Navigating the A2P 10DLC Compliance Changes:

What You Need to Know

New Text Message Deliverability Standards Effective August 31, 2023

An Important Message to Our Valued Customers

In light of recent A2P 10DLC compliance changes, the landscape of text messaging is evolving. These shifts mean that without the necessary approvals through platforms like Twilio and wireless carriers, your text messages could face deliverability issues. Essentially, to send A2P 10DLC compliant messages, an approved campaign is vital. Without it, texts could be blocked, impacting the health and reputation of the numbers you use for messaging.

Understanding the Challenge

We understand that compliance can be difficult to understand, but we're expecting that these changes do the following for you and your business:

  • Improves the overall health of your phone numbers

  • Allows for higher rate of deliverability of text messages

Our Solution Unveiled

The changes made to the dialer will help to improve the overall health of phone numbers as well as allow for higher rate of deliverability.

Navigating the Change with Sierra

We at Sierra know that compliance can be tricky and difficult to understand, so we've taken the lead and handled these changes on our side. The biggest change clients can expect is a delay in text messaging access.

Updates

 

 

Thursday, September 7th

How to get a 147C EIN Verification Letter from the IRS

The only way to get an EIN Verification Letter (147C) is to call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933.

For security reasons, the IRS will never send anything by email. Instead, the IRS will send you an EIN Verification Letter (147C) two ways:

  • by mail
  • by fax (you can use an actual fax or a digital/online fax)

 

147C by mail

If you choose mail, it can take 4-6 weeks before your EIN Verification Letter (147C) arrives.

 

147C by fax

If you choose fax, the IRS will fax you the 147C Letter while you’re on the phone.

Tip: The IRS agent will ask, “Do you have a private and secure fax next to you?” If you are using a digital/online fax, say yes.

Here’s how to call the IRS and get a 147C Letter

  1. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 (the “business and specialty tax line”).
  2. Press option 1 for English.
  3. Press option 1 for Employer Identification Numbers.
  4. Press option 3 for “If you already have an EIN, but you can’t remember it, etc."
  5. Tell the IRS agent that you have an LLC and need an EIN Verification Letter (147C).
  6. The IRS agent will ask a few security questions to confirm you own your LLC.
  7. Tell the IRS agent whether you’d like to receive the 147C Letter by mail or fax.

Tip: Only an owner of your LLC can request a 147C Letter. No one else can call for you, unless they have a Power of Attorney on file with the IRS. If you have a Single-Member LLC, refer to yourself as the “owner” (instead of Member). If you have a Multi-Member LLC, refer to yourself as a “partner” (instead of a Member).

 

Tuesday, September 5th

Canadian - Turned back on 

We have an update for you on your recent outbound text messaging disruption. The current status of your account is that text messaging has been turned back on since Canadian mobile carriers have yet to be impacted by recent changes to A2P 10DLC Compliance for U.S.-based mobile carriers.

Friday, September 1st 

Update on Outbound Text Messaging Disruption

In Progress - Approved Brand, Campaign in Progress

We have an update for you on your recent outbound text messaging disruption. The current status of your account is that you have an approved business profile and that your campaign has been submitted. 

We are waiting to hear back on the status of your campaign. This process could be completed today, over the weekend or sometime next week. Once your campaign is approved, your outbound text messaging capabilities will resume. 

You can also find the status of your campaign in the dialer settings in your CRM. We will communicate with you again once we receive a response to your campaign.

Campaign Failed - Approved Brand, Campaign Failed

We have an update for you on your recent outbound text messaging disruption. The current status of your account is that you have an approved business profile but your campaign failed approval by the campaign registry. 

We are working with our text messaging provider to better understand why the campaign failed and will appeal that decision. If we cannot successfully appeal, we will fix the issue causing the failure and resubmit the campaign. Depending on the nature of the failure, this could be resolved within days or weeks. Once your campaign is approved, your outbound text messaging capabilities will resume.

You can also find the status of your campaign in the dialer settings in your CRM. We will communicate with you again once your campaign has been approved.

Brand Failed

We have an update on your recent outbound text messaging disruption. The current status of your account is that you do not have an approved business profile. 

We are working with our messaging provider now to remedy the situation. The most likely cause is that we had an incorrect or missing employer identification number (EIN). Our Support team has reached out to all customers that fall into this category. If you received such correspondence and haven't replied back, please do so that we can get your brand resubmitted for approval.

We are in the process of re-submitting your brand. Once that has been done, we can submit your campaign for approval. This process will take a couple of weeks to complete. 

We will communicate with you again once your brand is approved as well as when your campaign has been approved. Once your campaign is approved your outbound text messaging capabilities will resume. 

Approvals - Approved Brand and Campaign

We have an update for you on your recent outbound text messaging disruption. The current status of your account is that you have an approved business profile and an approved campaign. Your outbound text messaging capabilities can now resume. 





 



August 31, 2023

  • Compliance Changes Take Effect: A2P 10DLC compliance rules are enforced. All businesses must have approved Business Profiles and Campaigns to continue text messaging services.

September 1-14, 2023 (estimated)

  • Campaign Approval Process: Sierra works diligently to resubmit campaigns for clients to ensure approval.
  • Text Messaging Services Interrupted: Clients without approved profiles or campaigns experience an interruption in text messaging services.

Post-September 14, 2023 (or once approved)

  • Return to Normal Operations:
    • Clients with both approved Business Profiles and Campaigns regain full dialer functionality.
    • Those with only an approved Business Profile but a disapproved Campaign await the campaign approval.
    • Sierra continues assisting clients who need approvals to meet compliance standards.
  • Regular Updates: Sierra provides ongoing updates and support to all clients, ensuring smooth transitions and clear communications.

What is A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging via standard 10-digit long codes (10DLC). In short, A2P 10DLC is a mobile carrier-enforced standard that aims to confirm that SMS traffic to end-users is legitimate and warranted.

Who is impacted by A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC impacts ALL businesses that use 10-digit long codes to communicate with clients in the United States.

Understanding the Fight Against Spam Texts

Spam texts have surged in the US, becoming a significant concern for many. In fact, Americans were bombarded with a staggering 87.8 billion spam text messages in 2021 alone – that's a 58% uptick from the previous year.

To put things in perspective, just in August of 2022, a mind-boggling 10.89 billion spam texts were dispatched, averaging about 41 unsolicited messages per individual every month.

To combat this growing menace and restore trust in the messaging ecosystem, leading carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile introduced A2P 10DLC. This system is designed to shield mobile users from the deluge of spam and unsolicited texts delivered via long-code phone numbers.

So, what does A2P 10DLC bring to the table?

  1. Transparency: It offers a clear insight into the sender's identity and the purpose behind the message.
  2. Consent: Ensures that message recipients have actively agreed to receive communications from the business.
  3. Enhanced Security: A2P 10DLC fosters a more verified and secure environment for both businesses and consumers who rely on SMS as a primary communication channel.

So, what does A2P 10DLC bring to the table?

  1. Transparency: It offers a clear insight into the sender's identity and the purpose behind the message.
  2. Consent: Ensures that message recipients have actively agreed to receive communications from the business.
  3. Enhanced Security: A2P 10DLC fosters a more verified and secure environment for both businesses and consumers who rely on SMS as a primary communication channel.

Understanding the Benefits of A2P 10DLC for Businesses

1. Enhanced Scalability

  • High-Volume Messaging: Businesses can seamlessly send large numbers of automated SMS using regular 10-digit long codes, which offers more scalability than shortcodes.
  • Overcome Short Code Constraints: Reach a broader audience without the limitations posed by shortcode availability.

2. Cost Efficiency

  • Affordable A2P Messaging: Long codes generally cost less than shortcodes when transmitting A2P messages.
  • Friendly for SMBs: With straightforward usage and minimized setup and maintenance expenses, long codes are a budget-friendly choice.

3. Superior Deliverability

  • Reliability and Trust: Unlike shortcodes, long codes associate with personal phone numbers, which are deemed trustworthy.
  • Minimized Spam Tagging: A2P 10DLC messages have a reduced likelihood of being classified as spam, ensuring a high delivery success rate.

4. Elevate Customer Experience

  • Familiarity Drives Engagement: Using standard phone numbers fosters a recognizable and trustworthy messaging environment. This familiarity boosts open rates and overall customer satisfaction.

5. Trustworthiness through Compliance

  • Meeting Industry Standards: Adherence to A2P 10DLC ensures compliance with vital industry guidelines, fostering trust with carriers and minimizing the risk of message blockages.
  • Secure Messaging Environment: Compliance is a strong countermeasure against spam, scams, and unwanted communications.

6. Dynamic Flexibility

  • Diverse Messaging: From marketing notifications and transactional alerts to reminders and support messages, A2P 10DLC caters to a wide spectrum of communication needs, enhancing customer engagement strategies.

Why is Sierra making these changes?

Sierra provides dialer functionality (call, text, voicemail), allowing you to communicate with your leads via 10-digit long codes.

Why am I only hearing about this now?

We understand and appreciate the importance of timely communication, especially with crucial matters like this. Our commitment has always been to ensure a seamless experience for our clients. Up until recently, we were confident and on track to meet the compliance deadline based on the original guidelines provided. However, unforeseen adjustments to the regulations were introduced at the final stages, and combined with some challenges encountered with Twilio, the timeline was impacted.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. We are actively working to rectify the situation and ensure that we provide the best service possible under these new circumstances. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through this together.

What happens to scheduled text messages?

If you don’t have an approved Business Profile and Campaign, Sierra wont send any text messages that may be included in your Fully Automated Action Plans, Traditional Action Plans or Sierra AI. You will not be charged for these text messages, as they wont be sent. The text messages that aren’t sent will be displayed in the lead detail feed.

What is required under new A2P 10DLC compliance standards?

New compliance standards require that businesses have an approved Business Profile and Campaign to use text message functionality. This means that each of Sierra’s clients that are actively using the dialer will need an approved Business Profile and Campaign.

I’ve never heard of a Business Profile or Campaign. Who creates them?

Upon enabling the dialer functionality for your account, you provided information regarding your business. This information is used by Sierra to pass to Twilio and set up your Business Profile. Once the Business Profile has been approved, Sierra creates a Campaign that includes all of your dialer numbers. Sierra submits information like what the numbers will be used for, opt-in/opt-out information, etc.

How is this change different from the previous set up?

Sierra has allowed clients to utilize dialer functionality (call, text, voicemail) without an approved Business Profile and Campaign. This allowed you to enable the dialer functionality without any interruption.

How will this change impact my business? And for how long?

If you already have an approved Business Profile and have an approved Campaign, there will be no interruption in text message functionality.

If you already have an approved Business Profile but a disapproved campaign, you will experience a brief interruption of text messaging services.

If you don’t have an approved Business Profile or campaign, you will see an interruption of up to 21 days.

How can I find updates on when text message functionality will be available to me?

Primary Managers and Manager level users will be able to locate the status of their Business Profile and Campaign within Dialer Settings.

Navigate to the Gear Icon > Dialer Settings > Dialer Business Information.

Reference the banner at the bottom of the Dialer Business Information page to find the status of your Business Profile and Campaign.

Here are examples of the statuses you may see:

  • “The Brand Profile hasn't been registered due to: Brand feedback: Invalid EIN*. Because we need both your Brand Profile and Campaign to be approved for compliance purposes, you will not have access to text messaging until both are approved. You will still have the ability to make calls and leave voicemails, though. For more information on this change please contact Support at Support@SierraInteractive.com.

  • “The Brand Profile has been registered successfully, but we’re awaiting Campaign approval. This usually takes up to 14 days. During this time you will not have access to text messaging, but will have the ability to make calls or leave voicemails. For more information on this change please contact Support at Support@SierraInteractive.com.

  • “The Brand Profile and Campaign have been registered successfully.”

*Invalid EIN used as an example disapproval reason.

  •  

 

If I’m utilizing text message functionality in Action Plans, what happens to those actions?

If you don’t have an approved Business Profile and Campaign, Sierra won't send any text messages that may be included in your Fully Automated or Traditional Action Plans. The texts that aren’t sent will be reflected in the lead detail feed. You will not be charged for these text messages, as they will not be sent.

How to get a copy of EIN Verification Letter147C from the IRS

  1. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 (the “business and specialty tax line”).
  2. Press option 1 for English.
  3. Press option 1 for Employer Identification Numbers.
  4. Press option 3 for “If you already have an EIN, but you can’t remember it, etc.”
  5. Tell the IRS agent that you have an LLC and need an EIN Verification Letter (147C).
  6. The IRS agent will ask a few security questions to confirm you own your LLC.
  7. Tell the IRS agent whether you’d like to receive the 147C Letter by mail or fax.
They need to opt to have the letter faxed to them. If they choose to have the letter mailed, it could take 4-6 weeks.
https://www.llcuniversity.com/irs/ein-verification-letter-147c/

I provided my Business Name and EIN. Can I also register my DBA/Assumed Name/Alias?

While we appreciate you providing comprehensive information, for the purpose of the A2P 10DLC registration with Twilio, only the registered Business Name is required. Twilio checks to ensure that the provided Business Name (along with type, address, contact details, etc.) matches the associated EIN Number. As such, DBA/Assumed Names/Aliases or fictitious names are not necessary for this process.