Imagine you’re a car dealership owner. You own two dealerships, “Sunshine Motors” and “Moonlight Autos”. Both dealerships have equally skilled salespeople and the same number of leads to follow up with via SMS. But Sunshine Motors is constantly out producing Moonlight Autos. The only difference is Sunshine Motors uses a service that adheres to 10DLC best practices, while Moonlight Autos’ service does not.
Sunshine Motors’ messages reach their customers, and they’re able to engage them, answer their questions, and ultimately, sell cars. Moonlight Autos’ messages, on the other hand, get filtered out. Their customers never receive their follow-ups, and they miss out on potential sales. Their customers might even think they’re not doing their job because they never heard back from them.
This scenario illustrates the importance of 10DLC (10 Digit Long Code) for car dealerships. 10DLC is a special channel through the cell phone carriers like AT&T and Verizon that enables a higher deliverability rate if the dealership is following 10DLC best practices.
Understanding 10DLC
10DLC, or 10-Digit Long Code, is a system that was created to regulate the pathway of communication between businesses and customers. It’s like a special lane on a highway that’s designed for business messages. This lane is monitored and controlled to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of traffic[1].
The creation of 10DLC was driven by the need to improve the end-user experience. It ensures that people can opt in and out of messaging easily, and it provides transparency by letting recipients know who is sending them messages[1:1]. This helps to build trust and improves the overall communication experience.
But 10DLC doesn’t just benefit the end-users, it also offers significant advantages to businesses. It provides higher messaging throughput, which means businesses can send more messages in a shorter amount of time. It also enhances brand awareness and accountability, as the messages are clearly linked to the business sending them[1:2].
As a dealership owner, you would want all your salespeople to use this special 10DLC lane. Why? Because it ensures their messages reach the customers quickly and reliably. It’s like having a fast pass at an amusement park – the messages get to skip the line and go straight to the customers and if you follow best practices, you will avoid the potholes messages can get lost in.
But navigating this new 10DLC landscape can be challenging. That’s where TECOBI comes in. We help dealerships like yours understand and implement 10DLC best practices. We ensure your messages are sent through the right channels and reach your customers effectively. With TECOBI, you can be confident that your dealership is making the most of this new and powerful communication tool.
The Role of The Campaign Registry in 10DLC
The Campaign Registry (TCR) plays a crucial role in the 10DLC ecosystem. It is a central database that manages the registration of brands and their associated messaging campaigns. This registry is designed to ensure transparency and trust in the A2P (Application-to-Person) messaging ecosystem[2].
TCR was created by major mobile network operators (MNOs), including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, to manage 10-digit long code phone numbers (10DLC) for application-to-person messages[3]. The registry aims to make business SMS messaging more secure and trustworthy by tracking what entities use 10DLC phone numbers and the use case for each one[3:1].
By registering and managing Brands and Campaigns on behalf of our clients directly with TCR, TECOBI ensures they’re handled correctly and not reliant on a third party. This is a critical part of adhering to 10DLC best practices and ensuring your messages reach their intended recipients.
The Importance of 10DLC Compliance
Not all SMS service providers are created equal. Some may not adhere to 10DLC best practices, which can lead to messages being filtered out by carriers. This is what happened to Moonlight Autos in our scenario.
For car dealerships, this can result in missed sales opportunities and a poor customer experience. After all, if a customer doesn’t receive a follow-up message, they may assume the dealership isn’t interested in their business.
TECOBI: 10DLC Compliance
At TECOBI, we understand the importance of 10DLC compliance. We’re committed to helping our clients navigate this new landscape by registering and managing Brands and Campaigns on their behalf directly with TCR (The Campaign Registry). This ensures they’re handled correctly and not reliant on a third party.
In addition to this, we provide our clients with a suite of tools that are 100% 10DLC compliant. Our website widgets, contact forms, and credit applications are all designed to seamlessly opt customers into texting, ensuring a smooth and compliant communication process.
But we don’t stop there. We also use AI to identify opt-outs and wrong numbers, further helping with 10DLC compliance. Our AI solution goes beyond detecting standard opt-out phrases like “stop,” “unsubscribe,” or “remove me.” It’s designed to identify a wide variety of non-standard phrases, enhancing compliance and customer satisfaction.
For instance, our AI can successfully catch phrases like “Remove me from your list,” “Stop texting me,” or “No. Please remove me from the text list.” This reduces the burden on dealership staff and increases compliance with 10DLC and TCPA guidelines. [4]
The Bottom Line
In the world of car sales, communication is key. And in today’s digital age, SMS is a vital part of that communication. But as our scenario with Sunshine Motors and Moonlight Autos illustrates, not all SMS messages are created equal. If your customers are not getting the SMS messages you send to them, you are going to sell less cars!
By adhering to 10DLC best practices and leveraging the power of AI, TECOBI helps ensure your messages reach their intended recipients. This leads to more successful follow-ups, more sales, and a better customer experience.
To learn more about how TECOBI can help your dealership navigate the complexities of 10DLC and maximize the effectiveness of your SMS communication, get a demo today.
