As a partner of the US Short Code Registry, TrueDialog is authorized to provision short codes for brands — including affordable dedicated short codes, with numbers chosen at random. This option is ideal for organizations seeking the higher throughput, stronger deliverability, compliance, and message integrity of short code messaging, but at a lower price point than a branded number.
SMS Short Code Texting App for Enterprise Organizations
Reach Thousands of Contacts Instantly with Seamless Short Code Texting
Easily launch short code campaigns with industry-leading deliverability. The TrueDialog SMS short code service gives you the power to send mass texts from 5- or 6-digit codes in just a few clicks. Get all the features and support you need to boost engagement, drive action, and remain compliant.
Proud Partner of the US Short Code Registry
There’s more to successful short code campaigns than just leasing a number, which is why it’s so important to choose the right short code texting app.
As a Premier Partner of the US Short Code Registry (the official United States short code authority), TrueDialog is well-equipped to support organizations in launching powerful campaigns that drive measurable results. We earned this status through our commitment to security and compliance, as well as our direct connections with major wireless carriers. By partnering at the highest level, we guarantee our customers access to the most reliable short code messaging solutions, unmatched deliverability, and built-in compliance at every step.
Short Code Texting Has Never Been Easier
Short code messaging signals to carriers that your brand meets specific compliance requirements. It’s a distinction that enables better deliverability and higher throughput — which is especially crucial for brands sending time-sensitive alerts, notifications, polls, contests, and promotional content.
As contacts become more familiar with your 5- or 6-digit code, it also adds an extra layer of brand recognition. And, when you use a short code texting app like TrueDialog, you’ll have access to advanced features that help you integrate short code messaging into your current marketing campaigns.
For brands interested in a more branded approach, TrueDialog also offers access to vanity SMS short codes. (Custom 5- or 6-digit SMS code numbers that you choose, rather than those selected at random.) These easy-to-remember SMS short codes are ideal for boosting brand recognition, engagement, and trust while still offering the high deliverability, control, and throughput associated with short code messaging.
To lease a short code, brands are required to complete a detailed application outlining how they intend to use their code. Wireless carriers review each application and complete a comprehensive vetting process to help reduce text spam and make it easier for legitimate organizations to reach their audiences.
This process can take several weeks, but as one of the leading SMS short code providers and a trusted partner of the US Short Code Registry, we’re here to streamline your experience. We’ll support you through every step of the registration process — from submitting your application and campaign briefs to number provisioning and carrier approval.
TrueDialog offers both 5- and 6-digit SMS code numbers to support high-volume messaging needs. Whether you need a dedicated 5-digit phone number or a custom 6-digit code, we help pave the way for a headache-free application process and fast setup, so you can start sending short code campaigns at scale.
Thanks to our direct carrier connections, TrueDialog’s SMS short code texting service ensures top-tier deliverability and high throughput. When you send messages via our short code texting app, you can rest assured your messages will reach contacts quickly and reliably — regardless of whether you’re sending to an audience of 100 or 100,000. This speedy delivery makes short code messaging ideal for timely notifications, multi-factor authentication, safety alerts, and critical operational communications.
How to Succeed with a 2-Way SMS Service
- Promote your short code whenever possible
Once you’ve received your new short code, be sure to promote it in as many places as possible. For example, you can share your short code at events, on indoor displays, and via social media campaigns, email, or your website. The more people see your short code, the more familiar they’ll become with the number and the higher the chances they’ll engage via text.
- Make it easy for contacts to opt in
One of the best ways to drive opt-ins is to make the process as straightforward and frictionless as possible. An easy way to achieve this is by launching a text-to-join campaign, where audiences can opt in to text messaging by texting a keyword to your short code. This keyword could be something generic and simple, like “JOIN” — or something more brand-specific and memorable. For example, a sports team might use its mascot (i.e., “GO LIONS”) while a bank might highlight a key benefit (i.e., “SAVE MORE”).
Another solution is to create user-friendly opt-in forms on your website, so anyone browsing your brand can quickly and easily register for your SMS program.
- Deliver high-value, meaningful messages
Make text messaging worth your audience’s time. Use your short code to communicate critical alerts, important instructions, helpful reminders, time-sensitive promotions, exclusive offers, and other information that adds value to your audience’s lives. Consistently meeting (and exceeding) contacts’ needs via your short code program is a great way to strengthen brand loyalty.
- Stay compliant and be transparent
Take time to familiarize yourself with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) regulations and ensure your SMS program is compliant.
For example, when promoting your short code or running text-to-join campaigns, be sure to share clear opt-out instructions and other essential details (such as the fact that message and data rates may apply). Leverage your SMS short code software to set up an automated response that welcomes new subscribers and reiterates how to opt out. Additionally, make sure you’re abiding by quiet hours requirements by avoiding sending marketing messages outside of safe sending times.
(Check out our SMS marketing compliance guide to learn more about industry regulations and best practices for meeting them.) - Track your performance and optimize as you go
One of the advantages of using an enterprise-grade short code texting app like TrueDialog is that you’ll have access to robust reporting. By carefully tracking key metrics (in real time), you can easily identify which campaigns drive the best results, optimize accordingly, and maximize your success. With our reporting feature, you can also generate custom reports that communicate your performance to senior decision makers and demonstrate your ROI using the high-level numbers executives care about most.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to learn more?
A short code is a 5- or 6-digit number that brands can use to quickly send (and receive) SMS texts. Unlike 10DLCs, short codes are easier to remember and, since brands must undergo a thorough vetting process before receiving a short code, these numbers ensure better reliability and higher throughput (i.e., you can send more messages faster).
Of course, as with any mass texting effort, you must still receive explicit consent from each contact before sending them a message via short code — and must also abide by all other industry regulations. Additionally, you’ll need to get authorization each time you want to send a new campaign via your assigned short code, or you could experience deliverability issues and even face fines and other penalties.
Short code texting is ideal for any brand that wants to send a large volume of text messages and ensure they’re delivered as quickly as possible. Partnering with an enterprise SMS short code service provider like TrueDialog makes this much, much easier.
First, we’ll support you through the short code registration process, help expedite approval, and ensure you get set up fast. Once you have your number, we’ll help you integrate short code messaging into your SMS program so you can immediately start using it for approved marketing campaigns, notifications, alerts, polls, contests, coupons, and other relevant purposes.
Additionally, TrueDialog offers other premium functionality, including robust reporting capabilities to track performance metrics and demonstrate your ROI, and a proprietary, AI-powered tool called TrueDelivery that helps reduce the risk of your messages being inadvertently flagged as spam.
Additionally, we provide a carrier lookup feature to ensure you’re only sending messages to real mobile numbers (and not wasting precious budget sending campaigns to landlines and other numbers that can’t receive texts). And with native integrations, you can seamlessly connect TrueDialog with leading CRMs and marketing automation tools, like Salesforce, HubSpot, Eloqua, Marketo, and more. This way, you’ll enjoy more streamlined workflows and can leverage the data you already have to enrich your SMS campaigns further.
Short codes are heavily regulated — and for good reason. Today, spam is on the rise, and carriers are doing everything in their power to protect consumers from scams and predatory texts. Since short codes ensure faster delivery and higher throughput, regulators want to ensure the organizations using these numbers are thoroughly vetted.
Given the high level of scrutiny involved in short code provisioning, the short code application and approval process can take 6 to 10 weeks. However, TrueDialog works closely with the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to streamline and expedite this process.
Once you’re ready to get started, we ask that you have your EIN, opt-in process documentation, sample messages for each campaign, terms and conditions, and privacy policy on hand. Having all of the necessary information helps us move your application through as quickly as possible.
No, short codes can not be voice-enabled. If you’d like voice call capabilities, you may be more interested in applying for a 10DLC (10-digit long code). We have a service to help simplify and expedite that process, too.
TrueDialog’s short code SMS service offers support in obtaining both branded short codes and randomized short codes.
The key difference between these two options is that, when you opt for a branded short code, you choose the number (instead of receiving a number selected at random).
Some brands opt for vanity codes so they can choose numbers that correspond to letters on a keypad and spell out a relevant term. (For example, Domino’s uses the short code 366466, which spells out “DOMINO”.) Branded/vanity short codes can also be easier for your customers to recognize and remember. However, random short codes are generally more affordable.
Yes! With a send speed of about 400 messages sent per second, short codes offer the highest delivery and throughput of any type of business texting number — including 10DLCs. (Additionally, you don’t have to worry about volume limits.)
This makes short code SMS ideal for high-volume sends and time-sensitive use cases. (For example, short codes are useful in sharing a critical safety alert across a college campus, notifying a banking customer that their account is in danger of an overdraft, or sharing a unique code as part of a multi-factor authentication log-in process.)
Meanwhile, 10DLC numbers are better suited for more personal, two-way text conversations and voice calls.
No. As of 2021, mobile carriers in the U.S. and Canada have ceased support for shared short code numbers.
There are a couple of reasons for this. First, shared short codes became confusing for users who subscribed to messages from more than one of the brands sharing a single number. Moreover, if one of the parties sharing the code engaged in malicious activity (or was hacked), it could tarnish the reputation of all brands sharing the number.
Related Resources
Our native apps make your experience seamless.
Learn More
