In this article, you'll learn what texting registration (A2P) is, how the CRM handles it for you, and what you need to fill in so your number can text customers. US carriers won't deliver business texts from a number that isn't registered, so knowing where yours stands tells you when texting from your CRM number goes live.

To open your registration:

In the menu, click Phone. On a phone-sized screen, open Settings and tap Phone numbers instead.
Find the Text messaging registration card. It sits right under the All calls card at the top of the page.

The Text messaging registration card with its four steps

Note: On the free CRM there's no texting registration. Your line takes calls, and the page says more numbers and texting come with the paid plans, with an Upgrade link.

What A2P registration is

A2P stands for application-to-person. It's a text a business sends from software like this CRM, rather than one person texting another from their own phone. Carriers want to know who's behind every business number before they'll carry its texts, so each business is registered once with its legal details and a description of the texts it sends.

Calls aren't part of this. The page says it plainly: carriers require a one-time registration before a number can send texts, and calls work right away. Only texting waits.

How registration works in this CRM

There's no separate application to fill out. Registration starts when you sign up and moves along in the background, finishing each step as soon as the one before it allows. The card shows four steps, each with its current state:

Account: your own phone account, created at signup.
Business profile: your registered business details, sent to carriers for review.
Brand: your business, registered with the carriers.
Campaign: the kind of texts you send and how customers agree to get them.

A finished step turns green. When the campaign is approved, the card shows an A2P Verified badge. Each permanent number in your list has its own badge too: A2P Verified or A2P pending, and on a desktop browser a rejected number shows A2P failed. The card says approval usually takes a few business days.

Note: If a Temporary number is listed next to your permanent one, texts go out from the temporary number until carriers approve the permanent one. Then the permanent number takes over.

Tip: If you buy another number before registration is under way, the Buy a number panel asks you to start the registration first. Numbers are bought into your own account, which the first registration step creates.

Adding your business details

Carriers check your registration against your IRS records, so the details have to match your EIN letter (the CP-575) exactly. The Registered business details box shows on the card until your business profile has been created.

Type your Legal business name exactly as it's printed on the CP-575.
Type your EIN. It has to be nine digits, like 12-3456789.
Fill in the Registered street address, City, State and ZIP from that same letter.
Click Save details. A green Saved appears when it's stored.

Entering your registered business details

Warning: Use the registered address on your EIN letter, not your shop or storefront address if they're different. A storefront address is the most common reason a registration gets sent back.

Note: You need an admin login to save details or run the registration buttons below.

Calling registration and your caller ID name

Once your account exists, a Calling registration card appears under the texting card. Carriers are more likely to send calls from unregistered numbers to voicemail or mark them as spam, so this card files three things: Trusted calls, Caller ID name and Spam protection. Each shows Not filed, In review, Approved or Rejected. They file on their own once your business profile is approved, and every number you add is included.

In Employees, enter how many people work for you.
In Outbound calls per business day, enter about how many calls you make on a normal day.
If you like, type a Caller ID name, up to 15 characters, starting with a letter. Leave it blank and it's taken from your business name.
Click Save.

Use whole numbers for employees and calls. Your best estimate is fine. Spam protection won't file until both are filled in.

Tip: Once your caller ID name is registered, the box locks. Changing it later means filing again.

The Calling registration card with its three filings and the employee, call volume and caller ID name fields

Checking on your registration

You don't have to do anything for registration to move forward, but you can nudge it or check on it:

Click Continue registration to run any step that's ready right now. Below the buttons you'll see which steps ran and which are waiting.
Click Refresh status to pull the latest status from the carriers.

Checking your registration status

If a step is waiting on carrier review, a yellow note starting with Waiting on review tells you so. If something was rejected, the reason shows in red on the card. Check that your legal name, EIN and registered address match your EIN letter character for character. If the Registered business details box is still showing, fix anything that's off and click Save details. If the box is gone, get in touch with support and we'll correct it for you.

Note: The phone app shows a shorter card under Settings then Phone numbers: the brand and campaign status, any error, and a Continue registration button. Entering your business details, the Calling registration card and Refresh status are on the web page in a desktop browser only.

How customers agree to get your texts

Carriers want to know customers agreed to hear from you. Your registration tells them customers say yes out loud, when they book or when you do the work, in person or over the phone. So get a yes before you text someone, and save their mobile number on their record once they agree.

If your website is one we host, its contact form also has a texting consent box. It starts unticked, and the form sends whether or not they tick it. Visitors who don't tick it don't get texted.

Every customer can reply STOP at any time to stop your texts, or HELP for help.

Understanding texting registration (A2P)