Collecting and proving opt-in consent

Consent is the single most important piece of text messaging compliance. Every message you send must be to a recipient who has explicitly, actively agreed to receive that type of message from you.

What consent is not

• A pre-checked box on a form

• A phone number you bought, rented, or received from another company

• An assumption because someone is your customer

• Consent collected by a third party and passed to you

• Fine print that says "by providing your number, you agree..."

Valid ways to collect opt-in

• Web form where someone enters their phone number and actively checks a clearly labeled box

• SMS keyword — they text a keyword like JOIN or START to your number

• Phone/IVR — a live agent or voice prompt captures verbal consent with clear disclosure

• Paper form with a signature and clear disclosure

• Point of sale — at a register or kiosk with clear disclosure

What you must keep for every opt-in

• The phone number

• The exact date and time of consent

• How they opted in (web form, keyword, IVR, etc.)

• The exact wording they saw when they opted in

• A screenshot or recording of the opt-in moment

• The IP address of the device used (for web forms)

• Which messaging program the consent applies to

The good news

If you collect opt-in through our built-in forms, our keyword service, or our IVR flows, we capture and store all of this automatically. It's in your dashboard under Compliance → Consent Records.

If you're importing a list of customers who opted in somewhere else, you'll need to provide this documentation. Our team will help you verify it meets the required standard before you send your first message.

Marketing needs its own opt-in

If you send any promotional messages — sales, discounts, announcements — you must collect a separate opt-in specifically for marketing. Even if the same person has already opted in for appointment reminders or account updates.

Here's an example of how to do this on a signup form:

Phone number: [_____________]

• ☐ I agree to receive appointment reminders and account updates

• ☐ I agree to receive marketing offers and promotions

Both boxes must be unchecked by default. The recipient has to check them on purpose.

What we send after someone opts in

When someone opts in through our platform, we automatically send them a confirmation message that includes your program name, how to get help, how to opt out, and how often you'll message them. You don't have to build this.