Toll-Free Number Verification

What it’s all about?

Spam messages became a great issue in the United States and Canada. As a result, a new verification procedure was born to complicate the life of spammers.

All major carriers agreed on verifying TFNs by sending the information about the company that is going to use a TFN to the downstream toll-free carrier. The verification initiative is jointly managed by major carriers, Omnivoice and our suppliers.

You may have heard of A2P 10DLC (if not, you can find the article here). Yet, unfortunately, it does not impact toll-free numbers, thus this new procedure was initiated.

Why verify?

If you don’t want your toll-free SMS to end up in a spam filter firewall and be bounced back, your TFN should be verified as valid. These filtering restrictions apply to all major networks in the USA and Canada, so there is hardly a way any TF spam can outsmart it. Completed toll-free verification ensures your SMS are delivered to the recipients.

How to verify?

Please complete the following form to submit your toll-free number for verification. Generally the verification process may take up to 3-4 weeks, however, currently it’s completed faster, in 1-2 weeks.

Once the form is reviewed and approved, you will receive a notification from our Customer Care team. In case it is rejected, we will inform you as well.

I don’t use my toll-free number for texting, do I have to verify it nevertheless?

If you don’t text on your toll-free number(s), you don’t have to complete the toll-free verification process. You should only verify your toll-free numbers if you’re planning to use them for texting.

Do I need to verify each toll-free number separately?

Although there is an option to include up to 5 numbers in the toll-free verification form, you will be asked to provide additional information on why multiple toll-free numbers are used for your business. It’s best to fill out separate submissions for each toll-free number.

I already have a verified toll-free number, can’t you just add other numbers to the form I previously submitted?

No, if you have some verified toll-free number(s) on your Omnivoice account, you would need to submit other numbers for verification as well, one by one.

Is having a business website a must?

If you don’t have a business website, you can provide a link to your business social media page (such as LinkedIn / Facebook, etc.).

Do I need to mention messaging in my Privacy Policy on the website?

A compliant Privacy Policy is a must for verifying your toll-free number. Make sure your Privacy Policy includes the messaging policy as well, especially the opt-in and opt-out details.

A sample messaging policy can be as follows:

Text message communications. We use text messaging to communicate with you about your service. Normal messaging rates apply and the frequency of messages may vary. Mobile Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

Opt-out of text message communications. You may opt-out of text messaging at any time by replying to any message with STOP or contacting us at company@email.com. This will end the communications from that particular phone number. You may continue to receive service-related and other non-marketing text messages from other phone numbers managed by Company, and you may opt out of those in a similar fashion.

What should I write in the Use Case Summary?

Your use case summary must describe the intended purpose of your messaging. It should answer the following questions:

• Who you are;
• Who do you want to reach;
• Why you are sending out messages.

Good Example: “Messages for the customers of a local car dealership service center. Appointment reminders, repair updates, satisfaction follow-up, online bill payment, and 2-way conversations.”

Bad Example: “Text messages are used for our team members to communicate with our customers and partners.” Why is it bad? It doesn’t say who you are or what you want to communicate.

Do I have to provide actual messages under Message Content?

You must provide the examples of SMS you’re planning to send to your customers: it would be best to share the actual messages you have previously sent.

Please make sure the messages align with the use case summary description. Ideally, they should include your business name or a sender’s name, to ensure they don’t look like generic messages without a context, unrelated to your use case and company.

Good examples:

• Hello Kevin, this is a reminder about your appointment with Awesome Car Dealership on August 2nd, 2024 at 10 in the morning. Let us know if you would like to reschedule your appointment. Thank you!
• Hi Lily, this is Louis with Construction Pros. Your kitchen sink has been fixed, should I take a look at your washing machine as well?
• Reminder from Dr. Smiles: Hi Jim, we look forward to seeing you at 3:00 pm tomorrow for your cleaning. Reply STOP to disable SMS notifications.

Bad examples:

• Thanks for leaving a review on Google Business. We would like to learn more about your experience. I will contact you soon.
• I received your question. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
• There’s a little favor I would like you to help me with, please.

What is Opt-in Flow?

Opt-in Flow refers to the way your customers give their permission for you to send them SMS messages. There can be different ways, for example:

• Entering a phone number through a website.
  Example: Customers opt in by visiting www.examplewebsite.com and adding their phone number. They then check a box agreeing to receive text messages from the brand.
• Clicking a button on a mobile web page.
• Sending a message from the customer’s mobile device that contains an advertising keyword.
  Example: Customer opt in by texting START to (111) 222-3333.
  Important: If customers can opt in by texting a keyword, the response should include the brand name, confirmation of the opt-in enrollment to a recurring message campaign, how to get help, and a clear description of how to opt out.
• Initiating the text message exchange, in which the message sender replies to the customer only with responsive information.
• Signing up at a point-of-sale (POS) or another message sender on-site location.
• Opting in over the phone using interactive voice response (IVR) technology.
  Example: “BrandName: You are now opted in to our service notifications. For help, reply HELP. To opt out, reply STOP”

Where can I get Opt-in Image URLs?

You must provide a screenshot URL of the opt-in flow:

• If website opt-in: Screenshots of a web form where a client adds a number and agrees to receive messages from you.
• If a keyword or QR Code Opt-in: Where does the customer find the keyword in order to opt in to these messages? Please provide this material (photos or screenshots) for verification.
• If voice/IVR opt-in: In this case, please provide a screenshot record of opt-in via voice in client database/CRM. (IE, a checkbox on their CRM saying that the customer opted in and the date).
• 2FA/OTP: Please provide a screenshot process to receive the initial text
• Paper form (Customer/ Employee): please upload a photo of the form

What is safe to text and what is prohibited?

Safe to text are the matters that are not present on the prohibited messaging topics list:

• Illegal, harmful, unwanted, inappropriate, objectionable content;
• Criminal misinformation;
• Anything that is illegal in the jurisdiction where the message recipient lives. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• • Cannabis;
  • Prescription medication that cannot legally be sold over-the-counter;

• Alcohol, firearms, gambling, tobacco, or other adult content;
• Hate speech, harassment, exploitative, abusive speech;
• Fraudulent messages;
• Malicious content, such as malware or viruses;
• Any content that is designed to intentionally evade filters or detection systems. This includes intentionally misspelled words or non-standard opt-out phrases which have been specifically created with the intent to evade these mechanisms.

Are there any messaging limits applied?

Unverified outgoing SMS traffic will be blocked by mobile carriers.