Avaya Cloud Office : How to enable SMS and campaign registration

Summary

This article provides information on how to enable SMS and campaign registration.

NOTE:  For Canadian customers that are not sending SMS/MMS to US phone numbers, registration is not required.
 

Details

Mobile carriers implemented a new registration requirement to help verify messaging traffic from business phone numbers. These requirements apply to all Avaya Cloud Office customers sending SMS from long code numbers, regardless of country and use case.

• Why is this happening? As business SMS traffic increases, so do scammers sending fraudulent messages. Carriers have been steadily working towards a methodology to counteract the growing bad actors utilizing SMS, while also protecting legitimate businesses who use SMS to communicate with their customers.
  
  In 2018, the FCC issued a decision that SMS is considered the FCC issued a decision that SMS is an informational service, providing US mobile carriers the ability to regulate how SMS may be sent, what type of content may be sent, and implement and manage fees for different types of SMS.
  
  In 2021, US mobile carriers including Verizon, AT&T, and T-mobile reclassified all business SMS as 10DLC A2P (10 Digital Long Code application to person), a new type of SMS with numerous regulations, registration requirements, and fees. Thus allowing legitimate businesses who register to send messages, and carriers to block spam texts from unregistered sources.

• What do I need to do? To ensure you are able to continue sending messages, you’ll need to register your business through Avaya/RingCentral with The Campaign Registry (TCR), a third-party organization. This process verifies you’re a legitimate SMS/MMS messages source. To register, please follow the instructions in the section below: Registering your business with TCR.


• Which carriers require SMS compliance? The following carriers require TCR registration:
  • AT&T
  • T-Mobile
  • Verizon
  • ClearSky
  • Interop
  • US Cellular

What if I fail to register? All Avaya Cloud Office customers are required to register and have their registration approved by March 31, 2023. Failure to register will result in SMS being disabled for your account, or any non-registered numbers.
 

Registering your business with the TCR

1. Watch the TCR video to understand the new mobile carrier requirements and how this applies to you.
2. Review our checklist below to help you ensure you have everything you need to register.
3. Go to the Avaya Cloud Office admin portal and follow the steps outlined in the step by step workflow guide
4. Create your brand. Most companies only require one brand. The approval process for your brand typically takes 5-10 minutes.
5. Next, register your campaign. Most companies will have one campaign, although you may have multiple campaigns depending on your business use case. The approval process for your campaign(s) typically takes 20-30 days.
6. Finally, once your brand and campaign are registered, you will assign your numbers to your campaign. 

TCR business SMS registration checklist

We’ve put together easy-to-follow tips to help you prepare for registering your business SMS with The Campaign Registry (TCR).

Before you register

Gather the following information to avoid charges, as you’ll pay a fee for each resubmission attempt.

• Verification letter
  • After registering with the IRS, you’ll receive a letter with your approved registration information. If registering with the Canadian government, they’ll send a business number verification letter. The letter from the US or Canadian government will include the info you’ll need for brand registration.
  • Legal company name
  • Country of registration
  • EIN (US) / Business Number (Canada)
  • Legal company address


• Organization Type: Have your stock symbol registration letter from the SEC available if you’re a publicly traded company. Otherwise, you’re a privately owned (ex. LLC) or non-profit (ex. 501 business.)


• Industry: What industry does your business operate in? Based on your answer, you’ll need to pick a vertical that best matches your industry. This article explains the verticals TCR provides.


• Primary contact: Have the contact’s name, title, address, email, and phone number on hand.


• Website URL: This is optional to include with your TCR registration.


• Proof of customer consent: Take pictures of the website form, paper form, or another method you use to get permission from your customers to send SMS.


• Messaging examples: If you’ve been using SMS before TCR registration, you’ll likely have example messages you’ve sent to customers.
  • Consent: Draft three messages based on how you got the customer’s permission to send them an SMS.
  
  
  • Opt-in, out, and help: When you send SMS, what messages do you text to get customers to opt-in to messages, stop receiving an SMS, and get your help on an issue? You’ll need the wording for each message type and the exact word they text to perform any of the three actions.
  
   
• Company SMS phone numbers: You’ll need to double-check that your RingCentral account has registered all the numbers you use for SMS. Have a list of every phone number you use for SMS so you can check.

 

Additional tips

Here are some additional things to keep in mind before you register with TCR.

• This entire process can take 20-30 business days. Successfully submitting on your first attempt reduces your wait time for approval.
• Use cases, where you use SMS, might include special offers, marketing, coupons, weekly updates, price drops, new arrivals, and so on.
• You must have consent from customers to receive an SMS before you can register with TCR. Otherwise, your application will be rejected. A few ways you show proof of consent include:
  • Screenshots
  • Examples (ex. online form URL, paper form image/PDF)
  • Timestamp (ex. online submission date and time, date on paper form)
  • Consent wording (ex. “I give permission to have ABC company send me SMS for…”)
  • IP address (online only)
  • Customer phone number
  • Customer information (ex. user ID, name, address, email)

 

General questions

What is a brand ID?
A brand ID is a collection of information to identify the business sending an SMS. A brand identifies the company or entity the end-user believes to be sending a message. For example, if an HVAC company, Acme HVAC, sends SMS maintenance reminders to its end customers using Avaya Cloud Office, the brand would be identified as Acme HVAC. In most cases, a brand equals a legally registered company name.

What is a campaign ID?
A campaign denotes your phone numbers and how you’ll use them for SMS. A company will typically have only one brand ID but may have several campaign IDs, depending on its SMS usage. For example, if the medical facility Acme Healthcare wants to send appointment reminders to its end customers via SMS, the campaign ID for that usage would be “appointment reminders.”

How much does registration cost?
Registration costs vary depending on business classification and SMS usage. Costs include one-time registration fees and monthly registration fees.  Please note that certain cases may require additional information and incur costs that Avaya/RingCentral will not pay. We will notify you before charging any registration fees.
If you complete the registration via Admin Portal, TCR fees take effect immediately. If your registration fails, you’ll be charged $4 (US) or $5 (CAD) for each resubmission.

What is the minimum commitment for brand/campaign registration?
There is a 3-month minimum commitment.

Can I opt out of registration?
If you want to opt out of registering with TCR, you may do so, but your SMS messaging will be disabled in your account.
No unregistered SMS message traffic is allowed across our network. You can, however, port SMS capabilities to another provider, allowing you to utilize Avaya Cloud Office for calls, instant messaging, and video while using a third-party provider for your SMS messages.
To opt out, contact Avaya Cloud Office support and ask for SMS capabilities to be disabled on your account. Customers who are not fully registered by March 31, 2023 will automatically have SMS disabled.

Do I need to be registered or approved by March 31st to avoid being shut off?
Yes, your brand needs approval by TCR before March 31, 2023. The good news is that once approved, you'll be fully registered and able to continue enjoying the SMS feature.

When will SMS be disabled if I don’t register?
Customers who don’t register will lose SMS service in mid-April.

Can I still get SMS enabled after March 31st?
Yes, complete the registration process through the Admin Portal.

Is TCR the same as a SMS campaign?
No. A TCR campaign is a specific SMS use case, part of the TCR registration, and usually a one-time activity.

Who can register my business with TCR?
Any admin at your company can register your business using our process.

Does TCR apply in Canada?
If Canadian clients want to send SMS messages to US customers, they must follow the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), and US carrier rules.
Do these same rules and regulations apply to other UCaaS vendors?
Yes other UCaaS providers should have similar requirements to align with industry standards.

How does CTIA relate to the FCC?
The FCC adopts what CTIA sets as regulations as valid policies. CTIA publishes Best Practices and Principles for Messaging every quarter.
Are there any volume thresholds where TCR registration isn’t required?
Regardless of how often you send messages, it's important to keep your number on record. And, if you're sending less than 15,000 SMS messages per month, you may be eligible for a low-volume campaign, which comes with a lower monthly fee of just $1.50 instead of $10.

What is vetting?
Along with registration, some companies will be required to undergo additional vetting to determine business trustworthiness. This will apply to specific industries or use cases, as well as companies that need to send more than 2,000 SMS/day to T-Mobile. Once vetted, a trust score is assigned to your company that impacts deliverability - the higher your trust score the greater the deliverability of your messages will be.
Avaya/RingCentral uses a third-party TCR-approved vendor to manage the vetting process. Please note there is a $40 charge for this vetting service that may be assessed to your  Avaya Cloud Office account. You can request vetting by opening a case.

Do I need to register every time I add a new number?
No, we only require one registration per business. However, new numbers may not automatically be assigned to your existing campaign. We recommend using our service in the Admin Portal. 

How will I know I’m registered with TCR?
The best way to ensure your SMS capability is active is to ensure you're registered. You can easily do this from your Admin Portal. Sign in to your account and go to Phone System > Enhanced Business SMS > 10DLC Registration to check your registration status.
 

Brand registration

Can multiple brands/campaigns be created per account?
Yes, you can register multiple brands and campaigns with TCR.

How long does brand approval take?
Brand approvals are typically approved within 10 minutes if all details are entered correctly. It is vital to fill out the form with correct and accurate information to avoid delays.

Do I need to enter my Avaya Cloud Office name or legally registered name?
TCR verifies a business's federal registration through its official business name. Using a legally registered business name that aligns with the EIN or federal registration number is important.
To assist the verification and validation process, it's important to list the main number associated with your business, whether it's an Avaya Cloud Office number or hosted elsewhere. TCR uses this information to confirm your business registration.

Can I register for SMS without an EIN/Tax ID?
To ensure we provide the best service, we only register customers with a federal business registration ID, such as an EIN or Corporation Number in Canada. If you haven't registered your business, we recommend taking this step so you can continue to take advantage of the SMS feature in Avaya Cloud Office. It's a simple process and will only enhance your experience with us.

Why can’t I modify my address in my brand submission?
If your Brand ID is pending registration approval, you can’t modify the details until you receive a confirmation or rejection from TCR.

Can I see what I need to change if my brand application is rejected?
When registering a brand in the Admin Portal, you can access its pending, accepted or rejected status. In the event of a rejection, you'll receive a clear explanation of the reason for the decision. Our support site can provide you with more information and guidance on managing TCR registrations.
 

Campaign registration

Is it possible to edit an existing campaign?
You can only modify campaigns after they’re successfully registered.

Are consent and keywords required for non-marketing messages?
Obtaining consent is a crucial requirement for all businesses using SMS, regardless of the nature of the communication. This can be as straightforward as someone reaching out to you with a question and you responding or as comprehensive as having written consent. For more information, you can check out Page 12 of the CTIA guidelines, which provide in-depth guidance on this important topic.
Opt-in keywords and messages, as well as help keywords and messages, may not always be necessary, depending on your specific use case. However, TCR still asks us to provide examples of how you use these keywords for reference. It's worth noting that recognizing opt-out keywords is a carrier requirement and a crucial aspect of responsible messaging practices.
To streamline your messaging, we offer a convenient, free tool for automating responses, available at https://www.ringcentral.com/apps/avaya-cloud-office/automator.
Popular services like Beetexting and Textel are also available for use, however note that you will need to register for TCR through them via their respective registration processes (Beetexting and Textel).

What type of phone numbers can I link to a TCR campaign?
You can link virtual or digital lines to campaigns, except for “fax only” numbers. However, you can only link a number to one campaign. If you need to link a number to a different campaign, you’ll need to remove the number from the other campaign, then reassign it.

What does it mean if the rejection status is “must provide 3 unique sample messages”?
You haven't shared three specific real-life samples on the form. This could happen if you responded with N/A, mentioned "conversational use," or left some fields blank. Provide at least three unique examples to complete the form.

What does it mean if the rejection status is “samples SMS are not within the 20-1024 limit”?
This means that the samples provided were either too short or too long. Make sure the samples are between 20-1024 characters in length.

What does it mean if the rejection status is missing opt-in/out/help keywords and/or messages?
Don't forget to fill in the opt-in/out/help sections. Add your company name, and the form will pre-fill the rest for you. To avoid rejection, please provide answers that align with the pre-filled examples rather than N/A, "conversational use," leaving them blank, or not following the given format.

Assigning numbers
How many numbers link to a campaign by default?
By default, you can link up to 49 numbers to one campaign. If you wish to add more than that, you need to contact Customer Support. When linking numbers, only campaigns you successfully registered will appear on the list of available choices.

How long does it take to provision and deprovision numbers?
If you successfully register with TCR, number provisioning will take 72 hours.