Endurance Subscribers Only - Twilio - Standard campaign versus a Sole Proprietor

[Bill Stokes - Stokes Race Timing]

If you are a subscriber to ART's Endurance program or are contemplating doing so be aware of this distinction when setting up your Twilio account for texting finish times.  

From Twilio customer service: "The requirements for a Standard campaign are different from those of a Sole Proprietor one; do not hesitate to reach us out for further details."

After blissfully using the Endurance program for over a year I was put on notice that my "campaign" to text messages was being shut down because I registered as a sole proprietor but they discovered that the name I used on my Twilio account was a corporation (Fastscore Timing).  After getting my account upgraded to a corporate account I set up a new campaign using the same answers I used before (with Brian Agee's help) but they found them to be insuffient for a coporate account as indicated above.  

After I jump through the hoops and get approved again I'll add to this conversation what I had to do to get my campaigned approved as a corporation.

Lesson learned: if possible register with Twilio as a sole proprietor (individual).

[Brian Agee]

Thank you Bill for starting this thread. I just finished the process of getting my "campaign" re-approved. So I wanted to share exactly what needs to be done so that others can get their account approved if it wasn't set up to meet the new spam mitigation laws that the government passed last year. Hopefully this is something that doesn't have to be touched again for many years now that I've got working again.

The "opt-in" section is what causes most campaigns to get rejected. They told me the approval team really likes to see examples of what the end users will see. So please use the exact same links I shared, or something similar if you want to avoid headaches.

Any questions asked that I didn't answer below were left blank if they were not required. I think this covers everything though. My campaign is now re-approved and I can send instant SMS results the same as before the new requirements were put in place.

1. Log into Twilio.

2. Under the "Develop" tab at the top left, select "Campaigns" and see what it says for "Campaign Status". If it says it's been rejected, proceed to the following steps.

3. In the menu on the left click "Brands" and delete brand shown there. Now click on "Campaigns" and delete the campaign listed.

4.Go back to "Brands" and create a new brand with these values:

• Low Volume Standard
• Private Company

5. Create a new "Campaign", select the new Brand you just created and these values entered:

• Low Volume Mixed
• Select your existing Messaging Service, that is still good.
• Here is what I entered for the "Description":
  • This campaign will send results and notifications to participants in races (like Marathons, 5Ks, and similar events).
• Message Sample #1:
  • #112 John Doe Fit for Life 5K 1st of 155 1st Overall Male Time: 17:21 Pace: 5:35/mile Speed: 10.7mph
    
• Message Sample #2:
  • Participants: Please remember to return your tags at the results kiosk prior to leaving the event. Thanks!
    
• Sending messages with embedded Links?: No
• Sending messages with embedded phone numbers?: No
• Sending messages with content related to direct lending or other loan arrangement?: No
• How do end-users consent to receive messages?
  • End users opt in by adding their phone numbers while registering for the race. The race organizer has the ability to make the phone number required or not required, and to add a message that informs the participant that supplying their phone number means that they consent to receive text results/notifications during the race. If a participant would like to opt out of receiving text/notifications, the timer or race organizer can simply remove their phone number from the online registration website or from the timing software. To see an example, look at the last paragraph under the Description of this race.: https://runsignup.com/Race/AR/Paragould/ParagouldXCColorRun The screenshot shown in the following link demonstrates the race organizers ability to make the phone number a required field or not: http://www.ageeracetiming.com/resources/RequiredPhoneNumber.png
    

[Brian Agee]

I had a user reach out to me saying that they do not have an EIN (Employer Identification Number), so they could not sign up as a "Low Volume Standard" user on Twilio. So I wanted to provide some additional information in case others are in this same boat.

1. I believe it's free and easy to sign up for an EIN, even if you have not formed a LLC. Begin by clicking this link.

2. If you choose not to get an EIN, you must sign up as a "Sole Proprietor" account in Twilio. This limits you to just a single phone number, which to be honest would be okay because this simply means that during the busiest part of the race it's possible that some people may not get a text with their results until a minute or two after they finished. The maximum it will send out as a Sole Proprietor is 1 text per second. So if you have more than 60 finishers within a minute then you may start to see a minute or two delay before people get their results by text. However all texts should eventually go through. A Sole Proprietor can also send just 3,000 texts per day, compared to 6,000 per day and up to 3.75 texts per second if you get an EIN and sign up as a Low Volume Standard user.

Here is an email I got from Twilio after I asked them about those that do not have an EIN:

I understand that some of your customers are not LLCs and do not have an EIN number, which is causing some confusion during the registration process.

For customers who do not have an EIN, they can indeed register as Sole Proprietors. However, it's important to note that Sole Proprietor registration has specific requirements and limitations. Here are some key points to guide your customer:

1. Eligibility: Sole Proprietor registration is available for individuals who do not have an EIN. If your customer has an EIN, they should register as a Low-Volume Standard Brand instead.

2. Required Information: To register as a Sole Proprietor, your customer will need to provide the following:

- Brand or business name
- First name and last name
- Email address
- Mobile phone number (must be in the US or Canada)
- Physical address (must be in the US or Canada)

3. Limitations:
- Each mobile phone number can only be used to validate up to 3 brands.
- Each email or physical address can only be used to validate up to 10 brands.
- Only 1 campaign and 1 phone number is allowed per Sole Proprietorship entity.

4. Verification: Sole Proprietor brands must include valid and complete details. Obfuscated data is not permitted.If your customer finds that the Sole Proprietor option does not meet their needs, and they do not have an EIN, they may need to consider obtaining an EIN to register as a Low-Volume Standard Brand.

This will provide more flexibility and higher throughput for their messaging campaigns.

For more detailed information, you can refer to our following documentations [A2P 10DLC Brand Approval Best Practices] and [Comparison between Sole Proprietor, Low Volume Standard, and Standard registration for A2P 10DLC].

[Craig MacIntyre]

Twilio is not helpful.  I had to delete almost everything and start over.  I had it working then they killed my campaign but continued to charge me.  Finally I followed Brian steps again.  Then sent a somewhat ugly email to them.  Magically they approved it.  I will test this week to ensure it is working.