Managing Text Messaging (SMS) Preferences

Top Echelon's text messaging (SMS) is a powerful add-on feature that allows for real-time communication with candidates and contacts. To ensure compliance with A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person 10 Digit Long Code) regulations and provide a seamless user experience, it's important to understand how people can opt in and opt out of text messaging.

This article will explain how recipients are able to manage their text messaging preferences with your agency, ensuring you maintain clear and respectful communication with all parties involved.

To further reduce the chances of someone opting out of your messages, enhance overall message value, and lower the chances of being wrongfully marked as spam, it's important to meet the messaging principles and best practices found here.

Job Applicant Consent

Ensuring recipients have explicitly agreed to receive messages from you is the single most important step to both ensure A2P 10DLC compliance and significantly lower your opt-out rates. Recipients may initially grant or withdraw consent when applying for a job.

All phone number fields on Job Board and Careers Page applications include a checkbox where applicants can opt in to receive text messages from your agency. By providing this option at the time of initial application, we are taking one of many steps to meet industry guidelines and to ensure messages continue being delivered.

Any numbers that are not opted in will be automatically designated as ‘Do Not Text’ in your database and also assigned a "sms opt out" status. The opt out preference can only be edited and reversed by the recipient, using one of the opt in keywords listed below.

SMS Keywords

In addition to the consent on application, recipients can opt in or out of your agency's messages via SMS Keywords.

SMS Keywords are unique terms that people can send to a text-able phone number to manage their preferences or request access to information.

Top Echelon's texting service supports three keyword types. All keywords are case-insensitive and will thus be recognized regardless of capitalization.

Opting In- A recipient replying with any of the following keywords will automatically opt them in to receiving messages from you. This option is included when reaching out to a candidate for the first time to allow them to consent to receive further communication. Furthermore, recipients can be instructed to send any one of these keywords to one of your agency's texting numbers to reverse their texting preference, if previously opted out.

• YES
• START
• OPTIN
• OPT IN
• UNSTOP

Opting Out- A recipient replying with any of the following keywords at any time will opt them out of receiving messages from your agency. Their number will be automatically marked as "Do Not Text" and they must manually opt back in to receive further text messages from you at that number.

• STOP
• STOP ALL
• UNSUBSCRIBE
• CANCEL
• END
• QUIT

HELP - A recipient replying with HELP will prompt the system to send a notification to your agency, allowing you to follow up and assist them.