SMS Registration Guide

Registering your business messaging (SMS/MMS) is the best way for Dialpad users to adhere to industry standards and regulations, and ensure their messages are delivered. Carriers will begin to block traffic from unregistered numbers on February 1st, 2025.

Dialpad has built a self-serve registration form that works directly with The Campaign Registry (TCR). 

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the registration process using our form. 

Who can use this

Dialpad Company Admins can register their company's SMS Business Campaign.

Campaign registration dashboard

The Campaign Registration Dashboard provides a clear overview of registration submissions.

To access the Campaign Registration Dashboard, go to your Dialpad Admin Portal.

1. Select Company Settings

2. Navigate to SMS Management

3. Select SMS Registration

Here, you'll see a list of your successful registrations and the status of any pending approvals.

Note

If you have any questions regarding the registration process or a pending and/or declined application, please contact Dialpad Customer Care, not TCR. 

Register your SMS Campaign

To register your campaign, go to your SMS Campaign Dashboard and select Register my brand and campaign.

Before we get started, make sure you have access to your company's information and that you understand why and how your organization messages US mobile numbers.  

Remember, brand and campaign approval is required for registration.

Each field of Dialpad's Company & Brand Information Form must be completed for successful registration. 

Let's go over each section of the registration form.

Company type

The Company Type section is where you provide general information about what type of company your business is. 

Select one of the five company/entity types that best describes your business.

1. Private Profit: Your company has a valid Tax ID (EIN) and is not listed on a public stock exchange or classified as a non-profit organization.

2. Public Profit: Your company is listed on a public stock exchange.

3. Sole Proprietor: Your company does NOT have a valid Tax ID (EIN).

   1. Selecting the Sole Proprietor restricts your entire brand to sending text messages from only 1 number — this number can be selected during registration.

   2. Passing a two-step validation process is mandatory. To complete the One-Time Password (OTP) verification process, users must provide a cell phone number (not a Dialpad number) to receive the code. 

      1. If you experience any difficulty when sending the OTP code, please contact our Customer Care Team

4. Non-Profit: Only to be used by designated "NON PROFIT" status businesses.

   1. Organizations with a "NOT FOR PROFIT" status must register as a "Private Profit” company.

5. Government: Only to be used by Government-run organizations.

Notes on Sole Proprietorship registration

The Sole Proprietor brand is an A2P industry term and does not mean a single business owner.

You cannot have an EIN to register as a Sole Proprietor company.

The Sole Proprietor registration process often takes longer than other company types, and we’ve noticed that the third-party vetting companies are much more investigative with this type of registration. If the third-party vetting team finds that your company does have an EIN, your application will be rejected.

Company details

In the Company Details section, you'll be asked to provide broad information about your business. 

• Legal Company Name: The legal name of your business, as noted with the IRS. Don't worry, this name is not shown to any consumer or message recipient.

  • The only accepted characters are:

    • Alpha (A-Z)

    • Numeric (0-9)

    • Hyphen (-)

    • Ampersand (&)

If the legal name of your business includes any characters other than those listed above, adjust as follows:

• For a symbol or character ("+", "@" or ".") — Spell out the symbol (ie "plus"), or drop the symbol and leave a space

• For a ".com" notation (Jones.com) — Note this as Jones Dot Com or Jones Com

• For a backward (\) or forward (/) slash — Note this as a hyphen (-)

• For an apostrophe (') — Drop the apostrophe and do not leave a space

• Brand Name: If your company does business under a different name than the one you registered with the IRS, enter that in the ‘Doing Business As’ (DBA) field.

• Contact Information: Provide the email address and phone number for a contact at your company with knowledge of the registration details. 

  • Ie: who can we contact about this campaign registration if there are any issues?

• Industry: Select the industry category that best aligns with your organization.

• Website: Your company's primary website.

  • Provide the full URL, such as: http://www.example.com  or https://www.example.com

• Company address: The legal address associated with your business registration and Tax ID.

• Company Tax ID number: The Tax ID number associated with the company’s name, address, and other information 

  • This ensures we perform the background investigation on the correct company.

Campaign description 

The campaign description provides third-party reviewers context so they understand who your brand sends messages to, why, and with what content. 

Your campaign description must match the other provided information (such as the details noted in the Call to Action and Sample Messages sections).  It's essential to provide as much detail as possible, as the approvers have no context to your organization or why you might be sending SMS/MMS to mobile phones.

For example, Approvers may assume a Hair Salon would message clients about appointments, but the messages are actually about the stylists' schedules. In this case, the campaign description would mention the content of the messages and note that only employees or contractors are messaged about work schedules. Again, the more details, the better!

Recipient consent call-to-action

The Recipient Consent Call-to-Action section demonstrates how your organization receives your recipient's contact details and their permission for you to contact them via SMS/MMS. 

No matter the opt-in method, you must have a clear and compliant call-to-action whenever you procure or ask for a phone number on your website (via a contact form, for example), and you must make that phone number mandatory. 

A few important notes:

• The disclosure must be located on the webform collecting the phone number, not just on the web page. 

• A disclosure can be an asterisk (*) next to the phone number field, with a footnote detailing the disclosure.

• You must include the Brand Name and the link to Privacy Policy in the SMS Consent Disclosure.

• You must include a checkbox next to, or below, the phone number field that includes the disclosure. If the consumer checks the box, they are agreeing to the messages.

Call-to-action consent types

There are six different ways that a recipient can give their consent via a call to action.

• Verbally with consent: The consumer provides verbal consent to opt-in and receive your messages.  

  •  If your website has a form that requires a phone number to submit (such as a “Contact Us” page) the website must contain the SMS consent disclosure.

  • Example: While speaking with a customer, either over the phone or in person, the agent asks if the customer would like to receive more information via SMS. Here is our script "Hello {customer}, thank you for calling John's Auto Service. We can send you updates about your car via SMS, I must let you know about this information first. You may reply STOP to opt-out of future messages, or reply HELP for more information. Message frequency varies and message and data rates may apply. We do not share or sell your information to third parties, you can review our privacy policy on our website www.johnsauto.com/privacy. Do you agree to these terms?"

• Entering a telephone number through a website: The consumer enters their phone number into a form on your website.

• Initiating the text message exchange after obtaining the number from a public source: The consumer's number was given to your company via a public source.

  • Example description: Once a recipient finds our number on an advertisement and texts that number. Our organization will send an automated message to reply YES, if they want to opt in to receive SMS from us. We state that message and data rates may apply and that frequency varies. If they reply YES, we send an opt-in message telling them they can reply STOP or HELP. In our HELP message we provide a link to the privacy policy. Here is a screenshot of a sample advertisement.

• Signing up at a point-of-sale (POS) or other Message Sender on-site location: The consumer signs up to receive messages while using an on-site point-of-sale or Message Sender.

  • Example description: Our restaurant has Point of Sale checkout. In the process, our customers can receive their receipts and order updates through SMS. Before they accept, they see the following prompt: I agree to receive text messages and phone calls regarding my order. I also agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy linked below. I understand that my consent to be contacted is not a requirement to purchase any product or service and that I can opt-out at any time. Message & data rates may apply. Message frequency varies.

• Opting-in over the phone using interactive voice response (IVR) technology: The consumer opts-in to messages during an IVR interaction. 

  • Example description: After a customer opts-in via the IVR we will send them a confirmation message so that they are aware of the number they will be receiving updates from.

• Sending a message with an advertising keyword from their mobile device: The consumer opts-in by sending a message to your company containing an advertising keyword. 

  • Example description: We are a local bakery. If a recipient sends BREAD to number: 4378890922, we send the following welcome message: This is Sam’s Bakery. Do you agree to receiving promotional sms messages from us? Message and Data Rates May apply. Frequency may vary. Our privacy policy is available on our support page. Reply YES to agree. Reply STOP to opt out. Once the recipient replies YES, we send our opt-in message: Thank you for subscribing to Sam’s Bakery. Reply STOP anytime to opt-out or HELP for support.
    

Note

For all consent approval options besides a website or form sign-up, you must provide details on how your organization communicates and receives consent. 

Please provide an example that demonstrates the following: 

• You are explicitly asking for consent 

• You are informing the recipient that they can opt-out by replying STOP

• You are informing the recipient that they can get more information by replying HELP

• You are informing the recipient that their data will not be sold or distributed to third parties

• You are informing the recipient that message and data rates may apply

• You are informing the recipient how and where they can review your privacy policy

Sample verbal script: "Hello Frank, Thanks for calling John’s Auto Service. Can we get your permission to send you updates regarding your car via sms? Great, know that you can opt out of these SMS messages anytime by replying STOP. You can get more info by simply replying HELP. We do not sell or distribute your data to third parties. You can always review our company's privacy policy by going online to www. Johnsauto.com/privacy. Lastly, data rates may apply to the SMS messages you receive. Thank you."

Messaging types

In the Messaging Types section, specify the main use of your SMS/MMS messages in your business, either conversational messaging, or automated communication. 

• Conversational messages are an active dialogue with customers, with a back-and-forth format of queries and responses.

• Automated communications use pre-formatted messages, such as marketing campaigns, password retrieval, meeting or appointment reminders, delivery tracking, etc. They are not conversations or messages that are composed by individuals at the time of sending.

If your business actively uses both cases, select both options.

Messaging examples 

Once you've selected the messaging type, you'll be asked to provide at least two examples of your messages. 

Remember, you must clearly identify the following details in each message: 

1. A real-world example of messaging a consumer

2. Clear identification of the message sender

3. Clear call to action

4. Displays common URLs or Phone numbers 

5. Opt-out keywords and instructions

Notes

• If links or phone numbers are being sent, at least one sample message should have an example of this.

  • Placeholders can be used for phone numbers, such as xxx-xxx-xxxx

• Public URL shorteners (such as bit.ly or TinyURL) are not allowed and are blocked by mobile networks regardless of registration state. If you have your own URL shortener, it will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• When using links (URLs), you must provide at least the domain so it can be reviewed.

  • www.dialpad.com/example

  • www.customer-domain.com/example-login-link

Remember

Phrases like “Hi, how are you doing today?” are considered conversational messaging.

Without confirmation of who is sending the message or why, the approvers will likely reject it.

If you use conversational messaging, provide a script format between the sender and recipient, with the brand name and opt-out clauses on the first line from the sender.

Conversational messages allow for much more customization and a personal tone. However, they still need to demonstrate the 5 key points mentioned above. 

Understanding Dialpad’s Messaging Principles and Best Practices will help you answer the questions in this form.

Consent messages

Mobile carriers require businesses to obtain consent (permission) before sending SMS messages to their recipients. Sending text messages to customers, partners, or employees requires permission first.

There are 3 types of consent messages:

1. Opt-in: Describes how the consumer agrees to start receiving your messages.

   1. Opt-in messages are sent from a Dialpad number to a recipient who has never received an SMS/MMS from that number before.

   2. Opt-in messages tell the recipient how to block or inquire about the number.

2. Opt-out: Informs the consumer how they can stop receiving your messages.

   1. Opt-out confirmation messages are sent from the Dialpad number used in the SMS/MMS conversation when the recipient replies STOP.

3. HELP: Informs the consumer of additional information, such as how to unsubscribe or Contact Customer Care.

   1. Help messages are sent from the Dialpad Phone number used in the SMS/MMS conversation when the recipient replies HELP.

   2. The default Dialpad HELP message can be modified from your Office Settings.

You can choose to use Dialpad’s default messages or use your own custom messages.
If you want to use your own messages, enter an example message for each type of consent message, then check the box beside the Use this message setting below each example box.

If these boxes are not checked, Dialpad will automatically apply our default messages.
To reduce the chances of having your messages blocked by mobile network operators, you must have all three checkboxes checked.

Remember that your examples must:

• Include your brand name.

• Include STOP and HELP keywords.

• Include information about messaging fees.

If your organization uses a 3rd Party provider to manage consent messages, then you can disable the consent messages.

Learn more

Be sure to review our Opt-in and Out of SMS Messages article for more information on consent messages. 

Privacy policy

Privacy Policies are required for all messaging campaigns (except for Sole Proprietor use cases).

In some cases, you can provide a full statement that says Personally Identifiable Information (or PII) is not shared, sold, or conveyed to third parties for marketing purposes.

The Privacy Policy must clearly state that personal information will not be shared or sold to third parties for the purpose of marketing.

Notes for Facebook or Instagram sites

Some small businesses do not have a website and only use a business social media presence. In those cases, create a post with the full SMS disclosure and a Privacy Policy link or the actual text of a short Privacy Policy. You can also make that social media post “sticky,” so it always appears at the top of the social media presence for the business. Another option is to link it in the “About” section (applies to Facebook). Privacy Policies can be in a linked Google document or written out in a social media post.

SMS terms & conditions

SMS program terms and conditions are required to be published on the business’ website.
This can be in a dedicated “Terms and Conditions” page or included as part of the Privacy Policy.

The terms and conditions must provide a product description, and explain messaging frequency and rates, opt-out and support methods, as well as the privacy policy.

Registering multiple brands and campaigns

Registering more than one brand or campaign is simple. Once your first brand and campaign are set up, your Registration Dashboard will provide options to add more.

Select New Brand or New Campaign to add a new registration.

Your default campaign

When a number is assigned to a user, group, or room in Dialpad, it automatically connects to your default campaign.

When you have more than one campaign registered, you can choose your organization’s default campaign from the SMS Registration Dashboard.

1. Go to the SMS Registration Dashboard

2. Navigate to the campaign you want to make your default and select More

   

3. Select Make default
   

More information

Be sure to review the following articles for more information:

• Text Message Campaign Registry FAQs

• Messaging Principles and Best Practices

• Text Message Campaign for Dialpad Customers

• Opt In and Out of SMS Messages