Trust Center Walkthrough

The Trust Center in CTM is a centralized hub designed to help businesses comply with evolving telecom regulations, such as A2P 10DLC and STIR/SHAKEN. By completing the registration steps within the Trust Center, you can verify your brand identity, register text messaging campaigns, and set up Caller ID (CNAM) to improve call and SMS deliverability while reducing the risk of being flagged as spam. 

To get to the Trust Center, navigate to the hamburger menu in the top-left corner of CTM, then click Trust Center.

This article covers the following (click each link to skip to the section):

1. Register for A2P 10DLC
2. Verify your brand
3. Register a Campaign
4. CNAM Registration
5. Toll-free Registration

Why do you need to register?

Watch our short video on How To Improve SMS Deliverability Rates with A2P Registration.

Phone monitoring system

• FCC Mandate - Businesses that make outbound calls must have their Business verified
  • This includes inbound calls that are routed to receiving numbers. The leg of the call that routes to the receiving number is an outbound call.
• FCC is utilizing a third party for the verification process.
• Registration is intended to reduce robocalling, which is part of the TCPA regulations introduced in 1991 (the TCPA extension).
• For more information on TCPA Regulations, click HERE.

Text message monitoring system

• Wireless Carriers–text messages -implemented rules for A2P registration.
• It is a similar process to the FCC mandate; however, if the Business intends to send outbound messages, its brand must be verified, and an attestation score will be provided.
• Campaign - Wireless carriers want to understand the types of messages their end users will receive from the brand.
• Strict guidelines regarding how the wireless subscriber opts into that campaign.

What information do I need to complete this process?

1. Legal Business Name
2. Employer Identification Number (EIN)
3. Know if your company is a public or private company before starting the registration process. 
4. Understand that ALL information must be completed on the registration form; otherwise, you may not be able to edit it yourself (you will need assistance from our team).

Step 1 - Register for A2P 10DLC

• Complete your A2P 10DLC business registration (click here).
• If you've already registered, skip ahead to Step 2.
• Unsure if you've registered? See the screenshot below.

To confirm if you need to start your Trust Center, the Business Registration page will populate regardless of which button is clicked after navigating to the Trust Center.

• All updates to any current submission will appear once you click the hamburger menu in the top left corner > Trust Center.
• All statuses will show as each Registration is submitted.
• As submissions are updated, they will be displayed here. 
• Note: This process continues to evolve as regulations change. Updates and new information may be requested periodically.

For users who have not registered yet, complete your Business Registration. Fields in red are required. 

Suppose you are filling out the Business Registration on behalf of an agency, but are not the Direct Authorized Representative at the Business. In that Case, you must fill out both aspects of the Contact Information Section. Authorized Representative one will be you, the Account Manager, and Authorized Representative two will be the direct contact at the location itself. Authorized Representative 1 is going to receive the updates regarding the Trust Center.

After the business registration is updated, you will be prompted to confirm your information and choose an option for Local Text Message Registration:

Reminders:

• Validation takes at least two weeks (Wireless Provider required)
• EINs are the only US identification number that can be used.
• An authorized representative is required. This email address will receive status notification emails throughout the entire process.

We want to ensure this doesn't happen to you, so please read and complete all directions.

• Outbound Activity could be disrupted (Calls and SMS) 
• Failure to register the Brand and Campaigns for A2P messaging can result in penalties and charges

Step 2 - Verify your Brand

Before you register your carriers, you have to verify your brand. If you've already verified or registered your brand, you can skip to STEP 3.

How do I verify my brand?

To verify your brand, you must provide information about your Business. Resellers should provide information about the customers on whose behalf they're doing Business. Only one Registration per CTM sub-account is allowed, and each must be unique. If you accidentally duplicate your Registration, it may be rejected, and you'll lose your registration fee. Do yourself a favor and grab your W9 or company tax registration document before you start this process.

You have two brand verification options:

Option 1: Brand Verification - This is the primary identity verification process. It's the minimum requirement by TCR to send messages on 10DLC. Cost: Each submission carries a one-time $4 fee

Option 2: Brand Vetting—This is an optional vetting through a TCR external partner that will provide a more detailed view of the brand, focusing on its reputation in the messaging space.

Brand vetting is required if you send more than 2,000 messages a day. Cost: $40 for the first submission. (If the submission fails, each subsequent submission costs $5.) Note: Vetting your brand could help you secure better terms with the carriers!

Once approval has been granted, you can add the Brands and Campaigns. If Brands are not registered, there may be an additional fee. See Telecom Regulatory Updates Knowledge Base Article

Brand Registration for Local Numbers: (Carrier-level requirement)

• This is typically the same name as the Business.
• There are two (2) levels you can choose from
  • One-time $4 fee for verified
  • One-time $40 fee for vetted

Campaign Registration for Local Numbers: (Use Case) (Carrier-level requirement)

• The campaign being registered should be relevant to the approved brand.
• Depending on the selected campaign use case, a monthly fee of $1.50 or $10 will be deducted from your CTM available balance upon submission.
• A three (3) month minimum charge will be applied upon submission
• Monthly campaign fees will continue to be deducted until the campaign is deactivated.
• There is a maximum of 400 phone numbers per campaign and per use case for carrier A and 49 for the other carriers.
• A maximum of 49 campaigns can be registered under one (1) brand

Step 3 - Register a Campaign

To prevent all your future text message campaigns from getting blocked, you must register each Carrier you have numbers with.

"Campaign" refers to any message you send to your customers. This includes text notifications. 

You can register up to 400 phone numbers per text campaign and per use case for carrier A and 49 for the other carriers through the Trust Center. Our CTM Trust Center is fully integrated with The Campaign Registry (TCR), which maintains the Approval Process.

Our Trust Center also has a new summary page where you can see the progress of your registrations.

Additional Registration Costs

All required campaign fees are passed through charges sent to TCR from CTM and are non-refundable.

1. Fee Change 1: A new campaign vetting fee of $15 is now required.
2. Fee Change 2: CTM will also charge three months of the campaign registration fee upfront. These can range from $1.50 to $10 per month. The first three months are billed all at once – after that, you'll be billed 1x per month.

A2P 10DLC & Toll-Free A2P Opt-in

Ways to show Opt-In based on your company's process:

• Web Form: Include a link to your web form where the client adds numbers, agrees to receive messages, and has a checkbox (unchecked) to indicate customer consent for voice and text.
• Double Opt-In (Website Posting, Keywords/QR): Provide a link of the advertisement showing where the customer finds the number to text. Also, provide the double opt-in text message sent after the customer initiates a text exchange. Provide the image URL to verify where the customer finds the keywords to opt in.
• Verbal Opt-in: In this Case, please provide an image URL of the opt-in via voice in the client's database/CRM (i.e., a checkbox indicating the customer opted in and the date), along with the script the agent uses to collect consent. Or a double opt-in text message needs to be sent. 
• 2FA/OTP: Please provide a link to the process to receive the initial text
• Paper form (Customer/Employee): Please provide a URL to the form image. 

Things to know…

• For campaign submissions, the Wireless Carriers are now reviewing our customers' Websites and their web form fills for Opt-in.
• They now want customers to clearly distinguish between what they opt in to receive: phone calls, text messages, or both.
• The majority of rejections for 10DLC and Toll-Free A2P campaigns are due to non-compliance with Opt-in forms.
• The wireless carriers have taken a strict position to change Robo-texting.

A2P 10DLC & Toll-Free A2P

ALL web forms on the website must meet the requirements, even if they are not used in the campaign; otherwise, the campaign may be rejected.

1. Checkbox (minimum of 1) is optional and unchecked — the form must still work if the end-user leaves the box unchecked.
2. Acknowledgment of consent — For example: "By checking this box, I provide consent to receive..."
3. Reason for SMS communication — This should match your campaign use-case. For example: "...informational SMS related to your inquiry."
4. Message Frequency — Approximately how many times per month, or "Message frequency may vary."
5. Noting "Message and data rates apply." — the end-user acknowledges there could be charges as a result of the communication with your team.
6. Opt-out keyword — Keyword used to end SMS communications. Allowed keywords are STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT.
7. Help keyword — Keyword used to contact support. Allowed keywords are HELP or INFO.
8. Separate links to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service — there must be two links, even if they go to different parts of the same page.

(Telephone Consumer Protection Act - TCPA - Click here for more information.)

Sample Form:

Special Requirements for Marketing Use Case:

• You cannot combine consent for marketing/promotional messages with any other use-case. If using a web form, marketing must have its own dedicated checkbox. The end-user must not be required to opt in to marketing messages to opt in to informational/transactional use cases such as account notifications or customer care.
• It may be a good idea to create a second campaign to separate your marketing use cases. Combining your informational/transactional use cases with marketing in a single campaign means they will be reviewed with the highest level of scrutiny and may result in more rejections.
• Verbal opt-ins are not allowed for marketing unless you include a double opt-in via the user's handset to complete the express written consent requirement.
   

Privacy Policy

Your Privacy Policy must explicitly state that phone numbers and SMS/MMS/RCS consent are not shared with third parties for marketing purposes (required by CTIA).

Terms of Service

Your Terms of Service / Terms and Conditions must include all CTIA required disclosures. Consult with your legal counsel to ensure your Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are compliant. Here is an example of what you might include:

Text Messaging

When you opt-in to the service, we will send you a message to confirm your signup, and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Text "HELP" for help. Text us "STOP" to cancel.
 
You can cancel this service at any time. Just text us "STOP". After you send the message "STOP" to us, we will send you a reply message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive messages from us.
 
If you forget what keywords are supported, just text us "HELP". After you send the message "HELP" to us, we will respond with instructions on how to contact us at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

Completion of Campaign Registration 

• Upon your campaign's approval, you must assign the desired Tracking Numbers.
  • Note: When Campaigns are initially approved, you are authorized to use the specific Carrier requested when you initially registered
• Please go to the approved campaign and click the View button.  

 

• Scroll down and click the Edit Assigned Numbers button. 
   
  
   
• On the left, you will click each phone number you wish to assign. You will know they have been assigned when they move from the left column to the right column. 
   
  
  
   
• Click the Save Changes button at the bottom right of the screen. 
• You can confirm they were placed in the campaign when the number changed from "0" to the requested number.

Step 4 - CNAM Registration

Caller ID is a cost-free way to increase pickup rates when you call your customers. Your customized name will appear on the receiving mobile phone or landline when placing calls from an associated Tracking Number. Caller ID must be enabled on the receiving line to be displayed.

Branded Caller ID is a pay-per-call way to increase pickup rates, similar to Caller ID. However, instead of the customer paying to enable Caller ID, you pay to push your brand with each phone call at 18 cents per call.
This feature is currently in beta and is only available for Verizon and T-Mobile wireless subscribers.

Update Your CNAM or Branded Caller ID Registration

• Locate the ⓘ in the tracking numbers page
• Hover over the image and confirm the Carrier for which the Number Resides
• If the number resides in "Carrier A," you can follow the process to add your phone numbers, name, etc., through the template provided
• If the number resides in "Carrier B," please complete the following steps
  1. Please submit a ticket to calltrackingmetrics.zendesk.com with the subject CNAM 2. 
  2. Change Request with the Account ID (S), phone number(s), and the CNAM(S) you would like to have updated. The CNAM can have up to 15 characters (including spaces), should always start with a letter, and can only contain letters, numbers, periods, commas, and spaces.
• To help prevent your calls from being counted as SPAM, go to https://freecallerregistry.com/fcr/ to add a layer of validation.
• Please Note: Toll-Free Numbers vary in CNAM availability depending on the. Carrier

Toll-free Registration

Note: Toll-Free will allow accounts that are sole proprietors to register and send text messages

Do I have toll-free numbers?

Check your existing numbers in your CTM account.

Do I need to register if I don't have toll-free numbers?

No, Registration is only required for toll-free numbers.

Why do I have to register?

So your toll-free numbers do not appear as spam while making outbound texts.

Toll-free Registration: (The bottom panel)

• No more than five (5) numbers in the first Toll-Free submission
• Additional submissions can only have one (1) number associated and must be a different Use Case than other submissions.
• There is a 4-6 week waiting period after submission. Once approval is given for the registration submission, you can send text messages with your Toll-Free Numbers through the A2P routes.

Once approval is given for the registration submission, you can send text messages with your Toll-Free Numbers through the A2P routes.

1. Click on the Register/Manage Toll-Free Text Messaging button.
2. Click the Register Toll-Free Texting button in the top right corner.

3. Select up to 5 toll-free numbers to register to enable sending text messages, then click Next.

4. Choose your Use Case by clicking the Use Case in the left column to move it to the right column. Next, provide your Use Case Summary. Click Next.
5. Select your Opt-In Type,  add your Opt-In image URLs, and click Next.
6. Next, add your Sample Message, Expected Message Volume, and any additional information to help verify.
7. Click the Finish button to submit your toll-free Registration.