10DLC Vetting: Why it Matters and Tips

What is 10DLC Vetting?

10DLC, or 10-Digit Long Code, is a type of phone number used for sending text messages. Unlike short codes, which are often used for high-volume messaging, 10DLC numbers offer a more flexible and cost-effective solution for businesses looking to engage with their customers via SMS. However, to use 10DLC effectively, businesses must undergo a vetting process to ensure compliance and reliability.

10DLC is designed to support business messaging by providing a standard 10-digit phone number. This system enables businesses to send messages directly to customers without relying on short codes. The vetting process for 10DLC involves verifying the legitimacy of the business and its messaging practices, which is crucial for maintaining high message delivery rates and adherence to industry regulations.

Importance of Vetting

The vetting process is essential for businesses using 10DLC as it helps establish credibility and trust. By ensuring that messages are sent from verified sources, vetting reduces the risk of messages being flagged as spam. This process also aligns business practices with regulatory requirements, thereby enhancing message deliverability and operational integrity.

Vetting Process Overview

The vetting process includes several steps to verify business practices and messaging objectives. It involves checking the credibility of the business, reviewing its messaging practices, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Effective vetting enhances message throughput and reliability, thereby ensuring that messages reach their intended recipients without issues.

Why 10DLC Vetting Matters

Building Trust

Vetting helps build trust with customers by ensuring that messages originate from verified and legitimate sources. This process minimizes the risk of messages being marked as spam, which can damage a brand’s reputation and reduce customer engagement. Trust is crucial for maintaining strong customer relationships and achieving effective communication.

Ensuring Compliance

Adhering to messaging regulations is essential to avoid legal complications. The vetting process ensures that your messaging practices comply with industry standards and carrier requirements. This compliance helps prevent legal issues and ensures that your campaigns run smoothly without interruptions.

Improving Message Delivery

Proper vetting enhances the likelihood of messages being delivered to recipients. By aligning with regulatory standards and verifying business practices, vetting helps prevent messages from being blocked or filtered out. This improves the overall effectiveness of your messaging campaigns and ensures that your messages reach their target audience.

Protecting Your Reputation

A well-vetted messaging strategy helps protect your brand’s reputation. By avoiding practices that could lead to messages being flagged as spam, you maintain your brand’s credibility and ensure that your campaigns are perceived positively by recipients. This protection is essential for sustaining long-term customer trust and engagement.

Consequences of Poor or Missing Vetting

Skipping the vetting process can lead to several risks, including message blocking, legal penalties, and damage to your brand’s reputation. Ineffective campaigns and legal issues can arise from poor or missing vetting, making it crucial to complete this process to avoid these potential pitfalls.

Unpacking the 5-Step 10DLC Vetting Process

Step 1: Brand Registration

Introduction to Brand Registration

• Purpose: The initial step in the 10DLC vetting process involves registering your business with the vetting entity. This step is crucial for establishing your business’s identity and credibility.
• Documentation Needed: Prepare essential documents, including your business registration, proof of address, and a valid tax ID. These documents help verify the legitimacy of your business.
• Submission Process: Submit the required documents through the vetting entity’s platform or directly to their office. Ensure that all information is accurate and up-to-date.

Establishing Credibility

• Business Information: Provide detailed information about your business, including its legal name, industry, and contact details. This information helps the vetting entity assess the legitimacy of your business.
• Verification: The vetting entity will verify your business details through public records and other sources. This step ensures that your business is properly registered and in good standing.

Preparing for a Smooth Process

• Documentation Accuracy: Double-check all submitted documents for accuracy and completeness. Incomplete or incorrect information can delay the vetting process.
• Follow-Up: Be prepared to respond to any additional requests for information or clarification from the vetting entity. Timely responses help expedite the process.

Step 2: Campaign Registration

Defining Your Campaign

• Campaign Objectives: Clearly outline the goals and objectives of your messaging campaign. This includes specifying the purpose of the messages and how they will benefit your audience.
• Content Description: Provide a detailed description of the content you plan to send. Include sample messages or templates to give the vetting entity a clear understanding of your messaging approach.

Audience Targeting

• Intended Audience: Describe your target audience, including demographic information and any specific criteria used to segment recipients. This information helps the vetting entity assess the relevance and appropriateness of your messages.
• Opt-In Information: Ensure that your audience has opted in to receive messages from you. Provide evidence of consent, such as opt-in forms or records of customer agreements.

Compliance with Regulations

• Regulatory Alignment: Verify that your campaign complies with industry regulations and carrier guidelines. This includes ensuring that your messages adhere to anti-spam laws and privacy regulations.
• Message Frequency: Specify how often messages will be sent and any measures in place to prevent over-messaging. Proper frequency management helps avoid message fatigue and compliance issues.

Step 3: Review

Assessment of Brand and Campaign

• Brand Evaluation: The vetting entity will evaluate your brand’s credibility based on the information provided during registration. This includes reviewing your business history and any prior messaging practices.
• Campaign Review: The vetting entity will review your campaign details to ensure they align with regulatory requirements. This includes checking the content, frequency, and target audience.

Compliance Check

• Regulatory Adherence: The review process includes verifying that your messaging practices comply with industry standards and carrier guidelines. This ensures that your campaign meets all legal and regulatory requirements.
• Issue Identification: Any potential issues or areas of concern identified during the review will be communicated to you. Address these issues promptly to avoid delays in approval.

Approval Process

• Feedback and Revisions: If necessary, make any required revisions to your campaign based on feedback from the vetting entity. Submit updated information for re-evaluation.
• Final Approval: Once your campaign meets all requirements, it will receive approval from the vetting entity. This allows you to proceed with your messaging campaign.

Step 4: Secondary Vetting

When Secondary Vetting is Required

• Complex Campaigns: Secondary vetting is typically required for complex or high-volume campaigns that may have specific concerns or regulatory considerations.
• Detailed Analysis: This step involves a more in-depth analysis of your messaging practices and campaign objectives. It ensures that all aspects of your campaign are thoroughly evaluated.

Additional Scrutiny

• Campaign Objectives: Provide additional details about your campaign’s objectives and strategies. This helps the vetting entity understand the full scope of your messaging activities.
• Message Content: Submit additional samples or details about your message content to address any concerns related to compliance or appropriateness.

Ensuring Compliance

• Regulatory Alignment: Ensure that all aspects of your campaign align with regulatory requirements. This includes addressing any specific concerns raised during the secondary vetting process.
• Documentation: Provide any additional documentation or evidence required to support your campaign’s compliance with regulations.

Step 5: Vetting Score

Understanding the Vetting Score

• Score Explanation: The vetting score reflects the trustworthiness and compliance level of your messaging practices. A higher score indicates a higher level of trust and adherence to regulations.
• Impact on Messaging: A good vetting score enhances your ability to send messages and improves your reputation with recipients and carriers. It can also impact your message throughput and delivery rates.

Improving Your Score

• Best Practices: Follow best practices for messaging and compliance to improve your vetting score. This includes maintaining accurate documentation and adhering to regulatory guidelines.
• Feedback and Adjustments: Review any feedback provided by the vetting entity and make necessary adjustments to improve your score. Regularly assess your messaging practices to ensure ongoing compliance.

Utilizing Your Score

• Enhancing Messaging Capabilities: Use your vetting score to optimize your messaging strategies and enhance your communication with recipients. A higher score can lead to better message delivery and engagement.
• Building Trust: A strong vetting score helps build trust with your audience and carriers. This trust is essential for maintaining a positive brand reputation and effective messaging campaigns.

Tips for Achieving 10DLC Vetting Painlessly

Be Transparent

Transparency is key to a smooth vetting process. Clearly communicate your business objectives, messaging practices, and campaign details. Providing accurate and comprehensive information helps build trust with the vetting entity and ensures that your campaign is reviewed efficiently.

• Prepare thorough documentation about your business and messaging practices.
• Provide clear and accurate descriptions of your campaign objectives.

Understand the Guidelines

Familiarizing yourself with carrier and industry guidelines is crucial for compliance. Understanding these guidelines helps ensure that your messaging practices align with regulatory requirements and carrier policies.

• Study carrier policies and regulations related to 10DLC.
• Attend webinars and keep updated on industry changes.

Stay Agile and Informed

Regulatory changes can impact your messaging practices, so it’s important to stay informed and adaptable. Regularly review and update your practices to ensure ongoing compliance and avoid any potential issues.

• Set up alerts for regulatory updates.
• Conduct quarterly reviews of your messaging practices.

Is 10DLC Vetting Necessary for Your Brand?

Assessing the Need

Evaluating Your Messaging Requirements

• Scope of Messaging: Determine the volume and frequency of your SMS communications. If you frequently send promotional or transactional messages to a large audience, 10DLC vetting becomes crucial for ensuring effective delivery.
• Audience Engagement: Assess how integral SMS is to your customer engagement strategy. For businesses that rely heavily on SMS for customer interaction, vetting ensures that your messages are delivered reliably and legally.
• Compliance Needs: Understand the regulatory landscape affecting your industry. Different sectors have varying requirements, and vetting helps you adhere to these regulations, avoiding potential legal complications.

Assessing Business Impact

• Operational Efficiency: Consider how vetting impacts your messaging operations. Proper vetting streamlines message delivery and compliance, reducing the risk of disruptions or delays in communication.
• Customer Trust: Evaluate the importance of maintaining customer trust. Effective vetting enhances message credibility and prevents issues that could lead to customer dissatisfaction or loss of trust.

Cost-Benefit Analysis

• Vetting Costs: Weigh the costs associated with 10DLC vetting against the potential benefits. While there may be upfront costs involved in the vetting process, the long-term benefits of reliable message delivery and compliance often outweigh these costs.
• Long-Term Value: Consider the long-term value of vetting in maintaining a robust communication strategy. Effective vetting can prevent costly legal issues and protect your brand’s reputation over time.

Benefits vs. Risks

Benefits of 10DLC Vetting

Enhanced Message Deliverability

• Improved Delivery Rates: Vetting increases the likelihood that your messages will be successfully delivered to recipients, reducing the chances of message filtering or blocking.
• Carrier Relationships: Building a positive relationship with carriers through vetting can improve your overall messaging performance and reliability.

Regulatory Compliance

• Avoid Legal Issues: Adhering to regulations through vetting helps prevent legal complications and potential fines associated with non-compliance.
• Industry Standards: Ensuring that your messaging practices align with industry standards helps you avoid penalties and maintain a positive reputation.

Brand Protection

• Preventing Spam Classification: Proper vetting helps prevent your messages from being marked as spam, preserving your brand’s credibility and ensuring that your communications reach your audience.
• Maintaining Customer Trust: Compliance and reliable delivery enhance customer trust in your brand, contributing to better engagement and positive customer experiences.

Risks of Skipping Vetting

Message Blocking

• Increased Block Rates: Without vetting, there is a higher risk that your messages may be blocked by carriers or spam filters, leading to reduced reach and effectiveness.
• Delivery Failures: Unverified messages are more likely to experience delivery failures, impacting your communication strategy and customer interactions.

Legal Complications

• Regulatory Fines: Skipping vetting can result in fines and legal penalties for non-compliance with messaging regulations.
• Legal Actions: Non-compliance may lead to legal actions against your business, causing financial and reputational damage.

Brand Reputation Damage

• Spam Issues: Messages that are not vetted may be flagged as spam, damaging your brand’s reputation and reducing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
• Customer Dissatisfaction: Delivery issues and non-compliance can lead to customer dissatisfaction, affecting your brand’s image and customer loyalty.

Making an Informed Decision

• Strategic Considerations: Weigh the benefits and risks based on your business objectives and messaging needs. Understanding the impact of vetting on your communication strategy will help you make an informed decision.
• Consulting Experts: Consider consulting with experts or industry professionals to assess your specific needs and determine the best approach to 10DLC vetting for your brand.

Conclusion

10DLC vetting is a critical process for businesses using SMS messaging to engage with customers. It ensures compliance, builds trust, and enhances message deliverability. By understanding and following the vetting process, businesses can effectively manage their messaging campaigns and maintain a positive brand reputation. Start the vetting process today to optimize your business messaging and ensure a successful communication strategy.