An overview of SMS requirements

To better ensure the deliverability of your SMS messages, you need to make sure you are complying with SMS sending requirements and best practices. Below are some of the most important SMS requirements to achieve a good customer experience.

In this article:

• How SMS consent works
• How to opt in through SMS
• Required SMS message codes
• Company branding requirements
• Link shortening requirements

How SMS consent works

ZendeskConnect requires explicit consent in order to send SMS communication to contacts.  

Contacts must opt-in of their own accord before you send them SMS messages. You need to make it clear to the contact that they are consenting to receive SMS communications from you. You should keep a record of consent for future reference.

Note that a contact's consent applies only to the campaign that they signed up for. You cannot use one consent to cover all types of SMS communications you want to send.

If you do not send SMS within a reasonable time frame after a contact consents, you may be required to get consent again before sending any future messages.

An exception to these consent parameters is if a contact reaches out to you first and opens a two-way, consensual conversation.

How to opt in through SMS

In order to send SMS messages, your contact must opt-in to receive your messages.

Traditionally, you can get opt-in consent through a form which collects a contact’s mobile phone number. The form can include a question that asks a contact to confirm if they would like to opt-in to receive SMS text messages for specific SMS campaign types (e.g. notifications, marketing promotions, product updates).

You can then use the default phone form field to collect the mobile phone number of the contact. The contact’s consent will be valid for the specific SMS campaigns to which the contact confirms consent.

Note that general consent to receive messages will not be considered a valid opt-in.

Required SMS STOP message codes

All SMS senders are required to include a STOP clause to inform contacts how to unsubscribe from SMS communications. ZendeskConnect automatically adds the STOP clause when it’s not detected. To learn more about this and other required SMS message codes, visit SMS STOP clause requirements.

Company branding requirements

All SMS senders are required to identify themselves in their messages by including their company name or brand identifier so that the recipient can easily understand who the message is from.  

This can be accomplished in one of two ways:  

1. You can fill in the Sender Name field found under the “Addresses” tab in your Settings.   Once filled in, your company name or brand identifier will automatically be appended to all of your messages.  
2. Alternatively, you can manually add your Company Name to the SMS template in the automation. This can be as simple as "Hi, COMPANY NAME here" or something similar.

Link shortening requirements

Free or public link shorteners are prohibited in SMS communications. If a message contains public link shorteners created from a free service, the message will not be delivered.  To learn more about this rule, visit The rules for free or public link shorteners in SMS.