Navigating Business SMS Texting: Why Phone Number Registration Is Essential

If you’re a business owner looking to leverage the power of SMS for client and patient communication, you’ve likely heard whispers (or shouts) about phone number registration. Maybe you’ve even experienced the frustration of blocked messages or “Spam Risk” labels. The truth is, the world of business texting has changed, and understanding why business registration is now non-negotiable is the first step to successfully reaching your patients.

Why is Business Phone Number Registration Even a Thing?

Think of business registration as a nationwide effort to clean up our phone lines. Major telecom carriers like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T are cracking down on spam calls and texts, caller ID spoofing, and all sorts of scam-related activity. To do their part, they now require businesses to register and verify their phone numbers. This isn’t just for big corporations; if you’re using a Spruce phone number for calls or texts, registration is a must, even if your business doesn’t have a formal structure or a federal tax ID.

Without proper registration, your calls and messages could be blocked or flagged as spam, leaving your clients and patients in the dark. At Spruce, we understand how critical reliable communication is for your practice, which is why we’ve built a streamlined process to get you registered quickly and correctly. Our dedicated registration team is on hand to guide you, and our track record speaks for itself:

• 95% approval rate on first submission
• Over 60% approved within 24 hours
• Over 75% approved within 48 hours

We prioritize rapid approval because we know you want to get up and running on Spruce with minimal delay. We’ve helped thousands of practices register since 2023, when registration became mandatory.

The Alphabet Soup of Telecom Compliance: SHAKEN/STIR and A2P10DLC

These aren’t just techy acronyms; they’re the core of why business registration is so important for your phone number’s reputation.

• SHAKEN/STIR Registration: Implemented by the FCC, this protocol helps authenticate caller ID. Registering through Spruce means your phone numbers start with an elevated level of trust. We work behind the scenes to boost your “attestation level” to the most trusted status, making it easier for carriers to recognize your legitimate calls and harder for robocallers to spoof numbers.
• A2P10DLC / TCR Registration: Introduced by major U.S. mobile operators, A2P10DLC (Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code) and The Campaign Registry (TCR) are all about transparency and reducing spam in business messaging. TCR acts as a central database for registered messaging campaigns, ensuring your texts come from a verified source. Without A2P10DLC, your SMS messages are at high risk of being blocked by carriers.

Your Phone Number’s Reputation Score: It Matters!

Just like a credit score, your phone number has a “reputation score” with major telecom companies. This score determines how likely your calls and messages are to be delivered. Factors that can hurt your score include:

• Lack of SHAKEN/STIR and A2P10DLC registration
• High volumes of short calls
• Excessive repetitive texts from unregistered numbers
• Suspicious content in texts (think shortened URLs or certain “buzzwords”)

Ignoring these best practices can lead to your calls and messages being dropped or blocked without explanation. Skipping registration entirely is the fastest way to kill your phone number’s reputation.

This is where Spruce stands out. We provide a fast, easy registration process, coupled with helpful warnings and guardrails, to protect your phone number’s reputation. Many other communication platforms leave you to navigate these complex waters alone, leading to high delivery failures and frustrating stability issues. We don’t.

Getting Your Business Registered with Spruce: What You Need to Know

Ready to ensure your business SMS is delivered reliably? Here’s a quick overview of how straightforward it is with Spruce:

1. Look for the banner: If your organization needs to register, you’ll see a prominent banner in your Spruce app. Click it, or head to Settings > Phone System (Phone & SMS) > Phone System Settings > Phone Registration. (Note: Only organization administrators can complete this form.)
2. Match your official info: The information you submit must exactly match your official business records (like tax filings). This is crucial for rapid approval. If it doesn’t match, your registration will be rejected, and you might incur additional fees for resubmission.

Key Information to Prepare:

For the fastest approval, have these details ready, ensuring they align with your federal documentation:

• Federal Tax ID (EIN): This is your Employer Identification Number. Do NOT use your Social Security Number. If you don’t have an EIN, you can still register, but your organization will be limited to one phone number. If you just got your EIN, there might be a slight delay as the IRS updates their information with carriers.

Can’t find your CP-575 form? Call the IRS business hotline (1-800-829-4933) and request form LTR 147C. They can fax it instantly!

• Full Legal Business Name: Use the official name that matches your EIN. This might be different from your Spruce organization name, and that’s okay—it won’t change what your customers see.
• Business Address: Your official physical business address, as listed on tax filings.
• Website URL: If you don’t have a dedicated website, your professional listing on sites like ZocDoc, Yelp, Google Maps, or even your public Spruce Health profile will work.
• SMS Opt-In Information: You need to show how your contacts agree to receive text messages from your business. This is essential for A2P10DLC and HIPAA compliance. Examples include:
  • Accepting terms in your new-patient agreement.
  • Submitting a form on your website with an opt-in checkbox.
  • Patients texting “START” to your number.

What If Your Registration Fails?

While 95% of registrations through Spruce are approved on the first try, rejections can happen. The most common culprit? Your submitted business name or address doesn’t precisely match official records. You can always verify your business information on the IRS website. If a rejection occurs, our support team will notify you promptly and provide clear guidance on the fastest path to resolution.

Don’t Let Registration Roadblocks Derail Your Business SMS

Many businesses come to Spruce frustrated by complex or unsupportive registration processes elsewhere. We believe that reliable, compliant business SMS shouldn’t be a headache. With Spruce, you’re not just getting a communication platform; you’re getting a partner dedicated to making sure your messages get where they need to go, every single time. It might be why G2 has celebrated Spruce as a standout solution for healthcare practices again and again. Get started with Spruce today and experience seamless business communication.

For frequently asked questions, click here.