Will-Call Texts From Unregistered Local Numbers Risk Carrier Blocks Under A2P 10DLC

The Situation

A will-call text that never lands can send the customer to the phone, and that callback lands on your dispatcher. If your routing software texts customers from a regular local number, carriers expect that number to have a completed A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration. Without it, messages can be blocked, delayed or sent at lower throughput, according to Infobip's A2P 10DLC explainer. The same explainer warns that carriers might also charge higher fees or even suspend service.

GoHighLevel's help center describes A2P 10DLC registration as "a process used by U.S. cellular carriers (e.g. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc) to verify who is sending SMS (text messages) and what is being sent to their customers."

The Facts

A2P 10DLC is short for application-to-person messaging sent from a 10-digit long code. Infobip's explainer says it takes two registrations. The brand registration tells carriers who the business is. The campaign registration tells them what the messages are for.

The rules come from two places, the explainer adds. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) sets the legal framework for U.S. texting, and carriers enforce acceptable traffic using messaging guidelines from the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).

GoHighLevel's help center spells out where applications go wrong. The business name on the application should match the company's CP 575 or 147C IRS document. Opt-in forms need separate consent checkboxes for marketing and non-marketing texts, so a customer can pick one, both or neither, and neither box can be checked by default.

The campaign description must match the business niche. The help center's example is a pizza restaurant whose appointment or confirmation reminder use case did not fit its business model. The message types named in the campaign must also show up in the opt-in checkbox wording. Our read: a propane dealer whose registration describes the business vaguely could hit the same wall when it files for delivery alerts.

Some things are still not confirmed. None of the sources cited here names a dollar fine or a registration deadline for propane dealers. Carriers don't publish the exact triggers that move a number from throttling to a full block. None of the sources explains how the consent rules apply to route or will-call notices specifically.

Business Impact

For a dealer, the first cost shows up at dispatch. If your dispatch software texts from your main office number, that is the number carriers would filter. A notice that doesn't land can become a call someone has to answer, and once heating season picks up, those calls hit the office during its busiest dispatch hours.

A rejected campaign is a quieter problem. GoHighLevel's guidance says a campaign description that doesn't fit the business can be rejected, and the texts can't be counted on until a fixed version clears. A slowed number may not look broken at all. Some notices arrive late while others go through on time, so the problem looks random to dispatch.

Key Takeaways

• Our read on wording: a campaign description that plainly names propane delivery and will-call notices gives the reviewer a clear fit with the business, which is the test GoHighLevel's help center says campaigns must pass.
• A form can require a phone number, but GoHighLevel's help center says checking a consent box must stay optional for the customer to submit it.

Action Steps

1. 1.Before the first cold snap fills the will-call board, open the messaging or compliance tab in your dispatch software. Confirm the sending number shows a completed A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration.
2. 2.Ask whoever handles your tax paperwork to pull the CP 575 or 147C IRS letter. Compare its business name to the name on the registration before you submit or resubmit.
3. 3.On every sign-up form, add two separate consent boxes, one for marketing texts and one for service messages like delivery notices. Make sure neither box is checked by default.
4. 4.Call your texting or software vendor. Ask whether your campaign description fits a propane delivery business and names delivery notices, and whether your opt-in checkbox wording lists the same message types.