There’s no doubt that SMS compliance does a lot of good for the industry, especially when it comes to consumer protections. But, for brands, it can also be a double-edged sword.
For example, when the major North American mobile network operators launched The Campaign Registry (TCR) in 2020 to regulate the 10 Digit Long Code (10DLC) messaging, help curb spam texts, and support legitimate business messaging, it brought real benefits. For organizations that rely on texting to engage their audiences, this update meant better deliverability, improved trust, and the ability to text customers from a familiar-looking local number.
But it also introduced new complexities that made it a lot harder to switch to a new text messaging platform.
Suddenly, changing providers meant dealing with campaign downtime, number re-registration headaches, and the loss of precious historical data. For some brands, making the switch simply wasn’t worth facing these drawbacks — even if their existing provider consistently fell short of their needs, limited their ability to scale, and cut into their marketing ROI.
Fortunately, thanks to 10DLC migration, those days are over.
Today, brands like yours can easily upgrade to a better provider without pausing campaigns, navigating 10DLC compliance hurdles, or flushing years of data down the drain.
Here’s what you need to know:
Quick Refresh: What is 10DLC?
Before we dive into the challenges of switching SMS providers when you have a 10DLC and how the industry is overcoming that issue, here’s a quick refresher on what exactly 10DLC is and why it exists.
Before 10DLC hit the scene in 2021, brands had just three options for texting their audience:
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Short codes
These 5- or 6-digit numbers were developed by wireless carriers specifically for high-volume promotional texts and notifications. And, since they pass through specialized SMS gateways designed for speed and compliance, they offer higher throughput (i.e., the number of messages sent in a given time frame) and better deliverability for bulk messaging.
(Note: Brands can lease dedicated or branded short codes directly through the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA). However, as a premier partner of the US Short Code Registry, TrueDialog is authorized to provision short codes, which can help simplify and streamline this process.)
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Toll-free numbers
Initially developed for voice calls, toll-free numbers are 11digits long and usually begin with 1-800 or 1-888. Although it’s possible to send texts from a toll-free number, audiences may be more likely to suspect these messages of being spam, and thus less likely to open and engage with the content you send. Texts from toll-free numbers also have slower throughput and may be subject to more carrier filtering than texts from other number types.
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Standard 10-digit numbers
Rather than leasing a short code or using a toll-free number, some brands have opted to send texts from personal 10-digit numbers. However, texting from numbers that haven’t been registered for application–to–person (A2P) messaging can violate numerous industry regulations and pose serious security risks. Additionally, attempting to send a high volume of texts from a personal number often leads to carrier filtering and even blocklisting.
10DLC offers brands and carriers a more standardized, formalized process for navigating A2P messaging and provides businesses with another option for texting that doesn’t require investing in a short code (which can be more expensive than alternatives), using slower toll-free numbers, or risking compliance violations by using personal phone numbers.
Moreover, by using a registered 10DLC number, businesses can engage in one-on-one conversations at scale. Since these numbers are already verified by carriers, they’re significantly less likely to trigger filters or cause deliverability issues. And because these numbers look just like the local 10-digit numbers consumers are accustomed to seeing in their text inboxes, your audience is more likely to open and engage with these messages.
How Did 10DLC Compliance Make it Difficult to Change Texting Platforms?
10DLC brought much-needed structure to business texting and, for brands that were happy with their SMS platform, has been a mostly net-positive change. But for those who wanted to switch to a new provider, it’s been incredibly frustrating for two key reasons:
10DLC Registration Can Be a Complex Process
Historically, moving to a new texting platform meant re-registering 10DLC numbers through a new Campaign Service Provider (CSP). And, as anyone who has ever gone through the 10DLC registration and vetting process can attest, it’s a pretty arduous experience. (Especially for large organizations with multiple teams and use cases relying on 10DLC numbers.)
That’s because registering a 10DLC is about more than simply registering a number. You also have to register your brand, campaigns, and share specific messaging use cases, details about your opt-in workflows, and how you comply with industry regulations. (And you may also have to pay vetting fees.) Reviews can take anywhere from several days to several weeks, and if anything is unclear or incomplete, your submission may be rejected or delayed.
Having to re-register your 10DLC number can mean weeks of campaign downtime, which often translates into lost engagement and lost revenue. For brands that don’t expect this process, re-registration is an aggravating and expensive surprise.
(Fortunately for TrueDialog customers, 10DLC registration is much easier. Whether you’re new to 10DLC or need to re-register, the platform’s automated 10DLC registration feature helps brands get campaigns up and running in days, not weeks.)
Ending a 10DLC Campaign Can Mean Losing Valuable Historical Data
In addition to the administrative headaches and delays, stopping existing 10DLC campaigns and re-registering them with a new provider also means brands lose access to any reporting and performance data tied to those campaigns. Because these campaigns are registered and managed within a specific provider ecosystem, those insights don’t transfer over to your new platform once you’ve decommissioned the 10DLC.
Without access to vital historical data, such as delivery rates and conversion metrics, it can be difficult to measure the success of new campaigns. Gaps in texting data can also create challenges for teams reporting performance to senior leadership or for internal governance teams preparing for audits.
What is a 10DLC Migration and How Does it Help?
Now, for the good news: TCR, the governing body responsible for registering 10DLC campaigns and enforcing compliance, recently released the Campaign CNP Migration Tool. Using this tool, CSPs can migrate campaigns to a new texting platform without requiring brands to re-register them.
That means three things:
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No more campaign downtime
With this process, 10DLC campaign migrations can take as little as 30 minutes. Better yet, your provider can create a provisional path for your traffic and only switch to the new route once it’s been confirmed. In other words, there’s no campaign downtime and no risk to your delivery.
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No loss of data
Moving to a new provider doesn’t mean sacrificing historical campaign data. Since you don’t have to pause or end your campaigns to make the switch, you can simply migrate everything over and preserve all of those valuable insights.
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Brands can easily switch to new providers
For some brands, the pain points associated with ending a 10DLC campaign kept them from exploring new providers. And, for some marketing leaders, this might’ve felt like being held hostage by a business SMS solution that was too expensive, too outdated, or didn’t meet their evolving needs. Now, without those barriers in place, you’re free to switch to a solution that can deliver the results you expect and support you in scaling your texting efforts.
The bottom line: by leveraging 10DLC migration, brands can move any existing 10DLC campaigns from one SMS provider to another without being forced to end active campaigns, endure re-registration headaches, or lose essential data.
If you’re ready to upgrade your enterprise SMS experience and take your texting program to the next level, we’re here to help migrate your 10DLC campaigns fast. Request a demo to learn how TrueDialog supports brands like yours.
