send in questions or concerns to a set of geographically-diverse SMS phone numbers all published as help lines, those numbers can be associated with the same Campaign so long as the type of messaging and customer opt-in is the same across all of them.

As a reminder, Quiq is here to help when it comes to submitting a 10DLC Campaign registration. We'll review all of the information you provide prior to submitting to TCR to ensure that your registration is sound. And if there is ever a question about the information we collect, please contact us and we'll be glad to assist.

Are there Campaign Use Cases that are not permitted?

Yes. Certain messages and business types are strictly prohibited to keep the messaging environment safe and reliable. Even if a specific Use Case isn't explicitly listed as forbidden, message content can still be restricted. For example, shared or free public URL shorteners are not allowed and will trigger filtering; any shortened URLs must be company-branded. Here is a breakdown of forbidden Use Cases.

High-risk financial services

• Payday loans
• Short term high-interest loans
• New loan soliciting
• Third-party loans
• Student loans
• Cryptocurrency
• Stocks and investing platforms

Notes: "Third-party" means originating from any party other than the one which will service the loan. Examples of third-party loans could include: auto, mortgage, personal, etc. First party loan content is acceptable if it is not promotional messaging, unless it is on an approved Short Code. Businesses that solely operate in stocks, investing, or cryptocurrency are only permitted to send SMS traffic that is 2FA and/or transactional messaging. If there is a mixed use case where that is a partial aspect of the business it may be approved based on the other use case content.

Third-party lead generation services and marketing

• Companies, NGOs or political campaigns that buy, sell, or share consumer information
• Affiliate lending
• Affiliate marketing
• Deceptive marketing

Notes: Any third-party use cases are strictly forbidden. Consent must be obtained directly from end-users. Political use case customers sending SMS messages are not able to use voter registration databases to collect consent and outreach end-users. Any business with a terms of service or privacy policy that mentions sharing or selling consumer data/opt-in information is considered noncompliant.

Debt collection or forgiveness

• Third-party debt collection
• Debt consolidation
• Debt reduction
• Debt relief
• Credit/debt repair

Notes: "Third-party" means originating from any party other than the one who is owed the debt. For example, a hospital could send messages regarding bills for its own patients, assuming they provided opt-in to receive that messaging. While third party debt collection is not permitted, a debt collection business that has direct consent from end-users to send related content may do so. Debt consolidation, debt reduction and credit repair programs are prohibited regardless of first-party consent.

"Get rich quick" schemes

• Deceptive work-from-home programs
• Risk investment opportunities
• Pyramid schemes
• Mystery shopping

Notes: Use cases in this category pertain to minimal effort for maximum and/or guaranteed financial gains. These categories in the telecoms industry produce high consumer complaints and are not permissible on carrier routes.

Illegal substances/articles

• Cannabis
• CBD
• Kratom
• Paraphernalia products
• Vape/E-cigs
• Fireworks

Notes: Cannabis, CBD, Kratom, or drug paraphernalia product businesses are prohibited from utilizing SMS/MMS messaging in the US and Canada, regardless of content. These restrictions apply regardless of the federal or state legality. All use cases for these are disallowed from sending SMS whether it contains cannabis content or not, even for 2FA purposes it is not permissible for such entities.

Prescription drugs

Notes: Offers for drugs that cannot be sold over-the-counter in the US/Canada are forbidden regardless of whether the business is a licensed professional.

Gambling

• Casino apps
• Websites that offer gambling
• Sweepstakes
• 50/50 raffles
• Betting/sports picks

Notes: Gambling traffic is prohibited in the US and Canada.

Phishing

• Social engineering scams
• Deceptive "Account Alert" or "Security Warning" messages
• Impersonation of government agencies (IRS, SSA, USPS) or financial institutions (banks, credit card companies)
• Fake delivery notifications
• Requests for sensitive PII (SSN, passwords, PINs)

Notes: Phishing is strictly prohibited across all number types. This includes any message intended to deceive a recipient into providing sensitive information or clicking a malicious link. Messages impersonating well-known brands, banks, or government entities to solicit private data are flagged immediately. Any use of "look-alike" domains or obfuscated URLs to hide the destination of a link is considered a violation of the Anti-Spam and Phishing policies. Additionally, any service that runs "simulated phishing" or "simulated scams" is also prohibited, and may result in similar violation actions being taken as actual phishing or fraud.

"S.H.A.F.T." use cases and electronic smoking devices

• Sex
• Hate
• Alcohol
• Firearms
• Tobacco

Notes: Alcohol traffic is allowed in the US, as long as proper age gating procedures are in place. Age gating means that website users must input their date of birth. It cannot be a yes or no question. Firearms, vape, tobacco, and e-cigarettes are not allowed regardless of age gating. Gun advocacy groups/messaging does not fall under firearms.

What is Opt-In?

In order to be 10DLC compliant, you must present a way for customers to agree to receive messages from your company. Opt-In is the process by which a customer provides explicit, documented permission to your company to send them text messages. It needs to be clear to the customer that they are agreeing to receive messages from your specific Brand, how they can prevent future messaging if they so decide, how to get help, how frequently they will receive messages, and that they are subject to your Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

There are two types of Opt-In by which a customer can agree.

Implicit Opt-In

This type of opt-in occurs when a customer reaches out to your company directly. This is typically a result of your SMS number being listed on a website, document, pamphlet, etc. such that it is available to your customer for a specific purpose (such as customer support). The customer understands that they are contacting you, but specific information must still be provided to them.

The customer must be made aware that they are opting into a specific category of messaging by means of a disclaimer that is clearly associated with the listed number, along with access to your Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Here is an example of a disclaimer that may be seen on a website where a contact SMS number is listed:

"By messaging BRAND, you agree to receive SMS messages related to [your account, customer support, etc.]. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP, or receive assistance by replying HELP. Message and data rates apply. Message frequency varies. Please see our Privacy Policy [URL] and Terms and Conditions [URL] for more information."

Explicit Opt-In

This form of opt-in is used when your company will proactively reach out to a customer. The customer takes a clear, affirmative action to agree to receive text messages after being told exactly what they are signing up for. This is commonly seen on points of sale where a customer provides their phone number and checks a box to receive updates about their order, or when pressing a keypad button or stating "yes" to confirm transfer to the SMS platform via an IVR system.

Note that for goods and services, declining explicit opt-in should not prevent your customer from proceeding with a purchase. Much like Implicit Opt-In, information must be presented to the customer regarding your proactive messaging:

"BRAND will use SMS messages to [provide updates on your order or delivery, send appointment reminders, etc.]. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP, or receive assistance by replying HELP. Message and data rates apply. Message frequency varies. Please see our Privacy Policy [URL] and Terms and Conditions [URL] for more information."

What information is most important?

Information collected as part of a 10DLC Campaign registration is both identifying and descriptive. Your Legal Company Name is required, but most other company and contact information will have already been collected in your Brand registration. The remaining required details relate to how you will use the SMS number associated with the Campaign and how customers agree to receive messaging.

Campaign Use Case

This is a categorical selection of how your campaign will be used. It is possible to have more than one category for a Use Case (known as a "Mixed" Use Case) if you plan on using the same phone number for multiple purposes. This will require a selection and eventual description for each selected Use Case. Otherwise, you will choose just one Use Case. Here are the standard categories:

• 2FA: Any authentication, verification, or one-time passcode.
• Account Notification: Standard notifications for account holders, relating to and being about an account.
• Customer Care: All customer care interaction, including but not limited to account management and customer support.
• Delivery Notifications: Notification about the status of the delivery of a product or service.
• Fraud Alert Messaging: Notifications regarding potential fraudulent activity on a user's account.
• Higher Education: Messaging created on behalf of colleges or universities, including school districts and education institutions. This use case is NOT for the "free to the consumer" messaging model.
• Low Volume Mixed: For Brands that have multiple use cases and only need very low messaging throughput. Examples include: test or demo accounts, small businesses (single doctor's office, single pizza shop), etc. Maximum of 5 sub Standard use cases.
• Machine-to-Machine (M2M): M2M is a process that implies wireless communication between two or more physical assets. There is no human interaction in the Machine-to-Machine campaign. Subscriber-facing campaigns are prohibited. This is a dedicated use case.
• Marketing: Any communication that includes marketing and/or promotional content.
• Mixed: For brands that have multiple use cases and want to run them on the same campaign. Minimum of 2 sub use cases and a maximum of 5 sub use cases.
• Polling and Voting: The sending of surveys and polling/voting campaigns.
• Public Service Announcement: Informational messaging to raise an audience's awareness about important issues.
• Security Alert: A notification that the security of a system, either software or hardware, has been compromised in some way and there is an action you need to take.

Campaign Description

This should be a clear and detailed description of what the campaign will be used for. Here are some tips for what to submit:

• Ensure that this description aligns with the selected Use Case (i.e., if you are registering as a 2FA campaign, the campaign description must reflect the exact use; references to customer care messages would result in a rejection).
• If multiple use cases are registered, describe all use cases (i.e., a Mixed campaign that includes 2FA and Marketing Use Cases. Both use cases should be mentioned in the campaign description).
• If donations are collected, it must be clearly stated.

Examples include:

• "BRAND will use this campaign to communicate with customers who have opted in to receive delivery notifications regarding products they have ordered."
• "BRAND will use this campaign to send members 2FA verification codes when they log into our member portal."
• "BRAND will use this campaign to provide technical support to customers who use our mobile application."

Call To Action

This is perhaps the most important information submitted for a 10DLC Campaign. The Call to Action (CTA) is a detailed description of how a consumer opts in to receive messages as part of the Campaign, therefore giving consent to your company to send messages. The Call to Action must be explicitly clear and include:

• The process by which the customer agrees to receive messages
• Brand name
• Types of messages being sent
• Message frequency disclosure
• "Message and data rates may apply" disclosure
• Help information
• Opt-out/stop information
• Link to the Privacy Policy
• Link to the Terms and Conditions

Of course, various methods of Opt-In will result in different Call to Action descriptions and will also require different types of proof. A checkbox on a web form will have different requirements than a verbal consent given to an employee collecting customer contact information. In any case, this information should:

• Clearly explain how the consumer agrees to receive text messages from the brand. Will they register for SMS notifications via a form on your website? Switch to it from an IVR system? Use a physical form? Send a text message to a number on the website? Agree verbally with your agents on the phone or in person?
• Provide a script, link, or attachment of the opt-in collection material (webform, physical form, screen capture, verbal opt-in script, keyword marketing material, etc.).

Terms and Conditions

We will collect a URL to your company's Terms and Conditions, which must include:

• An SMS disclosure that includes the types of messages consumers can expect to receive
• Confirmation that customer number will not be used for affiliate marketing
• Texting frequency
• Message and data rate notices
• Privacy Policy link
• HELP information
• STOP/opt-out instructions

If your Terms and Conditions are not hosted online, we will need a digital copy to submit as part of the registration.

Privacy Policy

Similarly, we will need the URL to your company's Privacy Policy, which must include a disclaimer that no mobile opt-in will be shared with third parties for marketing purposes. Here is an example of some phrasing:

"Mobile information will not be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All the above categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties."

If your Privacy Policy is not hosted online, we will need a digital copy to submit as part of the registration.

What other info is collected?

Along with the above descriptive content, there is some additional information needed to submit a compliant 10DLC Campaign registration.

Opt-In/Opt-Out/Help Messages

These are the messages customers receive as responses to action keywords they can proactively use to modify messaging or get more information, commonly "START," "STOP," and "HELP." These keywords are honored by both Quiq and the service providers. Below are some examples of responses to each keyword:

• START: "Thank you for opting in to receive messages from BRAND. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for additional info. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. See our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy on our website."
• STOP: "You have successfully been unsubscribed from BRAND. You will not receive any more messages from this number. Reply START to resubscribe."
• HELP: "Please visit the BRAND website URL for additional assistance, or call 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies."

Sample Messages

These should reflect the types of messages customers can expect to receive, both when first beginning a conversation and also while interacting with one of your agents. Three to five examples are required as part of your registration, and they must:

• Correspond to the registered Campaign Use Case
• Identify the Brand in the message
• Provide at least one sample message that includes opt out language
• If a campaign is registered under multiple use cases (Mixed), a sample message for each use case should be provided
• If you typically send a URL or phone number as part of your messaging, the embedded link and/or phone number must be included in at least one of the sample messages

Some examples would be:

• "Hello, this is BRAND! Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for additional info. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. See our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy on our website."
• "Hello, this is AGENT with BRAND. Please visit EMBEDDED LINK for more information."
• "Hello, this is AGENT with BRAND. Please call EMBEDDED PHONE NUMBER for direct assistance with this matter."
• "Hello, this is AGENT with BRAND. How can I help you today?"
• "Hello, this is AGENT with BRAND. Your delivery is scheduled for..."
• "Hello, this is AGENT with BRAND. I can help you with this matter. Can you provide me with your invoice number?"

How does my Campaign get approved?

After your Campaign information is submitted, it goes through a preliminary round of review during which basic compliance is checked by TCR and the Direct Connect Aggregators (DCAs), who ultimately connect to the mobile networks and transmit SMS messages on behalf of their customers. Items such as the campaign description, Call to Action, and sample messages are determined to be complete, and the process moves on from there.

After the initial review, the details of your submission are scrutinized further. Your Call to Action is verified and Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy are reviewed for compliance. If you rely on implicit opt-in, reviewers will want to see the SMS disclaimer on your website. If you use an IVR system to obtain opt-in, reviewers will inspect the script for appropriate consent.

Once the review is complete, we will see that the DCA has been fully elected and the Campaign is approved. This means that the mobile carriers agree that the information submitted to TCR is compliant with A2P policies and that your company is ready to send SMS messaging to your customers.

In the event that the Campaign is not approved, don't worry. This is often an iterative process, and we will provide guidance as to what part of the submission might need to be modified. This could be as simple as providing another screenshot of your point-of-sale opt-in screen, or modifying your Privacy Policy to more explicitly include a mobile-info non-sharing agreement. We will work with you closely to ensure that your 10DLC Campaign gets approved.

Is my Campaign approved forever?

Once your Campaign is approved, you can begin sending SMS messages to your customers. However, it is important that your messaging is consistent with the Campaign information you submitted. This means that the specific Use Case you registered must be adhered to, that your messaging will not include prohibited content, and that you promptly honor opt-out requests while keeping such requests to a minimum.

Occasionally, a Campaign can be investigated by our service provider or the downstream mobile carriers (e.g. AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.). There are some events that may result in scrutiny:

• Increased opt-out requests from your recipients above a certain threshold. This could be due to non-targeted messaging, messaging before or after a certain time of day, or messaging recipients who did not agree to receive notifications (as opposed to conversational messages).
• Detection of spam-like content in your messaging, including urgent phrasing (e.g. "ACT NOW," "LIMITED DEAL," etc.), the use of shortened URLs, the use of keywords that correspond to prohibited use cases, direct requests for payment, etc.
• Detection of message content that is not described in your Campaign submission or aligned to submitted sample messages.

If this investigation is invited, our service provider or the downstream mobile carriers may suspend the Campaign until the issues can be addressed. When that occurs, you will not be able to send SMS messages from those numbers registered under the Campaign. We will work with you to ensure that the Campaign is brought back into good standing and that your messaging aligns with compliant practices.

That being said, the process of providing updated sample messages, Calls to Action, a modified Privacy Policy, etc. can certainly take some time both to implement and have reviewed, during which time SMS messages cannot be sent. It is therefore very important that you attempt to remain compliant and align messaging with the original Campaign submission. The more accurate the Campaign information you submit, along with your adherence to it, the less likely the Campaign will be subject to scrutiny and possible suspension.