> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.servicebooked.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# A2P 10DLC registration

> Register your business with US carriers so your text messages actually reach customers.

If you're sending SMS to US recipients — and ServiceBooked sends them on every missed call, every AI form reply, every reactivation send — you need to complete **A2P 10DLC registration**. This is a one-time process required by AT\&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Without it, your texts may *look* like they're sending from our side but get silently filtered before reaching the customer.

Canadian-only operators don't need this — Canadian carriers don't enforce A2P 10DLC. But if you have any US customers at all, register.

## What A2P 10DLC actually is

It's the standard for **Application-to-Person** messaging on the **10-digit long code** numbers we use. Carriers introduced it in 2022 to fight spam: they want to know which businesses are sending texts and what those texts are about. Once registered, your messages get delivered with high reliability and reasonable throughput.

It's a regulatory requirement, not a ServiceBooked thing. Every SaaS that sends SMS goes through this.

## What you need to register

You'll register with **The Campaign Registry (TCR)** through your Twilio account (we provision Twilio for you under the hood). You'll need:

* **Your business legal name and address** (matching what's on government records)
* **Your EIN** (US) or **Business Number** (Canada) — the federal tax ID
* **Your business website** (optional but speeds approval)
* **A description** of what you sell and how you message customers
* **A sample message** the AI Receptionist might send (we'll give you copy to paste)
* **Estimated monthly message volume**

The whole process takes about 10 minutes of typing and then 1–7 days for carrier approval (most approvals come back in 24–48 hours).

## Step-by-step

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find your Twilio sub-account">
    ServiceBooked provisions a Twilio sub-account for your business automatically when you connect your phone number. The credentials are managed by us — but you'll need access to your sub-account's TrustHub for registration. Open a support ticket from **Dashboard → Support** and ask for "A2P 10DLC sub-account access."

    We'll send you a one-time login URL that takes you straight to your TrustHub.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a Brand">
    In TrustHub, the first thing you create is a **Brand** — this is your business identity. Fill in:

    * Legal Business Name (must match your EIN registration exactly)
    * Business Type (LLC, Corporation, etc.)
    * EIN
    * Business Address
    * Business Website (your servicebooked.ca site or your own)
    * Vertical (Construction, Home Services, etc.)

    Standard Brand registration costs \~\$4 (one-time). Once submitted, Brand approval takes 1–3 business days.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a Campaign">
    Once your Brand is approved, create a **Campaign**. The use case for ServiceBooked is **"Customer Care"** — confirmations, support, and operational messages.

    Sample messages to paste:

    * *"Hi! Sorry we missed your call — what can we help you with? Reply STOP to opt out."*
    * *"Hi {first_name}, this is {business_name}. We're confirming your appointment for Tuesday at 2pm. Reply YES to confirm or call us at {phone}."*
    * *"Hi {first_name} — it's been a while. We have a special on {service} this month. Reply STOP to opt out."*

    Set the message volume to your realistic monthly estimate. Underestimating is fine; you can raise it later.

    Campaign registration costs \~\$10/quarter. Approval typically takes 24–72 hours.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for approval">
    You'll get an email when each step approves. Brand → Campaign → Live. Until "Live" status, your messages may still send but won't be carrier-prioritized.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm in your dashboard">
    Once Twilio shows the campaign as Live, head back to **Settings → Phone**. The A2P notice will reflect the registered status. From here on, all your auto-text, AI replies, and reactivation messages deliver through the registered campaign.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What happens before you're registered

ServiceBooked still tries to send. Some messages will get through, but expect:

* **Higher filtering** — especially to AT\&T numbers, which are strictest
* **Lower throughput** — unregistered numbers get rate-limited at the carrier
* **No delivery guarantee** — messages can silently disappear

In practice you might see \~40–70% delivery rates pre-registration vs. \~95%+ post. If you're noticing customers say "I never got your text," check your A2P status first.

## What if I'm sole-proprietor / no EIN?

You can register as a **Sole Proprietor** brand instead of a Standard brand. It's lighter-weight (no EIN required, just an SSN) but has lower throughput limits — fine for owner-operators sending under \~3,000 messages/month. If you grow past that, you can upgrade to a Standard brand.

## What if I'm Canadian and have zero US customers?

You can skip A2P entirely. Canadian carriers don't require it. Just be aware: if you ever start serving US-based customers, you'll need to register before your texts to them deliver reliably.

## What about email replies?

A2P is SMS-only. Email auto-replies (form auto-replies that go via email instead of SMS) aren't subject to this. They have their own compliance regime (CAN-SPAM in the US, CASL in Canada) which we comply with automatically — every email we send on your behalf has a footer with your business address and an unsubscribe link.

## Help

This is the most-painful single step in onboarding. If you're stuck, open a support ticket — we've walked many owners through it and can usually unstick approvals or talk you through a rejection.

<Card title="Contact support" icon="life-buoy" href="/troubleshooting/contact-support">
  Open a ticket from your dashboard.
</Card>