What Is10DLC?

A2P 10DLC provides both one-way and two-way messaging for sending and receiving SMS marketing messages in the US. It's also regarded as a great tool for customer service, with its ability to provide faster response times and create a more personalized experience for customers.

Along with providing better delivery rates, 10DLC messaging is also a more secure option than other long codes due to its security configuration. On top of that, it's an affordable option when compared to short codes and is designed to be a cost-effective solution for businesses of all sizes.

How Does A2P 10DLC Work?

With this system, mobile network operators, or MNOs, attach 10-digit long codes to messages on an SMS platform, allowing them to be delivered quickly and securely. Each 10DLC SMS is unique and identifiable to a specific MNO, providing users with improved message delivery, increased visibility, and enhanced safety features.

When using a 10DLC, the sender must provide details such as the phone number of the recipient and the intended use of the message. You may use the 10DLC A2P code for SMS alerts and authentication services.

Once the message is sent, each MNO will authenticate the 10DLC and ensure that it is valid and accepted by that MNO. Once this authentication is successful, the message will be queued for delivery and sent without delay.

10DLC Messaging Capabilities

The 10DLC's messaging capabilities allow businesses to create text messages that are personalized, timely, targeted, and even automated. Businesses can use 10DLC A2P to inform customers about promotions, new products, special discounts, and more. They can also reach out to customers to provide assistance or answer inquiries. The messaging capabilities can also be useful for building relationships with customers, facilitating automated communication, and providing timely customer service.

Businesses can also send out automated text messages to promote marketing campaigns, send SMS reminders, and react to customer inquiries. Automated SMS marketing and transactional messages make it much easier for businesses to reach their customers quickly without the need for manual intervention. Additionally, companies can use the 10DLC to schedule messages to be sent at specific times or after certain events.

On top of that, businesses can also track the performance of their 10DLC messages with detailed delivery and engagement data. This can be used to refine and improve their business text messaging strategy, allowing them to reach customers more effectively.

Benefits of 10DLC Numbers

A registered 10DLC number can benefit a business in many ways. These include:

1. Familiarity to Customers

Customers are familiar with conventional 10-digit phone numbers since they see and use them every day. As a result, you get higher open rates and better customer engagement. 

2. Enhanced Deliverability

Registered 10DLC numbers offer high message throughput, leading to faster and more reliable delivery. This guarantees that messages reach their intended recipients quickly. 

3. Scalability

With a 10DLC number, companies can scale their business messaging regardless of how big or small their company is. They can tailor their SMS campaigns to fit their business objectives.

4. Cost-Effective

10DLC phone numbers tend to be more accessible and cost-effective than short codes. That makes them a budget-friendly solution for SMS and MMS messaging.

5. Option to Use Existing Number

Businesses often have the choice to text-enable their existing numbers (such as a voice-only landline) for A2P messaging. This helps if they have a company phone number that their customers are already familiar with.

10 DLC Vs. Toll-Free Numbers

Originally meant for phone calls, a toll-free phone number can also come in handy for messaging. 10DLCs and toll-free numbers aren’t much different when it comes to functions and use cases. For example, they both support high-volume SMS texting. The primary difference between them is the price and whether the business wants a local area code or not. 

Price and Availability

A toll-free number is the most affordable option for SMS texting. Businesses also don’t need to pay registration fees, DCA (Direct Connect Aggregator) vetting fees, or monthly Campaign Registry compliance fees. As for the cost per message, it’s the same for 10DLC and toll-free numbers. 

Compliance with Regulations

To use a 10-digit long code, the company should register it with the Campaign Registry. The 10DLC registration involves a small monthly fee. Moreover, the use cases of a 10DLC must go through vetting before the business can start the messaging. This ensures compliance with text message laws like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. A toll-free number, on the other hand, needs to go through a registration process with mobile carrier networks. But in this case, companies can start to send messages while waiting for approval. 

Use Cases 

Businesses typically use toll-free numbers for customer support purposes, like answering customers’ questions. But both toll-free and 10DLC numbers can be useful for various A2P messaging use cases, including appointment reminders, order confirmations, and marketing messages. This is because they both offer voice, two-way communication, and high throughput. 

10 DLC Vs. Short Codes

Short codes are 5 or 6-digit numbers that businesses can use to send SMS and MMS messages. Unlike 10DLC and toll-free numbers, dedicated short codes don’t support voice calls or two-way business texting. But they’re easy to read and remember and can boost brand recognition. Once a short code gets the operator’s approval, it offers unlimited message volume as well as high throughput. 

Price and Availability

Short codes tend to be more expensive to lease or purchase than 10DLC numbers. They’re often harder to obtain, too. There’s an extensive setup and approval process involved, and businesses can expect to pay over $1000 a month.

Message Throughput

Mass texting with high throughput is available with both 10DLC and short codes. But short codes are known for offering the highest throughput out of all types of numbers. Companies can send around 500 texts per second with a short code, making it ideal for sending mass text messages.

Compliance

Both short codes and 10DLC numbers have some sort of compliance. While 10DLC numbers undergo vetting and registration with The Campaign Registry, short codes have oversight from mobile carriers like T-Mobile and other bodies like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They also fall under the control of the Common Short Code Administration (CSCA).

Use Cases

A short code can be ideal for certain use cases, like two-factor authentication, transactional messaging, and larger promotional campaigns. 10DLCs, on the other hand, offer more versatility and serve a wider variety of functions. And that’s because they allow for two-way text messaging, something that short codes don't.

Getting Started with 10DLC on Dexatel

The first step to getting started with a 10-digit long code on Dexatel is to go to the website and create an account. You'll need to provide all the required information, such as contact details and payment information, and then you'll be taken to the 10DLC registration page.

Here, you'll be able to enter the details of the number you want to use for your text messaging campaigns and set the features you need. You'll also want to start exploring how to purchase 10DLC numbers, how to manage your account, and how to integrate it with other applications.

To purchase a 10DLC number:

• Each company needs to buy a number and do the campaign registration in Dexatel

• Dexatel then contacts the carrier in the USA to get their approval

• The 10DLC is then assigned to the account as a sender ID