A2P (application to person) SMS regulations have recently had an onslaught of changes coming in rapid succession, making compliance an uphill battle for companies that think they can do this without implementing some new technology in their infrastructure. Enter artificial intelligence (AI). It’s already saturating the SMS market with chatbots and predictive text, but it can also assist with compliance.
Registration Compliance
Compliance is all about who’s sending and what they’re sending. Registering with The Campaign Registry in the U.S. or ACMA regarding Sender I.D. in Australia is the tip of the iceberg. As countries add more and more regulations, the complexities could get overwhelming, but AI can help:
- Currently registered campaigns: With AI, it could be much faster to locate transmitted messages that don’t match the sender’s registered campaigns. Customers will be alerted of the discrepancies so they can modify their messages and continue sending, preventing critical messages from being blocked.
- Newly required campaigns: AI flags texts that don’t match the registered version. It alerts SMS managed service providers (MSPs) to reach out to customers who might need to add an additional campaign to the registries.
- Message compliance: Finding and eradicating SMS that break the spam and scam legislation helps eliminate the bad players. Even if the customer’s been approved with seemingly legit messages, they might still try to send spam messages. AI stops them before they can scam anything from anyone.
- Sender and recipient security: Compliance and security go hand in hand. Sending sensitive information via SMS is not best practice, as it puts personal identification at risk. Identifying words or phrases that might be violating this security can help keep companies and customers safe.
Best Practices for Ensuring Compliance
If you want your business to remain compliant both when you are and aren’t using artificial intelligence, follow these practices:
- Let customers opt in and out: Allow customers to opt in by clicking a button or sending a specific message so that they know they are signing up to receive texts from you. They should also be able to opt out of getting messages.
- Respect the do-not-call lists: The FCC’s do-not-call list was originally put in place for voice calls, but as SMS has become more prominent it’s enveloping texts as well. Violating the list can really just give you more hassle than its worth, and can result in lawsuits or fines.
- Get written consent: Certain regulations prohibit you from sending an SMS to a customer without their consent. Having written proof that customers have agreed to receive your messages can protect you and help with compliance.
- Communicate changes to existing customers: Even if you already have a list of customer numbers, get their consent before adding them to your SMS database. If you already have their contact details, you can send them an email asking them whether they’d like to opt into your SMS communication.
- Send a confirmation text: Once someone has opted in, send a message confirming that they are now part of your database and explaining how they can opt out.
Business Use Cases
AI gives oversight in messages sent via various channels. It also allows businesses insight into their customer use cases, providing these opportunities for sales growth:
- Upselling opportunities: AI can follow trends of commonly asked questions, allowing businesses to access more information about their customers so they can upsell to their clients. The average American spends 5.4 hours on their phone each day, so leveraging this in your marketing is a smart idea.
- Industry identification: Almost all business sectors can benefit from using SMS. AI can indicate industries finding success with SMS, allowing them to use SMS for their marketing and communication.
- Automated message routing: AI’s message routing reduces redundancy already in place, adding a layer of decision–making. Artificial intelligence’s speed will reroute messages when or if a carrier is unable to handle the traffic.
Why You Should Use an SMS Platform
Keeping up with SMS compliance, especially with so many technological advances like AI, can be challenging for businesses. Investing in SMS software allows you to place your messaging in the hands of professionals. MSPs can assist with compliance matters as they help with both registration and updating.
What to Look for in an MSP
If you want to use an MSP to help manage your SMS communication while remaining compliant with AI regulations, select one that offers the following:
- Content guidance: As customers compose their SMS, artificial intelligence can guide the author and make suggestions if the message appears to be violating relevant regulations or laws. Helping the customer get the SMS right the first time around is one step closer to full compliance.
- AI-based opt-out and opt-in: AI can streamline the process of obtaining consent for SMS receipt without the customer even thinking about it. By automating opt-in and opt-out requests, businesses can stay compliant.
- Ability to read the room: AI can give insight into the sender’s intention. Replies giving off negative sentiment may spur suggestions on how to defuse the situation and help improve their SMS communication strategies.
Contact Red Oxygen for Compliance Assistance and SMS Management
Incorporating AI into business SMS applications can enhance efficiency and customer experience while keeping companies compliant with relevant regulations even as they change on a whim. However, it’s essential to develop and implement AI solutions that respect data privacy and integrity.
At Red Oxygen, we have more than 20 years of experience in the industry. Our team has the knowledge needed to help your company navigate the text messaging world. We understand that every business is unique and needs an SMS service that aids their goals. That’s why we have various options to help you select the perfect solution.
Our services allow you to text your customers via email and smartphone. You can send an SMS to your entire contact list or opt for personalized messages. Whether you need help with AI-based opt-out compliance or you want to create SMS templates to save time, we can assist.
To learn more about our AI features or how our services can transform your SMS strategy, request a demo, and our sales team will assist.
