Text message (SMS) campaigns are one of the most effective and common business communication channels. If you use text messages or are thinking about using them, you’ll need to keep yourself updated on The Campaign Registry–or risk your carrier cutting off your ability to send texts, or charging you a fee. If your business isn’t properly registered by August 31, 2023, you could find yourself facing those consequences.
To help you ensure your text messages get sent out successfully, we've put together this comprehensive guide to TCR registration, including how Ringover helps you with this process. With the information we've included, you'll be able to successfully sign up for the SMS campaign registry so your business texts will always reach your prospects and customers.
What is TCR Registration?
The Campaign Registry is a company that works with mobile carriers to register and manage numbers business use to send text messages. In 2018, the FCC classified both SMS and MSS as informational services. This is significant because that ruling allowed mobile carriers to manage sending and receiving of these messages as they see fit.
The carriers then classified SMS text messages as application-to-person (A2P). That classification is important because it makes text messages subject to certain regulations–chief among them, that your business must enter the SMS campaign registry. This hold true for American businesses and Canadian businesses who send text messages to American contacts.
If your business hasn’t properly completed the SMS campaign registration by August 31, 2023, your messages will be blocked and you could potentially receive a fee. In fact, non-registered programs could be blocked as early as July 5, 2023. Moreover, your service provider won’t be able to enable new SMS on new numbers.
The goal of The Campaign Registry is to reduce the incidence of spam and fraud. TCR registration accomplishes this goal by collecting and verifying a business's name, federal registration number, address, and contact information.
Once you've completed your TCR registration, you'll be able to obtain a 10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) to send A2P text messages. Businesses use 10DLC to send text messages because they have advantages over the short code numbers sometimes used for business SMS campaigns. Those advantages include lower costs and higher delivery and send rates.
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What do I need to successfully register with TCR?
The good news is, you'll only need to interact with Ringover to complete your TCR registration. To make the process easier, you'll need to collect the following information and documentation. To properly plan your TCR registration, take into account the registration process usually takes about 30 business days. If you're looking to complete the process efficiently, it's best to provide correct and complete information the first time around.
Verification letter
To complete the TCR registration, you have to provide an EIN (USA) or Business Number (Canada). If you don't already have this number, you register with the IRS or CRA. Make sure the information is consistent across all agencies, because otherwise you'll have to submit further documentation.
Company information
The Campaign Registry requires the following information regarding your company:
- The business's legal name
- The country of registration
- EIN or Business Number
- Legal address
- Organization type
Industry
The Campaign Registry requires contextual information about your business. For this field, you'll need to enter the sector that best applies to your business
Primary contact
The Campaign Registry requires specific contact information, like the following:
- Contact name
- Title
- Email address
- Address
- Phone number
Website URL
This information is optional, but it's possible to input a social media profile.
Description of your customer consent
Customer consent is of top priority for The Campaign Registry. Legally speaking, consent is required before you can engage in SMS campaigns. You should enter a list of the means you use to obtain consent, including if it's implied, verbal, or written. In case your business gets consent through its website, you'll need to provide the opt-in language specifically mentioning text messages on your web form. Any pertinent URLs should be provided to Ringover in this section. You can even provide screenshots of relevant forms, etc. Finally, if you request a phone number but don't include opt-in language, you should state this clearly while completing your TCR registration.
Messaging Examples
During the TCR registration process, you must provide a minimum of three sample text messages. These examples are meant to be typical of the sort of SMS message you will send during campaigns. If these messages fall under the category of informational or promotional notices, you should include opt-out language. This can be as simple as including “Reply STOP to opt-out.”
How you manage opt-in, -out, and help keywords
This category must be completed even if you don't currently use opt-in messaging. You should note what opt-out keywords (STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, etc.) you'll honor, and how you respond to requests for help. You should note that opt-out and help keywords are required, even if you are only using text messages for conversational purposes.
Company SMS phone numbers
You should double-check that your business phone provider has registered all the numbers used for SMS. With Ringover, you'll be able to see which numbers are used to send text messages so you can double check each is included.
Brand registration: How to do it?
Now that we've walked you through the information and documentation you'll need to provide to successfully complete your TCR registration, let's take a look at the actual process itself. The good news is, if you prepare beforehand, you will accomplish these three steps relatively easily.
- Access the form. You'll need to provide Ringover with the key information we outlined in the previous section.
- Provide the required information about your brand. Make sure all information you provide matches the publicly available information about your company.
- Enter information regarding your campaign. You'll need to ensure all the guidelines we outlined in the previous section. It's especially important to include opt-in and -out information. As far as The Campaign Registry is concerned, your business should have a clear privacy policy/terms of use.
TCR Registration FAQ
Is TCR registration required?
If you are using text messages for business purposes, TCR registration is required by August 31, 2023. This includes American businesses and Canadian businesses contacting American contacts. In fact, if you send text messages without registering with TCR, mobile carriers will block your text messages from reaching your intended recipients.
TCR works with mobile carriers to register and manage numbers businesses use to send text messages. The goal of the TCR registration process is to reduce the incidence of spam and fraud. TCR registration accomplishes this by collecting and verifying a business's name, federal registration number, address, and contact information.
What is TCR in SMS?
Mobile carriers require all businesses sending text messages (SMS) to register with The Campaign Registry (TCR) by August 31, 2023. If businesses don't complete TCR registration, their messages will be blocked.
What is 10DLC TCR registration?
The Campaign Registry (TCR) works with mobile carriers to register businesses who send application-to-person (A2P) messages for business purposes. The category A2P covers all text messages, like MMS and SMS. Once you've completed your TCR registration, you'll be able to obtain a 10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) to send A2P text messages. Registration must be completed by August 31, 2023. Businesses use 10DLC to send text messages because they have advantages over the short code numbers sometimes used for business SMS campaigns.Those advantages include lower costs and higher delivery and send rates.
