What is A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC stands for Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code. It's the industry standard system that US mobile carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon) use to regulate business text messaging.

Breaking it down:

A2P (Application-to-Person): Messages sent from a business application (like Voley) to a person's phone — as opposed to person-to-person texts between friends.
10DLC (10-Digit Long Code): A standard 10-digit phone number (like 801-555-1234) used for business messaging, rather than short codes (like 12345) or toll-free numbers.

Before A2P 10DLC, businesses could send texts from any phone number without registration. This led to widespread spam and fraud. Carriers introduced A2P 10DLC in 2021 to create accountability and protect consumers.

Now, any business sending text messages through applications must register their brand and describe their messaging use case. This registration happens through a central registry called The Campaign Registry (TCR).

Why It Matters for Your Agency

Without Proper Registration

Messages get filtered or blocked: Carriers actively filter unregistered traffic. Your texts may never reach clients.
Lower throughput: Unregistered numbers are severely rate-limited (as low as 1 message per second).
Carrier fees and penalties: Some carriers charge higher fees or impose penalties on unregistered traffic.
Reputation damage: Your number can get flagged as spam, affecting future deliverability.

With Proper Registration

Better deliverability: Messages are trusted by carriers and reach clients reliably.
Higher throughput: Registered campaigns can send more messages per second.
Professional reputation: Your agency is recognized as a legitimate business sender.
Compliance peace of mind: You're meeting carrier requirements and reducing legal risk.

For Insurance Agencies: Your clients expect to receive policy updates, renewal reminders, and claim information via text. If your messages aren't getting through because of carrier filtering, you're missing critical touchpoints — and potentially creating E&O exposure.

How Voley Handles Registration

We handle the entire A2P 10DLC registration process for you. When you sign up for Voley, we:

Register your brand with The Campaign Registry using your business information (name, EIN, address, etc.)
Create a messaging campaign that describes how you'll use texting (client communication for insurance services)
Associate your phone number with your registered campaign
Submit for carrier approval and monitor the status
Notify you when approved so you can start messaging

You don't need to interact with carriers, fill out TCR forms, or understand the technical details. We've built the registration process into our onboarding flow — just provide your business information and we handle the rest.

Powered by Twilio: Voley uses Twilio, a leading communications platform trusted by millions of businesses. Your registration goes through Twilio's verified submission process, which has established relationships with all major carriers.

The Registration Process

What You Provide

During Voley onboarding, we collect the information needed for registration:

Business legal name (as registered with your state)
Business address
EIN (Employer Identification Number) or business tax ID
Business type (LLC, Corporation, etc.)
Website URL
Contact information

What We Submit

Using your information, we register:

Brand Registration

Your business identity — confirms you're a real, legitimate company. Carriers verify your business details against public records.

Campaign Registration

How you'll use messaging — we register you under "Insurance" with use cases like policy updates, claims communication, and appointment reminders.

Trust Score

Carriers assign a "trust score" to your brand based on factors like business age, verification status, and industry. Insurance agencies typically receive good trust scores because:

Insurance is a regulated, legitimate industry
You have verifiable business credentials
Client communication is expected and consented

Higher trust scores mean better throughput and deliverability.

Approval Timeline

Registration isn't instant — carriers need time to verify your business. Here's what to expect:

Submission

Immediate — we submit your registration when you complete onboarding

Brand Verification

1-3 business days — carriers verify your business exists and matches records

Campaign Review

1-5 business days — carriers review your messaging use case

✓

Approved & Active

You'll receive an email notification — messaging is enabled

Total time: Most registrations complete within 3-7 business days. Some may take longer if additional verification is needed. We'll keep you updated on status.

While You Wait

During the approval period, you can still set up your Voley account:

Import contacts from HawkSoft or manually
Invite team members
Configure settings and preferences
Explore the interface

You just won't be able to send client messages until registration is approved.

Compliance Best Practices

Once you're registered and messaging, follow these practices to stay compliant:

1. Always Have Consent

Only message clients who have agreed to receive texts from your agency. Good consent looks like:

Client provided their phone number directly to your agency
Client agreed to receive text messages (verbally, on a form, or in an app)
You can document when and how consent was given

2. Honor Opt-Outs Immediately

When someone replies STOP (or similar), you must stop messaging them. Voley handles this automatically — we detect opt-out keywords and block further messages to that contact.

3. Keep Messages Relevant

Your registration describes insurance-related messaging. Stick to:

Policy updates and renewals
Claims communication
Appointment reminders
Account service and support
Payment reminders

Don't use Voley for unrelated marketing, political messaging, or content outside your registered use case.

4. Identify Yourself

Include your agency name in messages so clients know who's contacting them. Example:

"Hi John, this is Sarah from ABC Insurance. Your auto policy renewal is coming up on 2/15. Reply with any questions!"

5. Don't Send Prohibited Content

Carriers prohibit certain content types regardless of registration. Never send:

Illegal content
Phishing or deceptive messages
SHAFT content (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco) unless specifically licensed
Messages designed to evade spam filters

6. Do Not Call (DNC) Registry

You are responsible for checking numbers against the National Do Not Call Registry and any applicable state DNC lists before sending marketing messages. Voley does not automatically scrub numbers against the DNC registry — this is your responsibility.

Note that transactional messages (policy updates, claims information, appointment confirmations) may be exempt from DNC requirements, but you should consult with legal counsel about what constitutes a transactional vs. marketing message in your context.

7. Protected Health Information (PHI)

Important: Voley is NOT HIPAA compliant. Do not use Voley to transmit Protected Health Information (PHI) or sensitive medical information. SMS is an inherently insecure channel. While insurance agencies handle various types of information, you must determine what is appropriate to communicate via text and ensure compliance with all applicable privacy laws.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my registration is rejected?

Rejections are rare for legitimate insurance agencies. If it happens, we'll work with you to identify the issue (usually a data mismatch) and resubmit. Common fixes include updating your business information to match public records exactly.

Do I need to register each phone number separately?

Your brand is registered once, and your campaign is registered once. Phone numbers are then associated with your campaign. If you add additional numbers later, we associate them with your existing registration — no new approval process needed.

What happens if I send messages before approval?

Voley prevents this — you won't be able to send client messages until your registration is approved. We'll show your registration status in the app and notify you when you're cleared to message.

Is A2P 10DLC the same as TCPA compliance?

No, they're related but different. A2P 10DLC is carrier registration — it's about being allowed to send messages technically. TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) is federal law about consent and opt-outs. You need both: registration with carriers AND proper consent from recipients. See our TCPA & SMS Compliance Guide for detailed information on consent requirements.

Does this apply to messages I receive?

No, A2P 10DLC only applies to outbound messages you send. Clients can text your number at any time — their messages to you are person-to-application (P2A) and don't have the same restrictions.

What about toll-free numbers or short codes?

Voley uses 10DLC (standard 10-digit numbers) because they're cost-effective and appropriate for the volume most agencies need. Toll-free and short codes have their own registration processes. If you have specific needs for those number types, contact us.

Need Help?

If you have questions about your registration status, compliance requirements, or messaging best practices, we're here to help.

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A2P 10DLC Compliance