🚨🚨 If you send messages to customers in the US or Canada, you need to read this 🚨🚨
When you send SMS in North America, chances are, they’re sent via a Toll-Free Number (TFN). We may have allocated one to you when you sent your first message or you might have your own dedicated TFN(s). Either way, it’s important that you need to know about recent changes to how messages are sent.
Cellular carriers are cracking down on spam and fraud in a big way. They’ve introduced new measures to make sure that only legitimate messages are being sent via the networks. Businesses now need to verify their TFN with the carriers, showing that the numbers are not being used for spam or fraud.
So what does this mean for you?
You need to submit your TFN for verification, or you may not be able to send text messages.
But we have good news — verification is free and simple. We would've reached out via email so please check your inbox or get in touch with any questions. 📨
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 Sending SMS to Canada and the U.S.
When sending to the U.S. and Canada, TFNs need to be verified before you can send any messages. This is a network requirement that lets the telecommunications carriers know who you are are, and the purpose of your messages. They also want confidence that your contacts have opted in to receive messages, having given consent to receive text messages from you.
You can verify your TFN by completing the Verification Form in your ClickSend account. Once you complete your form and we have approved it, we send it to the carriers. Final approval can take between 1-7 days. In this time you will not be able to send any messages until your TFN has been verified.
Frequently asked TFN verification questions
What’s a TFN? How do I know I use one?
Toll-Free Numbers are phone numbers used for business text messaging. Most people are familiar with Toll-Free Numbers for voice calls, but TFNs are often text-enabled too. Our TFNs tend to start with 800, 833, 844, 855, 866, 877 or 888.
For sending to the US or Canada, we use TFNs by default. So if you have not set up your own dedicated number - whether TFN, 10DLC or shortcode - your messages would have been sent via TFN.
Why do I need to verify my TFN?
You’ll need to verify your TFN to continue sending messages. After September 30 2022, all TFNs must be verified to be used.
There are also deliverability benefits to verifying your number. Verified numbers have lower chance of:
- wrongly being flagged for suspicious activity and blocked by the cellular carriers.
- tipping off filters for high-risk keywords and getting blacklisted.
How long will it take to get my number verified?
It should only take 10-15min to complete our verification form. Then we will take care of the rest. Once we receive your form, it takes 1-2 weeks for the cellular carriers to process the information.
So we suggest that you prepare in advance, as you won’t be able to use your TFN after the 31st of January unless it has been verified.
What questions will I be asked?
About half the form is made up of basic questions about your business. (If your company has multiple business units or brands, please only provide details about the brand that uses the TFN.)
Then, there are questions about how you use your TFN. These include:
- How many messages are you sending (monthly volume)
- What is the purpose of your messages (use case)
- How do you get your customer details and consent (opt-in)
- How do you let customers know about your TFN (marketing)
You’ll also be asked to supply samples of the messages you send and what call to action you include in the message body (including any links or phone numbers).
Any concerns? Our friendly team are ready to help. Open a live chat any time - the chat window is in the bottom right corner of all ClickSend websites.
I have multiple TFNs, what do I do?
The carriers understand that there are legitimate reasons to require more than one TFN. You might need to submit multiple applications depending on your use case - for example, promotional campaigns, text message alerts, order confirmations, etc.
If this is the case, contact our support team on the methods below and we will arrange a custom form for you.
Let’s get in touch.
We’ve reached out via email with your TFN verification form. September 1 has been and gone, so if you have any questions or can't find your form, please reach out.
To get in touch:
- Open a live chat - we’re online 24/7.
- Or get help via email, contact form or phone.
For more information, see our TFN Verification support page.
