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Messaging

Business SMS and MMS: two-way texting from your business number

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Reviewed by Sujan ThapaliyaLast updated

What is a business sms?

Business SMS lets your team send and receive texts from the same numbers you call from, in one shared inbox. In the US, application-to-person texting requires 10DLC brand and campaign registration. Without it, carriers filter your messages before anyone sees them.
Why business sms works better on numbers you own: on a shared pool your calls are a small fraction of the traffic from the same block, so the caller-ID reputation is mostly other businesses' calling and signing caps at B attestation. On owned numbers the reputation is your own, callbacks reach your team, and calls sign at A attestation with CNAM registered.
Business SMS runs on numbers you own outright, which is what the diagram's right-hand column describes.

How it works

Business SMS in four steps

No implementation project. Most teams are dialling the same day they sign up.

  1. 1

    Register your brand

    10DLC brand and campaign registration is handled as part of onboarding rather than left as your problem.
  2. 2

    Enable texting on your numbers

    Any owned number can send and receive. The number people call is the number they can text.
  3. 3

    Work from one inbox

    Every thread across every number lands in a shared inbox, so nothing sits unread in one person's app.
  4. 4

    Automate the routine parts

    Templates, sequences, and auto-replies for the messages you send fifty times a week.

Capabilities

What you get

10DLC registration handled

Unregistered A2P traffic is filtered aggressively by US carriers. Registration is part of setup, not an upsell.

MMS and link previews

Send images, PDFs, and documents, not just 160 characters.

Opt-out compliance

STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, and their variants are honoured automatically and permanently across every campaign.

Delivery visibility

Per-message carrier status, so you can tell 'not interested' apart from 'never arrived'.

Why business texts vanish, and what to do about it

The most confusing failure in business messaging is the one that looks like success: delivery receipts come back clean and recipients receive nothing. That is carrier filtering, and it is almost always a registration or content problem rather than a delivery problem.

Four of the five are configuration. The fifth is not a deliverability problem at all.
CauseSymptomFix
Unregistered A2P trafficSilent filtering, low but not zero deliveryRegister the brand and campaign before sending volume
Use case does not match registrationDelivery degrades over weeksRe-register with the campaign you are actually running
Public URL shortenerSharp drop on linksUse a branded domain the carriers can attribute
No opt-out languageComplaints, then blockingInclude it in the first message of every conversation
Sending to unconsented numbersComplaints and regulatory exposureThere is no technical fix for this one

One number for calls and texts

Customers do not think in channels. A number that can be called and texted is one identity to remember, one thread of history, and one reputation to protect — and it removes the situation where a customer replies to a call with a text that nobody receives.

The practical requirement is that the number is yours and registered for messaging, which is the same requirement that produces good caller ID on the voice side. The two are the same investment.

Fit

Who a business sms is right for

If none of these describe you, a different mode probably fits better; the comparison pages lay out the trade-offs honestly.

  • Sales teams whose prospects reply to text but not to voicemail
  • Service businesses confirming appointments
  • Support teams offering an alternative to hold music

Frequently asked questions

What is 10DLC and do I need it?
10DLC is the US framework for sending application-to-person texts over ordinary 10-digit long codes. If you send business texts to US numbers from software, you need a registered brand and campaign. Without it, messages are heavily filtered or blocked outright.
Can I text from my existing business number?
If you port it in, yes. Many landline numbers can also be text-enabled while keeping voice with your current carrier.

Sources

  1. Messaging Principles and Best Practices — CTIACarrier expectations for A2P messaging: 10DLC registration, opt-in and opt-out handling, and content rules.
  2. 47 U.S.C. § 227 — Restrictions on the use of telephone equipment — Cornell Legal Information InstituteThe Telephone Consumer Protection Act itself — the consent requirements, calling-hours limits, and private right of action.

Try business sms without a contract

No seat licences, no minimum commitment. Add a number, top up a wallet, and start. Release the number whenever you like; your remaining balance stays yours.

  • No subscription
  • Owned numbers with Attestation A
  • Compliance built in
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