Frequently Viewed Articles
-
How to Register for Textr Team
Registering for Textr Team is Quick and Easy! From either the Textr Team app or Web app, click Sign Up. Next you will be prompted to enter your email address for your account as well as the auto generated captcha. An email will be sent to you with a verification code. Enter the code in the email and then you will be prompted to create a password. Congrats, you’ve finished signing up with Textr Team! We’re happy to have you onboard! Click Get Started to enter the Textr Team dashboard.
-
How to Register a Brand and Campaign with TCR
ARTICLE CONTENTS Steps for Registration Where to Register Brand Registration Campaign Registration What’s Next? Steps for Registration Registering for a Brand and a Campaign in Textr Team is pretty easy and takes only a few steps. Step 1: If your team has not registered the brand yet, you will first be asked to fill out a Brand Registration form. If your brand verification status is unverified, please make sure all the information you submit is accurate and resubmit it. Step 2: After your brand has been verified by the Campaign Registry(TCR), you will need to register a Campaign. There are three verification status, including pending, rejected, and verified. If your status shows pending or rejected, you’ll need to resubmit your information until it is verified. Step 3: You can assign phone numbers to a verified campaign. Typically, it will take up to 24 hours for MNOs to associate your phone number with the campaign, after which you will move on to the final step! Step 4: Finally, after the numbers have been successfully associated with a campaign, you can start sending SMS campaigns to your customers! Here’s a flowchart that demonstrates the entire registration process: Where to Register Log in to your Textr Team account on a web browser with this link https://team.textrapp.com/ Click on Setting on the upper left corner, then click Register SMS Campaign. If you are registering a toll-free number, click on the Toll-Free Numbers tab and follow the instructions to register. If you are registering a local number, click on the Local Numbers tab and then click on Brand Registration or Campaign Registration to continue. Brand Registration You’ll want to have information on hand that pertains to your businesses. These might vary based on the type of business you have. You’ll find the solutions in the chart below. Legal Forms Information Needed Private company Government Organization Charities / Non-Profit Organization Note: The messages from a registered charity should be aimed at providing help and raising money for those in need. The option to register a Brand as a Non Profit Organization is open for all Brands but only those organizations that hold a 501(c)(3) status will benefit from the special terms. Legal company name Country of registration Employer ID Number(EIN) / Tax ID Physical address Website address Vertical Contact details Public company Legal company name Country of registration Employer ID Number (EIN) / Tax ID Physical address Website address Vertical Stock symbol Stock exchange Contact details Sole Proprietor DBA or brand name Country of registration Physical address Website address Vertical Contact details Campaign Registration As mandated by MNOs, you are required to select a use case at the beginning of the campaign registration process. Different use cases are qualified for different forms of company, below we provide the definitions of all use cases and a chart presenting which use cases are qualified for your company. Standard use case Standard/other: Your campaign will be considered a Standard/other use case if you are not applicable for the special use cases. For example, you’ll use your campaigns for customer care, account notifications, marketing, etc. Special use case K12: K-12 Education is for messaging platforms that support schools from grades K-12 and distance learning centers. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Charity(501c3): Specifically for brands registered as 501c3. Messages from a registered charity with the purpose of providing help and raising money for those in need. Religious organization excluded. Emergency(Government): Notification services designed to support public safety/health in natural disasters, armed conflicts, pandemics and other national or regional emergencies. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Political: Messages that influence the decision making of specific groups for a political purpose. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Social: Communication between public figures/influences and their communities. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Sweepstakes: Sending sweepstakes messages. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Sole Proprietor: Limited to entities without a EIN / Tax ID. *This use case can only be selected if the brand you registered is Sole Proprietor. Legal Forms Available Campaign Use Cases Private, Public K12, Standard/other, Social, Sweepstakes, Nonprofit – 501(c)(3) Charity(501c3) Nonprofit – 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) K12, Standard/other, Political Nonprofit – All other 501c designations K12, Standard/other Government Standard/other, Emergency(Government) Sole Proprietor Sole Proprietor Tips for Your Registration: Please fill in the required information in English only, TCR cannot process your application with any other language. Please ensure you have a sufficient balance in your Textr Team account to speed up the registration process. What’s Next? The last step is to wait for the results to be returned from TCR! Once the results are in, we will notify you in your Textr Team account. Once your brand and campaign are verified, you’ll need to assign phone numbers to a campaign and start sending SMS messages! If you are still confused about the Campaign Registry and the pricing, please refer to the following post: All You Need to Know about the Campaign Registry How Much Will It Cost for the Registration We also have another FAQ post about General, Brand and Campaign Registration which will clear up all your doubts. For Chinese users, please refer to here. Should you have any further concerns, you may contact us by email support@textrapp.com.
-
TCR FAQs: General, Brand and Campaign Registration
Article Contents: General FAQs: 1. Can I send bulk messages without registering? 2. Can I delete my brand and campaign? 3. Who should I contact if I have further concerns? 4. How much does it cost for registration？ Brand Registration FAQs: 1. Which legal form should I choose? 2. How can I ensure I enter the correct VAT ID/Tax ID? 3. What is DUNS/GIIN/LEI? How do filling these in affect my registration? 4. Who should I write as the contact person? 5. What should I do if my brand needs a high throughput for the use case? 6. How does vetting work? 7. Why would I get the “unverified” for my brand registration? 8. Can I update my brand information after submission? 9. I have registered and vetted my brand with another messaging partner. Do I have to register with Textr Team again? Campaign Registration FAQs: 1. How does the volume of messages affect campaign case type (low mixed volume vs. standard)? 2. What’s the difference between a mixed-use case vs. a single-use case (dedicated use case) type? 3. What should I write in the campaign description? Does it matter how many sample messages I include? 4. Which campaign and content attributes should I choose? 5. Why are some special use cases required for carrier approval? 6. What should I do if my campaign gets rejected? 7. How many campaigns can I register under my brand? 8. How do I assign phone numbers to my registered campaign? 9. How many phone numbers can be assigned to one campaign? General FAQs: 1. Can I send bulk messages without registering? No. You are required to register with the Campaign Registry (TCR) through Textr Team to send bulk messages on behalf of your brand. After your brand and campaign are verified on TCR, you can assign phone numbers to a campaign and start sending bulk messages. 2. Can I delete my brand and campaign? Yes, you can delete the brand that you have registered from the Campaign Registry (TCR). You can also deactivate any campaign three months after registration. However, you should be careful of this action because deleting a brand or campaign is irrevocable. Once deleted, all details will be removed from your Textr Team account, TCR and MNOs. 3. Who should I contact if I have further concerns? Should you have any concerns about registration, you may contact our Textr Team Support Team at support@textrapp.com. 4. How much does it cost for registration？ A brand registration fee of $4 will be charged to register a new brand. This is a one-time setup fee, and it is charged by the Campaign Registry (TCR) and passed through by Textr Team to users with no added cost. For the campaign registration, the cost varies on the use case of the campaign. For example: A Sole Proprietor campaign: a monthly fee of $0.75. A Low Volume Mixed Campaign: a monthly fee of $2.00. A Regular/Standard Campaign: a monthly fee of $10.00. Besides, please note that effective March 1, 2022, T-Mobile has also begun to impose a one-time $50 Campaign activation fee on a new Campaign registration (excluding Sole Proprietor). For more details regarding registration fees, please refer to this post. Brand Registration FAQs: 1. Which legal form should I choose? Every company should choose a legal form based on the company’s type on its business documentation. You should choose a legal form from Sole Proprietor, Private company, Public Company, Non-Profit Organization, and Government. Difference in form for Sole Proprietor vs. Private vs. Public Sole Proprietors (SP) SP are paying customers of Textr Team, with a billing address, but without an EIN and have lower volume needs. There will be fewer mandatory data fields, under the “Sole Proprietor” entity type. Only the “Sole Proprietor” use case will be available during the campaign registration. A monthly fee of $0.75 will be charged by the Campaign Registry (TCR). A Sole Proprietor is subject to the following requirements: Only one campaign is allowed per brand, with a maximum of 5 associated phone numbers 1000 msg/day limit (T-Mobile) and 15msg/minute limit (AT&T) per Campaign Private and Public Companies Private and public companies will need to provide more information for brand verification. But both of them are able to send more messages every day compared to Sole Proprietors. The detailed cost for every campaign will depend on the use case selected. Private Company is a company owned by its founders, management, or a group of private investors. In addition to the information required for Sole Proprietors, Private Company should provide its Employer ID Number(EIN) / Tax ID. Public Company is a company that has sold all or a portion of itself to the public via IPO, which means shareholders have a claim to part of the company’s assets and profits. In addition to the information required for Sole Proprietors, Public Company should provide its Employer ID Number(EIN) / Tax ID, stock symbol, stock exchange. Non-Profit Organization: 501(c)(3) designations explained TCR supports registered Charities that want to take advantage of MNO-specific terms for their messaging. The option to register a brand as a Non-Profit Organization is open for all brands but only those organizations that hold a 501(c)(3) status will benefit from the special terms, for example, qualified organizations will be eligible for reduced/waived carrier fees. For the 501(c)(3) designations, only the “Charity” use cases are available at the moment. Under the “Charity” use cases, a minimum of 1 and maximum of 5 use cases should be declared. 2. How can I ensure I enter the correct VAT ID/Tax ID? The tax ID number is important information for the Campaign Registry to conduct a background check on the correct company. It’s important for you to ensure the correct VAT ID/ Tax ID is provided so that it would be easier for your company to get the brand verified. The Tax ID definitions are different depending on countries, please get the information that is suitable for your company from the following guidance: United States The Employment Identification Number (EIN) is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS used to identify businesses primarily for tax purposes. You can find your EIN number on your old tax returns, credit reports, etc. Please be aware that your legal company name and address should be exactly the same as the information you used when registering with the IRS. Canada If your business is registered in Canada, please enter your Canadian Corporation Number, which may be either the federal or provincial number. It is used for filing legal documents with Corporations Canada. Do NOT enter your business number or federal tax ID number. Please be aware that your legal company name and address should be exactly the same as the information you used when your company is registered in Canada. Europe, Eastern Europe, North Atlantic, Middle East, South America, and APAC Please enter the numeric part of your VAT ID number. Automatic VAT identification matching is currently available for the countries on the following list. If your country is not on this list, please provide your country’s primary company registration number or tax ID number. Croatia HR Hungary HU Ireland IE Italy IT Lithuania LT Luxembourg LU Latvia LV Malta MT Netherlands NL Norway NO Poland PL Portugal PT Romania RO Sweden SE Slovenia SI Slovakia SK Northern Ireland XI United Arab Emirates AE Australia AU Belarus BY Chile CL Iceland IS Malaysia MY New Zealand NZ Saudi Arabia SA Singapore SG Taiwan TW 3. What is DUNS/GIIN/LEI? How do filling these in affect my registration? The DUNS Number is a unique nine-digit number that identifies business entities on a location-specific basis. Assigned and maintained by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), the DUNS Number is widely used as a standard business identifier. The GIIN is a Global Intermediary Identification Number, consisting of 19 characters. GIINs are assigned by the FATCA registration system to financial institutions and direct-reporting non-financial entities. The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-character, alpha-numeric code which is developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It connects to key reference information that enables a clear and unique identification of legal entities participating in financial transactions. You may provide the DUNS Number, GIIN, or LEI as an Alternative Business ID. This is a complementary and optional field to help better identify the brand. The DUNS Number in particular is important in identifying non-US Brands. 4. Who should I write as the contact person? When you register a Brand, the Campaign Registry (TCR) will ask you to provide contact information for the Brand. This allows carriers and TCR to troubleshoot if any issue arises. So please input the correct contact details of the person who is running the brand. 5. What should I do if my brand needs a high throughput for the use case? Throughput is determined based on who is sending the message (the Brand) and what is being sent (the use case and vertical). The best course of action to get higher throughput is to have the brands vetted, declare a use case, and provide a detailed explanation of the campaigns. To get help on brand vetting, please contact Textr Support Team at support@textrapp.com. 6. How does vetting work? Vetting through the Campaign Registry’s external partners represents a more detailed review of the brand with a focus on its reputation in the messaging space. The vetting result is 0-100 score that will place the brand in one of available Carrier Tiers. Vetted brands can have access to all standard use cases and have potential to qualify for any of the available classes. Different carriers have different requirements on brand vetting for the use cases. Special use cases that require vetting include political, social, sweepstakes and charity. Please note that a third-party vetting fee of $40 per vet will be charged for a successful vet. This fee will be reduced to $5 if the vet is unsuccessful or unscored. 7. Why would I get the “unverified” for my brand registration? After brand registration is carried out, each brand will automatically go through an identity verification process. The Campaign Registry (TCR) will validate the EIN, legal company name and legal company address with third party independent sources and confirm the existence of the brand with a verification “status” (Verified/Unverified). If the data that you have filled in is not correct, your brand registration would get the “Unverified” verification status. Unverified brands cannot register 10DLC campaigns and have to obtain the “Verified” status if they wish to do so. These are the options available: Any “Unverified” brand can be resubmitted for verification on the “Brand Details” page of Textr Team portal. A resubmitted fee of $4 will be charged by TCR. Any “Unverified” brand can request or import external vetting through the same page, and potentially gain access to every MNO class/tier as the result. Third-party fees may be charged by the vetting partner with TCR. In both cases, it is crucial that details about the brand are corrected and updated before any submission. 8. Can I update my brand information after submission? If you submitted brand information but failed to be verified, your brand will have a “Unverified” status. You can update your brand information and resubmit after correcting the details. A resubmission fee of $4.00 will be charged by the Campaign Registry (TCR). If your brand information has a “Verified” status, you can still update your brand information in Team Setting on Textr Team account portal. The information that you can update includes company address, contact, etc. Please be aware that after the update, you will need to resubmit the brand registration. A resubmission fee of $4.00 will be charged by TCR. 9. I have registered and vetted my brand with another messaging partner. Do I have to register with Textr Team again? Yes. In order to send bulk messages with Textr Team, you should register your brand and campaign with the Campaign Registry (TCR) through your Textr Team account. Moreover, you can only assign Textr Team phone numbers to the active campaigns in your account. Campaign Registration FAQs: 1. How does the volume of messages affect campaign case type (low mixed volume vs. standard)? The Campaign Registry (TCR) will define the campaign case type as standard or low volume based on the volume of messages you will send each month. The low mixed volume is for the brands that send less than 15,000 messages per month but have multiple use cases and only need a low messaging throughput. For example, test or demo accounts, small businesses (small clinics, mom and pop shops etc). The standard volume of messages means the message volume per month is more than 15,000. The monthly fee is determined by your brand and the use cases that you used. 2. What’s the difference between a mixed-use case vs. a single-use case (dedicated use case) type? For the mixed-use case, you can use a single campaign for multiple use cases, for example, a campaign for both customer care and 2FA use cases.The shortcoming of mixed-use cases is that any non-compliant messages on one use case could suspend service for the entire campaign. Besides, mixed campaigns need higher AT&T surcharges. For the single-use case (dedicated use case), the campaign is used for only one use case. So the non-compliant messaging only affects that one campaign. And it has better AT&T surcharges and potentially better throughput. At the same time, because each use case has to be registered as its own campaign, the cost for the campaign may increase. 3. What should I write in the campaign description? Does it matter how many sample messages I include? Please provide a detailed campaign description and more than one sample message that reflects the content your customers will actually receive. For example, if you fill in “sending job alerts for potential candidates” for the campaign description, the sample messages should be similar to this, “Hello xxx, this is xxx from the HR department of Indeed. I would like to confirm if you are still seeking a job?” The information will be visible to the 10DLC ecosystem and can be used to review its legitimacy by MNOs. So it’s better to provide accurate sample messages that you would send. 4. Which campaign and content attributes should I choose? During the campaign registration process, you will be asked to click the checkbox to indicate whether the Campaign has the following attributes. Some attributes may require you to add specific information: SUBSCRIBER OPT-IN Indicates whether the campaign is collecting and processing consumer opt-ins. This is a mandatory field. SUBSCRIBER OPT-OUT Indicates whether the campaign is collecting and processing consumer opt-outs.This is a mandatory field. SUBSCRIBER HELP Indicates whether the campaign has implemented message reply allowing the receiver to contact the sender after they reply with the “HELP” keyword. This is a mandatory field. NUMBER POOLING Select this if you intend on using more than 50 numbers as this will require a different provisioning process on T-Mobile. DIRECT LENDING OR LOAN ARRANGEMENT Indicates whether the campaign include content related to direct lending or other loan arrangements. EMBEDDED LINK Indicates whether the campaign is using an embedded link of any kind. Note that public URL shorteners (bitly, tinyurl) are not accepted. EMBEDDED PHONE NUMBER Indicates whether the campaign is using an embedded phone number (except the required HELP information contact phone number). AFFILIATE MARKETING Indicates whether the affiliate marketing being used or was used in the construction of the campaign. AGE-GATED CONTENT Indicates whether the campaign include any age-gated content as defined by Carrier and CTIA guidelines. 5. Why are some special use cases required for carrier approval? Special use cases are sensitive or critical in nature and, as a result, may require pre/post-registration approval by the MNOs. Vetting or MNO approval may be required before a brand can register a campaign for the special use case. 6. What should I do if my campaign gets rejected? If your campaign gets rejected, you may provide more detailed descriptions and sample messages to resubmit, so you will have a higher chance to get your campaign verified. You can also deactivate the rejected campaign from the Textr Team portal and register a new one. In this case, please choose another use case that is more suitable for your brand with detailed information. 7. How many campaigns can I register under my brand? It depends on the legal form that you choose when you register a brand. For example, if you register your brand as Sole Proprietor, only 1 campaign is allowed per brand with a maximum of 5 associated phone numbers. 8. How do I assign phone numbers to my registered campaign? You may assign a phone number on the Campaign Registry page of Textr Team Portal. When clicking the “+Assign” button, you can choose the numbers you’ve subscribed to and assign them to the active campaign. Please be aware that you can’t assign numbers until the campaign registration is verified. Once the campaign is activated and the numbers you assigned are verified, you can send SMS campaigns from the numbers. It’s important to note that only Textr Team’s phone numbers can be assigned. You can’t register directly on the Campaign Registry (TCR) and then come back to Textr Team with your phone number. 9. How many phone numbers can be assigned to one campaign? The phone numbers that can be assigned to one campaign depends on the legal form of your registered brand. Sole Proprietor can only assign 5 numbers at most for each campaign. Other kinds of brands can assign up to 50 numbers for each campaign. If you need to assign more than 50 numbers for a campaign, please select “Number Pooling” in the “Campaign Text Attributes” section during the campaign registration.
-
How Much Does Textr Team Cost
Textr Team’s Standard and Enterprise Plan Textr Team offers this service at a price all small businesses can afford. Textr Team scales with your business by placing no restrictions on the numbers you can subscribe to and by providing unlimited texting. Textr Team’s plans are flexible with the option to pay as you go. Standard Plan This plan is ideal for individuals, freelancers, startups, and small businesses. All of Textr Team’s features are available in this plan. For a full list of feature see our pricing page. A US local phone number is $10/user/month. This comes with one phone number per user. A CA local phone number is $10/user/month. This comes with one phone number per user. A UK local phone number is $14.99/user/month. This comes with one phone number per user. Any adjustments to your subscription in the middle of a subscription period are charged or credited prorated based on your billing date. Enterprise Plan Our enterprise plan is also available for larger teams and organizations with more complex needs. We offer custom pricing. If you think the enterprise plan is a good fit for you and your team, please send us an email at support@textrapp.com.
-
All You Need to Know about The Campaign Registry
TABLE OF CONTENTS What is The Campaign Registry? Who Will Be Affected and When to Register TCR? What’s Textr Team’s Role? Why Do You Need to Register for TCR? Improved Deliverability Increase Trust and Security High Throughput and Faster Messaging Avoid Penalties What is The Campaign Registry? The Campaign Registry(TCR) is a third-party organization that helps regulate text messaging to comply with texting legislations to ensure a safe and smooth experience for users. It was created by Mobile Network Operators in North America and a company called Kaleyra. Mobile Network Operators, called MNOs, are carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile which help deliver text messages. To manage the telecommunication industries, especially for SMS services, TCR was created following legislation passed which was designed to regulate robocalls, spam texts, and to make opt-outs for messaging an industry standard. TCR helps collect brand and campaign data to increase transparency in the 10 digit-long-code(10DLC) network. 10DLC is a reliable messaging channel for SMS campaigns and is endorsed by mobile operators. Also, 10DLC supports voice calls on the same number used for Commercial SMS. TCR is a single source enabling the MNOs to have as a record of who sent any particular 10DLC message and what they claim to be sending, which can help MNOs create a safer texting environment. Who Will Be Affected and When to Register TCR? If you are in the United States and are using 10DLC numbers to send messages to AT&T & T-Mobile numbers, it is recommended that you register with The Campaign Registry before you send SMS or MMS messages to customers or individuals. Registration is a way to show The Campaign Registry that you are a legitimate business sending messages and not spam. If you do not register, operators (MNOs) can fine you or block your number. Registration with The Campaign Registry is not mandatory at this moment but it has various benefits. If you are going to use an application platform, A2P(Application-To-Person), to send messages to your customers in bulk, such as SMS campaigns, registering for TCR allows for higher throughputs by mobile carriers and ensures a high delivery rate for your messages. What’s Textr Team’s Role? Textr Team is not a carrier or MNO, we are what is called a Communication Service Provider, which is also known as a CSP. As The Campaign Registry evolves, the MNOs constantly introduce new rules to comply with telecommunications regulations that are highly regulated and difficult to deal with. Therefore, Textr Team’s role is to help you comply with and better understand the requirements from The Campaign Registry, preventing your business texts from not being delivered. Textr Team will keep you informed of any updates or changes to registration, fees, or new regulations, and assist you to adapt to new regulations. In addition, we will try our best to ensure your numbers and messages won’t be blocked and that you are not fined. All brand and campaign registrations for TCR can be submitted and managed within your Textr Team account. We submit your registration to TCR for you and let you know when you’ve been approved by TCR. We do not charge any fee for registration; the fees incurred are all charged by TCR/MNOs. Textr Team will deduct the fee from your account and transfer them to TCR/MNOs with no additional charges. You can register and manage all brand and campaign information related to TCR in your Textr Team account, without having to contact TCR yourself. Why Do You Need to Register for TCR? Registering with the campaign registry is important for several reasons. With a verified business and numbers, you can send messages to your customers more effectively, increase your customer base and avoid incurring fines for not complying with texting regulations. Improved Deliverability By registering your company and phone number, you will greatly increase the likelihood that your customers will receive your messages. Since the passage of legislation regulating mobile communications, MNOs have increased their filtering for potential violations, such as spam or fraud. As a result, if the messages you send have come back with carrier violation errors, you may not know that your customer did not receive your message. You can think of registering with The Campaign Registry as pre-screening or pre-verifying your business and the content of your text messages. Your deliverability will be improved because what messages you send and to whom are already on record thus lowering the possibility of your messages being flagged or blocked by carriers. Increase Trust and Security Registering with Campaign Registry will also increase trust and security in the delivery of your messages. Since the goal is to deliver legitimate campaigns and eliminate spam and fraud, customers will only receive messages that have been screened and approved. This will let them know that you aren’t fraud, spam, or robo texting, thus helping you build trust with your customers and increasing their confidence in your company or brand. High Throughput and Faster Messaging If there is a valid use case, a higher throughput is also given to verified businesses. Throughput is determined by different types of campaign and who is sending the message(brand) and what is being sent(use case). A higher throughput will help you reach a larger customer base in a short period of time. Moreover, the speed at which messages are sent will also increase. Before registration, you can only send one SMS segment (160 character message) per second. This means it may take a while to send long messages or announcements to many customers. After registration, the speed may increase to 30 segments per second allowing you to reach more people within a shorter amount of time. Avoid Penalties Registering The Campaign Registry will help you avoid unnecessary penalties and fines to a large extent. Registered numbers are not monitored as closely as unregistered numbers. MNOs need to verify that your phone number and the messages it sends are legitimate, and because of your registration, they already know what you’re texting and why. If you don’t register with TCR, your numbers may be banned or you may be fined when you violate regulations.
Frequently Viewed Articles
-
How to Register for Textr Team
Registering for Textr Team is Quick and Easy! From either the Textr Team app or Web app, click Sign Up. Next you will be prompted to enter your email address for your account as well as the auto generated captcha. An email will be sent to you with a verification code. Enter the code in the email and then you will be prompted to create a password. Congrats, you’ve finished signing up with Textr Team! We’re happy to have you onboard! Click Get Started to enter the Textr Team dashboard.
-
How to Register a Brand and Campaign with TCR
ARTICLE CONTENTS Steps for Registration Where to Register Brand Registration Campaign Registration What’s Next? Steps for Registration Registering for a Brand and a Campaign in Textr Team is pretty easy and takes only a few steps. Step 1: If your team has not registered the brand yet, you will first be asked to fill out a Brand Registration form. If your brand verification status is unverified, please make sure all the information you submit is accurate and resubmit it. Step 2: After your brand has been verified by the Campaign Registry(TCR), you will need to register a Campaign. There are three verification status, including pending, rejected, and verified. If your status shows pending or rejected, you’ll need to resubmit your information until it is verified. Step 3: You can assign phone numbers to a verified campaign. Typically, it will take up to 24 hours for MNOs to associate your phone number with the campaign, after which you will move on to the final step! Step 4: Finally, after the numbers have been successfully associated with a campaign, you can start sending SMS campaigns to your customers! Here’s a flowchart that demonstrates the entire registration process: Where to Register Log in to your Textr Team account on a web browser with this link https://team.textrapp.com/ Click on Setting on the upper left corner, then click Register SMS Campaign. If you are registering a toll-free number, click on the Toll-Free Numbers tab and follow the instructions to register. If you are registering a local number, click on the Local Numbers tab and then click on Brand Registration or Campaign Registration to continue. Brand Registration You’ll want to have information on hand that pertains to your businesses. These might vary based on the type of business you have. You’ll find the solutions in the chart below. Legal Forms Information Needed Private company Government Organization Charities / Non-Profit Organization Note: The messages from a registered charity should be aimed at providing help and raising money for those in need. The option to register a Brand as a Non Profit Organization is open for all Brands but only those organizations that hold a 501(c)(3) status will benefit from the special terms. Legal company name Country of registration Employer ID Number(EIN) / Tax ID Physical address Website address Vertical Contact details Public company Legal company name Country of registration Employer ID Number (EIN) / Tax ID Physical address Website address Vertical Stock symbol Stock exchange Contact details Sole Proprietor DBA or brand name Country of registration Physical address Website address Vertical Contact details Campaign Registration As mandated by MNOs, you are required to select a use case at the beginning of the campaign registration process. Different use cases are qualified for different forms of company, below we provide the definitions of all use cases and a chart presenting which use cases are qualified for your company. Standard use case Standard/other: Your campaign will be considered a Standard/other use case if you are not applicable for the special use cases. For example, you’ll use your campaigns for customer care, account notifications, marketing, etc. Special use case K12: K-12 Education is for messaging platforms that support schools from grades K-12 and distance learning centers. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Charity(501c3): Specifically for brands registered as 501c3. Messages from a registered charity with the purpose of providing help and raising money for those in need. Religious organization excluded. Emergency(Government): Notification services designed to support public safety/health in natural disasters, armed conflicts, pandemics and other national or regional emergencies. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Political: Messages that influence the decision making of specific groups for a political purpose. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Social: Communication between public figures/influences and their communities. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Sweepstakes: Sending sweepstakes messages. *This use case requires external vetting or approval from carriers. Sole Proprietor: Limited to entities without a EIN / Tax ID. *This use case can only be selected if the brand you registered is Sole Proprietor. Legal Forms Available Campaign Use Cases Private, Public K12, Standard/other, Social, Sweepstakes, Nonprofit – 501(c)(3) Charity(501c3) Nonprofit – 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) K12, Standard/other, Political Nonprofit – All other 501c designations K12, Standard/other Government Standard/other, Emergency(Government) Sole Proprietor Sole Proprietor Tips for Your Registration: Please fill in the required information in English only, TCR cannot process your application with any other language. Please ensure you have a sufficient balance in your Textr Team account to speed up the registration process. What’s Next? The last step is to wait for the results to be returned from TCR! Once the results are in, we will notify you in your Textr Team account. Once your brand and campaign are verified, you’ll need to assign phone numbers to a campaign and start sending SMS messages! If you are still confused about the Campaign Registry and the pricing, please refer to the following post: All You Need to Know about the Campaign Registry How Much Will It Cost for the Registration We also have another FAQ post about General, Brand and Campaign Registration which will clear up all your doubts. For Chinese users, please refer to here. Should you have any further concerns, you may contact us by email support@textrapp.com.
-
TCR FAQs: General, Brand and Campaign Registration
Article Contents: General FAQs: 1. Can I send bulk messages without registering? 2. Can I delete my brand and campaign? 3. Who should I contact if I have further concerns? 4. How much does it cost for registration？ Brand Registration FAQs: 1. Which legal form should I choose? 2. How can I ensure I enter the correct VAT ID/Tax ID? 3. What is DUNS/GIIN/LEI? How do filling these in affect my registration? 4. Who should I write as the contact person? 5. What should I do if my brand needs a high throughput for the use case? 6. How does vetting work? 7. Why would I get the “unverified” for my brand registration? 8. Can I update my brand information after submission? 9. I have registered and vetted my brand with another messaging partner. Do I have to register with Textr Team again? Campaign Registration FAQs: 1. How does the volume of messages affect campaign case type (low mixed volume vs. standard)? 2. What’s the difference between a mixed-use case vs. a single-use case (dedicated use case) type? 3. What should I write in the campaign description? Does it matter how many sample messages I include? 4. Which campaign and content attributes should I choose? 5. Why are some special use cases required for carrier approval? 6. What should I do if my campaign gets rejected? 7. How many campaigns can I register under my brand? 8. How do I assign phone numbers to my registered campaign? 9. How many phone numbers can be assigned to one campaign? General FAQs: 1. Can I send bulk messages without registering? No. You are required to register with the Campaign Registry (TCR) through Textr Team to send bulk messages on behalf of your brand. After your brand and campaign are verified on TCR, you can assign phone numbers to a campaign and start sending bulk messages. 2. Can I delete my brand and campaign? Yes, you can delete the brand that you have registered from the Campaign Registry (TCR). You can also deactivate any campaign three months after registration. However, you should be careful of this action because deleting a brand or campaign is irrevocable. Once deleted, all details will be removed from your Textr Team account, TCR and MNOs. 3. Who should I contact if I have further concerns? Should you have any concerns about registration, you may contact our Textr Team Support Team at support@textrapp.com. 4. How much does it cost for registration？ A brand registration fee of $4 will be charged to register a new brand. This is a one-time setup fee, and it is charged by the Campaign Registry (TCR) and passed through by Textr Team to users with no added cost. For the campaign registration, the cost varies on the use case of the campaign. For example: A Sole Proprietor campaign: a monthly fee of $0.75. A Low Volume Mixed Campaign: a monthly fee of $2.00. A Regular/Standard Campaign: a monthly fee of $10.00. Besides, please note that effective March 1, 2022, T-Mobile has also begun to impose a one-time $50 Campaign activation fee on a new Campaign registration (excluding Sole Proprietor). For more details regarding registration fees, please refer to this post. Brand Registration FAQs: 1. Which legal form should I choose? Every company should choose a legal form based on the company’s type on its business documentation. You should choose a legal form from Sole Proprietor, Private company, Public Company, Non-Profit Organization, and Government. Difference in form for Sole Proprietor vs. Private vs. Public Sole Proprietors (SP) SP are paying customers of Textr Team, with a billing address, but without an EIN and have lower volume needs. There will be fewer mandatory data fields, under the “Sole Proprietor” entity type. Only the “Sole Proprietor” use case will be available during the campaign registration. A monthly fee of $0.75 will be charged by the Campaign Registry (TCR). A Sole Proprietor is subject to the following requirements: Only one campaign is allowed per brand, with a maximum of 5 associated phone numbers 1000 msg/day limit (T-Mobile) and 15msg/minute limit (AT&T) per Campaign Private and Public Companies Private and public companies will need to provide more information for brand verification. But both of them are able to send more messages every day compared to Sole Proprietors. The detailed cost for every campaign will depend on the use case selected. Private Company is a company owned by its founders, management, or a group of private investors. In addition to the information required for Sole Proprietors, Private Company should provide its Employer ID Number(EIN) / Tax ID. Public Company is a company that has sold all or a portion of itself to the public via IPO, which means shareholders have a claim to part of the company’s assets and profits. In addition to the information required for Sole Proprietors, Public Company should provide its Employer ID Number(EIN) / Tax ID, stock symbol, stock exchange. Non-Profit Organization: 501(c)(3) designations explained TCR supports registered Charities that want to take advantage of MNO-specific terms for their messaging. The option to register a brand as a Non-Profit Organization is open for all brands but only those organizations that hold a 501(c)(3) status will benefit from the special terms, for example, qualified organizations will be eligible for reduced/waived carrier fees. For the 501(c)(3) designations, only the “Charity” use cases are available at the moment. Under the “Charity” use cases, a minimum of 1 and maximum of 5 use cases should be declared. 2. How can I ensure I enter the correct VAT ID/Tax ID? The tax ID number is important information for the Campaign Registry to conduct a background check on the correct company. It’s important for you to ensure the correct VAT ID/ Tax ID is provided so that it would be easier for your company to get the brand verified. The Tax ID definitions are different depending on countries, please get the information that is suitable for your company from the following guidance: United States The Employment Identification Number (EIN) is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS used to identify businesses primarily for tax purposes. You can find your EIN number on your old tax returns, credit reports, etc. Please be aware that your legal company name and address should be exactly the same as the information you used when registering with the IRS. Canada If your business is registered in Canada, please enter your Canadian Corporation Number, which may be either the federal or provincial number. It is used for filing legal documents with Corporations Canada. Do NOT enter your business number or federal tax ID number. Please be aware that your legal company name and address should be exactly the same as the information you used when your company is registered in Canada. Europe, Eastern Europe, North Atlantic, Middle East, South America, and APAC Please enter the numeric part of your VAT ID number. Automatic VAT identification matching is currently available for the countries on the following list. If your country is not on this list, please provide your country’s primary company registration number or tax ID number. Croatia HR Hungary HU Ireland IE Italy IT Lithuania LT Luxembourg LU Latvia LV Malta MT Netherlands NL Norway NO Poland PL Portugal PT Romania RO Sweden SE Slovenia SI Slovakia SK Northern Ireland XI United Arab Emirates AE Australia AU Belarus BY Chile CL Iceland IS Malaysia MY New Zealand NZ Saudi Arabia SA Singapore SG Taiwan TW 3. What is DUNS/GIIN/LEI? How do filling these in affect my registration? The DUNS Number is a unique nine-digit number that identifies business entities on a location-specific basis. Assigned and maintained by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B), the DUNS Number is widely used as a standard business identifier. The GIIN is a Global Intermediary Identification Number, consisting of 19 characters. GIINs are assigned by the FATCA registration system to financial institutions and direct-reporting non-financial entities. The Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) is a 20-character, alpha-numeric code which is developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It connects to key reference information that enables a clear and unique identification of legal entities participating in financial transactions. You may provide the DUNS Number, GIIN, or LEI as an Alternative Business ID. This is a complementary and optional field to help better identify the brand. The DUNS Number in particular is important in identifying non-US Brands. 4. Who should I write as the contact person? When you register a Brand, the Campaign Registry (TCR) will ask you to provide contact information for the Brand. This allows carriers and TCR to troubleshoot if any issue arises. So please input the correct contact details of the person who is running the brand. 5. What should I do if my brand needs a high throughput for the use case? Throughput is determined based on who is sending the message (the Brand) and what is being sent (the use case and vertical). The best course of action to get higher throughput is to have the brands vetted, declare a use case, and provide a detailed explanation of the campaigns. To get help on brand vetting, please contact Textr Support Team at support@textrapp.com. 6. How does vetting work? Vetting through the Campaign Registry’s external partners represents a more detailed review of the brand with a focus on its reputation in the messaging space. The vetting result is 0-100 score that will place the brand in one of available Carrier Tiers. Vetted brands can have access to all standard use cases and have potential to qualify for any of the available classes. Different carriers have different requirements on brand vetting for the use cases. Special use cases that require vetting include political, social, sweepstakes and charity. Please note that a third-party vetting fee of $40 per vet will be charged for a successful vet. This fee will be reduced to $5 if the vet is unsuccessful or unscored. 7. Why would I get the “unverified” for my brand registration? After brand registration is carried out, each brand will automatically go through an identity verification process. The Campaign Registry (TCR) will validate the EIN, legal company name and legal company address with third party independent sources and confirm the existence of the brand with a verification “status” (Verified/Unverified). If the data that you have filled in is not correct, your brand registration would get the “Unverified” verification status. Unverified brands cannot register 10DLC campaigns and have to obtain the “Verified” status if they wish to do so. These are the options available: Any “Unverified” brand can be resubmitted for verification on the “Brand Details” page of Textr Team portal. A resubmitted fee of $4 will be charged by TCR. Any “Unverified” brand can request or import external vetting through the same page, and potentially gain access to every MNO class/tier as the result. Third-party fees may be charged by the vetting partner with TCR. In both cases, it is crucial that details about the brand are corrected and updated before any submission. 8. Can I update my brand information after submission? If you submitted brand information but failed to be verified, your brand will have a “Unverified” status. You can update your brand information and resubmit after correcting the details. A resubmission fee of $4.00 will be charged by the Campaign Registry (TCR). If your brand information has a “Verified” status, you can still update your brand information in Team Setting on Textr Team account portal. The information that you can update includes company address, contact, etc. Please be aware that after the update, you will need to resubmit the brand registration. A resubmission fee of $4.00 will be charged by TCR. 9. I have registered and vetted my brand with another messaging partner. Do I have to register with Textr Team again? Yes. In order to send bulk messages with Textr Team, you should register your brand and campaign with the Campaign Registry (TCR) through your Textr Team account. Moreover, you can only assign Textr Team phone numbers to the active campaigns in your account. Campaign Registration FAQs: 1. How does the volume of messages affect campaign case type (low mixed volume vs. standard)? The Campaign Registry (TCR) will define the campaign case type as standard or low volume based on the volume of messages you will send each month. The low mixed volume is for the brands that send less than 15,000 messages per month but have multiple use cases and only need a low messaging throughput. For example, test or demo accounts, small businesses (small clinics, mom and pop shops etc). The standard volume of messages means the message volume per month is more than 15,000. The monthly fee is determined by your brand and the use cases that you used. 2. What’s the difference between a mixed-use case vs. a single-use case (dedicated use case) type? For the mixed-use case, you can use a single campaign for multiple use cases, for example, a campaign for both customer care and 2FA use cases.The shortcoming of mixed-use cases is that any non-compliant messages on one use case could suspend service for the entire campaign. Besides, mixed campaigns need higher AT&T surcharges. For the single-use case (dedicated use case), the campaign is used for only one use case. So the non-compliant messaging only affects that one campaign. And it has better AT&T surcharges and potentially better throughput. At the same time, because each use case has to be registered as its own campaign, the cost for the campaign may increase. 3. What should I write in the campaign description? Does it matter how many sample messages I include? Please provide a detailed campaign description and more than one sample message that reflects the content your customers will actually receive. For example, if you fill in “sending job alerts for potential candidates” for the campaign description, the sample messages should be similar to this, “Hello xxx, this is xxx from the HR department of Indeed. I would like to confirm if you are still seeking a job?” The information will be visible to the 10DLC ecosystem and can be used to review its legitimacy by MNOs. So it’s better to provide accurate sample messages that you would send. 4. Which campaign and content attributes should I choose? During the campaign registration process, you will be asked to click the checkbox to indicate whether the Campaign has the following attributes. Some attributes may require you to add specific information: SUBSCRIBER OPT-IN Indicates whether the campaign is collecting and processing consumer opt-ins. This is a mandatory field. SUBSCRIBER OPT-OUT Indicates whether the campaign is collecting and processing consumer opt-outs.This is a mandatory field. SUBSCRIBER HELP Indicates whether the campaign has implemented message reply allowing the receiver to contact the sender after they reply with the “HELP” keyword. This is a mandatory field. NUMBER POOLING Select this if you intend on using more than 50 numbers as this will require a different provisioning process on T-Mobile. DIRECT LENDING OR LOAN ARRANGEMENT Indicates whether the campaign include content related to direct lending or other loan arrangements. EMBEDDED LINK Indicates whether the campaign is using an embedded link of any kind. Note that public URL shorteners (bitly, tinyurl) are not accepted. EMBEDDED PHONE NUMBER Indicates whether the campaign is using an embedded phone number (except the required HELP information contact phone number). AFFILIATE MARKETING Indicates whether the affiliate marketing being used or was used in the construction of the campaign. AGE-GATED CONTENT Indicates whether the campaign include any age-gated content as defined by Carrier and CTIA guidelines. 5. Why are some special use cases required for carrier approval? Special use cases are sensitive or critical in nature and, as a result, may require pre/post-registration approval by the MNOs. Vetting or MNO approval may be required before a brand can register a campaign for the special use case. 6. What should I do if my campaign gets rejected? If your campaign gets rejected, you may provide more detailed descriptions and sample messages to resubmit, so you will have a higher chance to get your campaign verified. You can also deactivate the rejected campaign from the Textr Team portal and register a new one. In this case, please choose another use case that is more suitable for your brand with detailed information. 7. How many campaigns can I register under my brand? It depends on the legal form that you choose when you register a brand. For example, if you register your brand as Sole Proprietor, only 1 campaign is allowed per brand with a maximum of 5 associated phone numbers. 8. How do I assign phone numbers to my registered campaign? You may assign a phone number on the Campaign Registry page of Textr Team Portal. When clicking the “+Assign” button, you can choose the numbers you’ve subscribed to and assign them to the active campaign. Please be aware that you can’t assign numbers until the campaign registration is verified. Once the campaign is activated and the numbers you assigned are verified, you can send SMS campaigns from the numbers. It’s important to note that only Textr Team’s phone numbers can be assigned. You can’t register directly on the Campaign Registry (TCR) and then come back to Textr Team with your phone number. 9. How many phone numbers can be assigned to one campaign? The phone numbers that can be assigned to one campaign depends on the legal form of your registered brand. Sole Proprietor can only assign 5 numbers at most for each campaign. Other kinds of brands can assign up to 50 numbers for each campaign. If you need to assign more than 50 numbers for a campaign, please select “Number Pooling” in the “Campaign Text Attributes” section during the campaign registration.
-
How Much Does Textr Team Cost
Textr Team’s Standard and Enterprise Plan Textr Team offers this service at a price all small businesses can afford. Textr Team scales with your business by placing no restrictions on the numbers you can subscribe to and by providing unlimited texting. Textr Team’s plans are flexible with the option to pay as you go. Standard Plan This plan is ideal for individuals, freelancers, startups, and small businesses. All of Textr Team’s features are available in this plan. For a full list of feature see our pricing page. A US local phone number is $10/user/month. This comes with one phone number per user. A CA local phone number is $10/user/month. This comes with one phone number per user. A UK local phone number is $14.99/user/month. This comes with one phone number per user. Any adjustments to your subscription in the middle of a subscription period are charged or credited prorated based on your billing date. Enterprise Plan Our enterprise plan is also available for larger teams and organizations with more complex needs. We offer custom pricing. If you think the enterprise plan is a good fit for you and your team, please send us an email at support@textrapp.com.
-
All You Need to Know about The Campaign Registry
TABLE OF CONTENTS What is The Campaign Registry? Who Will Be Affected and When to Register TCR? What’s Textr Team’s Role? Why Do You Need to Register for TCR? Improved Deliverability Increase Trust and Security High Throughput and Faster Messaging Avoid Penalties What is The Campaign Registry? The Campaign Registry(TCR) is a third-party organization that helps regulate text messaging to comply with texting legislations to ensure a safe and smooth experience for users. It was created by Mobile Network Operators in North America and a company called Kaleyra. Mobile Network Operators, called MNOs, are carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile which help deliver text messages. To manage the telecommunication industries, especially for SMS services, TCR was created following legislation passed which was designed to regulate robocalls, spam texts, and to make opt-outs for messaging an industry standard. TCR helps collect brand and campaign data to increase transparency in the 10 digit-long-code(10DLC) network. 10DLC is a reliable messaging channel for SMS campaigns and is endorsed by mobile operators. Also, 10DLC supports voice calls on the same number used for Commercial SMS. TCR is a single source enabling the MNOs to have as a record of who sent any particular 10DLC message and what they claim to be sending, which can help MNOs create a safer texting environment. Who Will Be Affected and When to Register TCR? If you are in the United States and are using 10DLC numbers to send messages to AT&T & T-Mobile numbers, it is recommended that you register with The Campaign Registry before you send SMS or MMS messages to customers or individuals. Registration is a way to show The Campaign Registry that you are a legitimate business sending messages and not spam. If you do not register, operators (MNOs) can fine you or block your number. Registration with The Campaign Registry is not mandatory at this moment but it has various benefits. If you are going to use an application platform, A2P(Application-To-Person), to send messages to your customers in bulk, such as SMS campaigns, registering for TCR allows for higher throughputs by mobile carriers and ensures a high delivery rate for your messages. What’s Textr Team’s Role? Textr Team is not a carrier or MNO, we are what is called a Communication Service Provider, which is also known as a CSP. As The Campaign Registry evolves, the MNOs constantly introduce new rules to comply with telecommunications regulations that are highly regulated and difficult to deal with. Therefore, Textr Team’s role is to help you comply with and better understand the requirements from The Campaign Registry, preventing your business texts from not being delivered. Textr Team will keep you informed of any updates or changes to registration, fees, or new regulations, and assist you to adapt to new regulations. In addition, we will try our best to ensure your numbers and messages won’t be blocked and that you are not fined. All brand and campaign registrations for TCR can be submitted and managed within your Textr Team account. We submit your registration to TCR for you and let you know when you’ve been approved by TCR. We do not charge any fee for registration; the fees incurred are all charged by TCR/MNOs. Textr Team will deduct the fee from your account and transfer them to TCR/MNOs with no additional charges. You can register and manage all brand and campaign information related to TCR in your Textr Team account, without having to contact TCR yourself. Why Do You Need to Register for TCR? Registering with the campaign registry is important for several reasons. With a verified business and numbers, you can send messages to your customers more effectively, increase your customer base and avoid incurring fines for not complying with texting regulations. Improved Deliverability By registering your company and phone number, you will greatly increase the likelihood that your customers will receive your messages. Since the passage of legislation regulating mobile communications, MNOs have increased their filtering for potential violations, such as spam or fraud. As a result, if the messages you send have come back with carrier violation errors, you may not know that your customer did not receive your message. You can think of registering with The Campaign Registry as pre-screening or pre-verifying your business and the content of your text messages. Your deliverability will be improved because what messages you send and to whom are already on record thus lowering the possibility of your messages being flagged or blocked by carriers. Increase Trust and Security Registering with Campaign Registry will also increase trust and security in the delivery of your messages. Since the goal is to deliver legitimate campaigns and eliminate spam and fraud, customers will only receive messages that have been screened and approved. This will let them know that you aren’t fraud, spam, or robo texting, thus helping you build trust with your customers and increasing their confidence in your company or brand. High Throughput and Faster Messaging If there is a valid use case, a higher throughput is also given to verified businesses. Throughput is determined by different types of campaign and who is sending the message(brand) and what is being sent(use case). A higher throughput will help you reach a larger customer base in a short period of time. Moreover, the speed at which messages are sent will also increase. Before registration, you can only send one SMS segment (160 character message) per second. This means it may take a while to send long messages or announcements to many customers. After registration, the speed may increase to 30 segments per second allowing you to reach more people within a shorter amount of time. Avoid Penalties Registering The Campaign Registry will help you avoid unnecessary penalties and fines to a large extent. Registered numbers are not monitored as closely as unregistered numbers. MNOs need to verify that your phone number and the messages it sends are legitimate, and because of your registration, they already know what you’re texting and why. If you don’t register with TCR, your numbers may be banned or you may be fined when you violate regulations.