What is 10DLC and how does it work?

10DLC, or 10-digit long code, is a crucial aspect of modern communication for organizations running texting campaigns. As a phone number sanctioned explicitly by telecom carriers for use in business messaging, 10DLC offers several benefits that make it an essential tool for organizations looking to connect with their audience.

The importance of 10DLC for texting campaigns lies in its ability to provide local numbers that are recognizable to customers, improving reach and recognition. 

Additionally, 10DLC numbers are voice and text-enabled, offering multiple options for communication and ensuring a seamless experience for both businesses and their customers. 

In this article, we will show you how organizations can enhance their texting campaigns and ensure better engagement with their target audience using 10DLC. 

And what process you need to follow to register your campaign.

Let’s dig in.

What is 10DLC?

10DLC is a type of phone number used by businesses to send bulk SMS or MMS messages in the United States. It is regulated by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA). 

10DLC numbers are designed for application-to-person (A2P) messaging, which includes various use cases such as customer communications, marketing campaigns, transactional messaging, appointment reminders, and notifications.

The purpose of 10DLC is to provide businesses with a trusted and recognizable number that customers can contact through calls or texts. The cellular carriers introduced this initiative to reduce spam texts, increase consumer trust, and improve the messaging volume that a 10-digit long code can handle. 

In short, if you comply with 10DLC regulations, you will ensure that your text messages are verified valid and reach their intended audience effectively.

How does 10DLC work?

10DLC has multiple features, and one of the critical features of 10DLC is its support for two-way messaging. Two-way messaging means that businesses can engage in interactive conversations with their customers. 

For campaigns, this makes the messaging experience more personalized and user-friendly, as it resembles a typical conversation between two individuals.

To use 10DLC, organizations need to register their phone number, brand, and campaign use cases with the appropriate authorities, such as The Campaign Registry.

Once registered and approved, businesses can send text messages at higher rates and volumes, ensuring better throughput and deliverability. This registration process helps reduce spam, improve message credibility, and enhance the overall customer experience.

If you need to register your campaign or organization for 10DLC, HubDialer can register you for free! Not only do we offer a peer-to-peer and broadcast texting service, but we can also handle the registration for you. Make sure to get in touch with HubDialer’s team if you have any questions.

Why is 10DLC registration important?

Registering for 10DLC is essential for organizations that want to run effective and compliant texting campaigns. The importance of 10DLC registration lies in the following aspects:

1. 10DLC regulations are designed to protect consumers from receiving spam and unwanted messages. By registering your organization’s 10DLC number, you demonstrate that your brand is trustworthy and committed to providing a positive messaging experience for your customers.
2. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is a federal law that governs the use of auto-dialers and prerecorded messages for calling and texting. 10DLC registration means your organization complies with these regulations and avoids potential fines and penalties.
3. Registering your brand under 10DLC improves the throughput of your messages, leading to faster delivery. Differently said, your messages will reach their intended recipients in a timely manner, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your texting campaigns.

If you want to run successful and compliant texting campaigns, you should always go with 10DLC registration. The registration means you will prevent spam, ensure compliance with relevant regulations, and improve the delivery and throughput of your messages.

How do you know which texting campaign to choose? We have two great resources to help you with that. Check out our beginner’s guide to peer-to-peer texting, as well as our 101 guide to broadcast texting.

What is the 10DLC registration process?

The 10DLC registration process is necessary for organizations looking to use 10-digit long codes for their texting campaigns. 

This process ensures compliance with US messaging guidelines and helps improve message deliverability. 

The registration process consists of the following steps:

1. Registering a business profile – you will need to provide your company’s legal name, country of registration, and organization type (private, publicly traded, nonprofit.
2. Registering a US A2P brand – here, you can create and register your brand with the appropriate authorities, such as The Campaign Registry.
3. Registering a campaign use case – you will also need to describe your campaign’s purpose and the message templates you plan to use.

The application process for 10DLC registration has changed from being automated to involving “human review”. The manual review means that the approval process can take anywhere from two days to four weeks.

Once your application is submitted, the Campaign Service Provider (CSP) will work with The Campaign Registry (TCR) to monitor and update the status of your application.

To get started with 10DLC registration, you can reach out to HubDialer. We will guide you through the registration process and help you submit your application to the appropriate authorities. All free of charge. Remember, HubDialer customers can register for free right from their HubDialer account! 

What are the benefits of 10DLC compliance?

Complying with 10DLC regulations offers several advantages for organizations running texting campaigns. 

Some of the key benefits include:

1. Improved deliverability and throughput. 10DLC numbers are pre-approved by mobile carriers, ensuring better deliverability and reduced filtering risks. This means that messages sent using 10DLC numbers are more likely to reach their intended recipients without being flagged as spam or terminated.
2. Higher message volumes. 10DLC numbers can support higher SMS message volumes compared to traditional long codes. Businesses can send more messages at a faster rate, making it an ideal solution for mass text messaging campaigns.
3. Lower costs compared to dedicated shortcodes. 10DLC numbers offer many of the benefits of dedicated shortcodes, such as high throughput and deliverability, at a lower cost. In other words, 10DLC is an affordable option for small businesses looking to run effective SMS marketing campaigns without breaking the bank.
4. Better deliverability due to pre-approval by mobile network operators. Since 10DLC numbers are pre-vetted and approved by mobile carriers, they have access to higher-bandwidth services, ensuring more reliable message delivery. This pre-approval process also reduces the likelihood of sending delays, as 10DLC numbers are recognized as trusted business numbers by carriers.

What is the difference between 10DLC vs. Shortcodes and Toll-Free Numbers?

When choosing a phone number for your organization’s texting campaigns, you should first understand the differences between 10DLC, shortcodes, and toll-free numbers. Each option has its own set of advantages and limitations, which depend on your campaign type and requirements.

10DLC pros and cons

• Pros: Local area codes, high throughput for messaging speeds, high deliverability rates, and lower costs compared to dedicated shortcodes.
• Cons: Potentially longer registration process.

Shortcodes pros and cons

• Pros: Easy to remember, high throughput (up to 1,000,000 messages per hour), suitable for high-volume messaging, and can become a recognizable part of your brand.
• Cons: More expensive than 10DLC, not suitable for low or medium-volume use cases, and may not feel as personal as a local 10-digit number.

Toll-Free Numbers pros and cons

• Pros: Widely recognized, supports high-volume messaging, and can be used for various use cases, including customer support and inquiries.
• Cons: Throttled at around 100,000 messages per hour, it may not be suitable for large-scale campaigns and may not feel as personal as a local 10-digit number.

Make sure to evaluate goals, the number of messages that you plan to send and similar aspects when choosing the right number type for your SMS campaigns.

Conclusion

10DLC registration is a vital aspect of running successful and compliant texting campaigns for organizations. Registration means you will improve your message deliverability, throughput, and overall customer engagement. 

Registering for 10DLC also helps prevent spam, ensures compliance with regulations such as the TCPA, and provides a cost-effective alternative to dedicated shortcodes and toll-free numbers.

Organizations looking to enhance their texting campaigns should consider registering and complying with 10DLC regulations. 

And instead of spending hours on the process by yourself, you can have HubDialer do it for you prior to using our SMS texting platform. Contact us today to get started at contact@hubdialer.com