The previous blog entry about short code compliance and SMS rules introduced the entities that monitor and regulate short code messaging. Their goal is to ensure compliance and protect consumer privacy in the mobile space. Building a permission-based list of customers or clients to communicate with through short code SMS is a key component of this compliance. It begins with a call-to-action which is an opportunity for a business to successfully capture a mobile number, and an invitation for a consumer to provide their cell phone number in order to subscribe to content. Some examples include on-site signage or print advertisements encouraging a user to send a text message to your short code; or a web page that allows customers to enter their cell phone number to subscribe to the advertised mobile communication. When creating your call to action, keep in mind that the wireless industry (CTIA) requires that it contains five pieces of information:

Product description and quantity
What will the recipient receive by providing their cell number? And how often? (e.g. Receive account alerts 2-3/month)

Program identification
What is the name of the business, or the text messaging initiative? (e.g. Dr. O’s Medical Alerts)

Opt-out instructions
Include the keyword in bold that recipients must text to stop receiving messages. (e.g. Text STOP to unsubscribe)

Message and data rates may apply
Customers should know that carriers may charge them for these text messages. (e.g. Message & Data rates may apply)

Links to privacy policy and terms and conditions
Dedicated short code users must create a privacy policy. Shared short code users can use the policy drafted by CDYNE for each shared short code. Terms and conditions must be posted online. (e.g. Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions)

When a subscriber sees your call-to-action and wishes to sign up, the next step is obtaining permission through the opt-in mechanism. There are two types: opt-in and double opt-in. The difference between the two is determined by whether there is a text message interaction. With a single opt-in, a person sends a text message to a short code. This is equivalent to a user registering their handset to receive text messages until they decide to opt out. An example of a double opt-in is a user typing their cell phone number on a website form to opt-in to a program. Once submitted, they receive a text message confirming they wish to opt-in. This serves as a secondary opt-in confirming the registration of the handset.

It’s important to note that permission to send text messages is related only to a specific program. For example, you text the keyword SMILE to 55512 to get appointment reminders. This means that the sender can only send appointment reminders.  The content must be disclosed in the call-to-action described above. In this case, the doctor’s office should not send marketing messages in addition to the appointment reminders.

CDYNE provides U.S. and Canadian short codes for use with the SMS Notify! API – SMS Notify! is a secure two-way SMS Gateway that facilitates your business communications with a developer-friendly API.

Get more short code information, or test today for free.

Previous blog: Why Are There So Many Short Code SMS Rules?

The biggest benefit of short codes for end users is that they get to control which text messages they receive. Short code messaging is a permission-based medium that requires the sender to obtain the recipient’s consent before sending a text message to their handset. This is done through an opt-in or consent process. For example, you see a short code advertisement that says, “Text SMILE to 55512 to get dental appointment reminders” and you send the text message as instructed. This action is considered an opt-in giving the sender permission to send appointment reminders to your handset. Users can also opt-out anytime by texting the keyword STOP to the short code.

The opt-in rules are an equal advantage to businesses using short codes to communicate with their audience because their message is targeted to only those who wish to receive the message.  A company effectively has a direct line of communication with their customer. To protect this benefit, the standard of protecting consumer privacy in the mobile environment is strongly supported by the marketing industry, controlled by the wireless carriers, and supported by federal anti-spam laws.

Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)

The MMA is a global trade association that focuses on the mobile aspect of marketing. They’ve developed mobile marketing best practices and promote the mobile industry privacy principles through a series of documents and resources. Some of these resources including “Code of Conduct for Mobile Marketing,” “Mobile Advertising Guidelines,” Mobile Financial Services Best Practices,” and “Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Programs” are cited in the CTIA’s Acceptable Use Policy, which governs the use of short codes.

Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA)

The wireless carriers regulate the industry and create rules for interacting with recipients through SMS. CTIA is the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry that monitors text messaging for the carriers and issues violation notices. Their website features a business resource short code section which includes best practices, FAQs, case studies, and the usage policy.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

The FCC is a U.S. government agency, overseen by Congress, which regulates radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable communications in the U.S. It created two laws to address spam – the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act.

The CAN-SPAM Act prohibits sending unwanted commercial text messages to a mobile device if the number is on the Do-Not-Call (DNC) list. Advertisements or promotional messages are considered commercial messages. This act supplements the TCPA consumer protections and it’s important to note that if you have already given consent to receive text messages, TCPA will not protect a user from commercial messages. More details about text message regulations may be found on their website.

CDYNE provides U.S. and Canadian short codes for use with the SMS Notify! API – SMS Notify! is a secure two-way SMS Gateway that facilitates your business communications with a developer-friendly API.

Get more short code information, or test today for free.

Previous blog: Dedicated Short Code: Steps to Launch

Next blog: What Does Opt-In Communication Look Like?

Once you have chosen to get a dedicated SMS short code, there are several steps to complete the process between leasing the short code and launching it for live communications. Launching a short code encompasses several phases which can typically take 8-10 weeks to complete (and sometimes longer) from the time you submit a program brief because there are a number of carrier requirements to fulfill. CDYNE simplifies and manages this part of the process for you. Here is an overview of the CDYNE short code set up process.

1. Lease Your Short Code

This step takes about 1-2 business days between payment and CSCA processing. Applying for a short code can be done in one of two ways:

1. Apply directly with the CSCA, which maintains the U.S. database for available, reserved, and registered short codes, or
2. CDYNE will submit the short code lease on your behalf.

The cost for leasing is the same either way: $1,500 quarterly leasing fee for a random short code, or $3,000 quarterly for a vanity short code. The CSCA requires payment in full for the entire lease prior to releasing a short code. Once this is complete, the CSCA will register your short code.

2. Sign a CDYNE Contract

The contract covers terms and conditions, many of which flow down from the CSCA, the wireless carriers, and the connection aggregator. CDYNE will countersign and send back a copy of the contract in 1-2 business days from the date you submit the signed contract.

3. Complete the Carrier Program Brief

Once the short code has been registered and the CDYNE contract signed, the next step is getting approval from each supported carrier. CDYNE will work closely with you during this application process, which can be complex and dynamic. The carriers set, interpret, and can change the rules, and each carrier does this by their own method and within their own timeframe. While CDYNE cannot guarantee carrier approval, we work closely and diligently with you and the carriers to prepare the application to meet current approval standards. This step varies according to the number of updates the carrier requires and how quickly you are able to implement updates.

The CTIA is the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry that monitors text messaging for the carriers and issues violation notices. Their Acceptable Use Policy covers the requirements the carriers review during the approval process.

While the carriers review your program brief, you can still test your short code application on our system! CDYNE can assign an SMS-enabled phone number (DID) to your license key which also works with the SMS Notify! API. The only significant difference is the number you are testing with. A DID is a 10-digit U.S. number that allows you to send and receive low volumes of text messages. Once the short code is approved, CDYNE will replace your DID with the short code for SMS communications.

4. Short Code Provisioning & Testing

When all carriers have approved your program brief, each carrier will provision the short code on their network for testing. During this phase, the carriers will test and certify the approved program, which typically takes 8 to 10 weeks.

5. Short Code Launch

As soon as each carrier certifies your short code program, you may officially launch your short code campaign on the SMS Notify! API!

CDYNE provides U.S. and Canadian short codes for use with the SMS Notify! API – SMS Notify! is a secure two-way SMS Gateway that facilitates your business communications with a developer-friendly API.

Get more short code information, or test today for free.

Previous blog: Shared or Dedicated Short Code: Choosing the Right One

Your cell phone beeps, buzzes, or blinks – signaling an incoming text message. How many seconds will pass before you respond and pick up the phone to check the message? How quickly will you respond? SMS is a highly effective and engaging medium of communication and multiple studies show that 95 – 98% of text messages are read within minutes of receipt. Due to the prevalent use of cell phones for text messaging (the Pew Research Center reports that 80% of U.S. cell phone owners use their phone to send and receive text messages), mobile communications provides a huge opportunity for businesses to connect with their audience and engage in immediate and relevant conversations. In the U.S. and Canada, the best way to do this is by using a short code.

A short code is a special 5-6 digit number (e.g., 75195) that allows consumers to subscribe to mobile messaging campaigns. You are probably familiar with ads prompting you to text a keyword to a short code, for example, “Text PIZZA31 to enter to win a free pizza.” Whether SMS communication with your audience is for informational, promotional, voting, feedback, or other contact, there are significant benefits in adding SMS communications to reach your audience:

Immediacy

Short code messages are typically delivered within seconds. This is an immediate advantage for businesses engaging their audiences in real time, and has a broader appeal than an app download or mobile website. 91% of all U.S. citizens have their mobile device within reach 24/7 (Morgan Stanley).

Near Perfect Open Rates

The average open rate for SMS messages is over 95% (Frost & Sullivan). This makes SMS a powerful marketing tool and gives businesses a direct line of communication to support other marketing efforts.

Targeted Communication

There are many opportunities to reach your audience with short codes that range from information and customer service (e.g., opt-in alerts and logging customer issues) to marketing, advertising, and entertainment (e.g., incentives, promotions, polling, games, and  quizzes). A big appeal for companies using short codes is reaching each subscriber in a personal, relevant and timely manner.

Customer Communication Choice

Customers have increased expectations of the companies with which they do business. For many consumers, text messaging is a preferred method of contact, and a golden opportunity for a company to increase the frequency of one-to-one communications.

CDYNE provides U.S. and Canadian short codes for use with the SMS Notify! API – SMS Notify! is a secure two-way SMS Gateway that facilitates your business communications with a developer-friendly API.

Get more short code information, or test today for free.

Next blog: Shared or Dedicated Short Code: Choosing the Right One

SMS Notify! supports text messaging worldwide with the potential to reach over 5 billion people globally.  You can reach this network of mobile users by purchasing a UK DID for assignment to your SMS Notify! license key. When you pass a phone number with 011 + the country code, the API will automatically use the UK DIDs assigned to the license key for sending the text messages.

Unicode Support

Another great feature is Unicode support. Unicode is a standard for handling text in all writing systems, and allows you to send text messages in many languages. It provides a unique number for every character, and allows text data to pass through many systems regardless of the platform, computer program, or programming language used. You should note that that the receiving device determines which characters it will display. While it may support Unicode, it may not display all Unicode characters.

Unicode covers any language that can be written in a script (e.g. Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, Han, etc.), which is an inventory of graphical symbols.  For example, a single script such as Latin may be used to write hundreds of languages (e.g. English, Spanish, and West Germanic), whereas a single language like Japanese may use multiple scripts including Han, Hiragana, and Katakana.

Which Encoding Does SMS Notify! Support?

To send Unicode messages using SMS Notify!, set the IsUnicode parameter to True in the AdvancedSMSSend method. The API supports UTF-16, which is a character encoding for Unicode. Unicode text messages are 70 characters per transaction. Non-Unicode messages are 160 characters.
By default the IsUnicode parameter is set to False. In this instance, SMS Notify! supports Latin-9, or ISO/IEC 8859-15 encoding which are 160 characters per transaction.

A Couple of Tips for Sending International Text Messages

• 011 + country code + phone number in the PhoneNumber parameter when sending messages outside of the U.S. and Canada. SMS Notify! will automatically send from your International DIDs.
• Some international carriers use spam-filters which block messages based on content. Check out the Carrier Restrictions tab (Excel doc) for more details.

Contact CDYNE for more information about Extended International SMS coverage.

Test SMS Notify! API for free.

Short code text messaging is an excellent way to reach your customer and consumer base with relevant and time-sensitive information because text messages have a sense of urgency compared with other methods of communication. But it is important to note that text messaging is a permission-based medium that requires the sender to obtain the recipient’s consent to send SMS to their handset. Because consumers pay to receive text messages, the wireless carriers regulate the industry and create rules for interacting with recipients through SMS. CTIA is the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry that monitors text messaging for the carriers and issues violation notices. Non-compliant text messaging can result in citations, suspension, or termination of your short code campaign. The CTIA published a Compliance Handbook, effective June 2012, which clarifies the industry compliance rules, opt-in, and mobile campaign deployment.

Call to Action

A call to action is is an opportunity for a business to successfully capture a mobile number and an invitation for a consumer to provide their cell phone number in order to subscribe to content. Several examples include on-site signage, print advertisements, or a web page. The wireless industry requires that a call to action contains five pieces of information including:

Product description and quantity

What will the recipient receive by providing their cell number? And how often? (e.g. Receive account alerts 2-3/month)

Program identification

What is the name of the business, or the text messaging initiative? (e.g. Dr. O’s Medical Alerts)

Opt-out instructions

Include the keyword in bold that recipients must text to stop receiving messages. (e.g. Text STOP to unsubscribe)

Message and data rates may apply

Customers should know that carriers may charge them for these text messages. (e.g. Message & Data rates may apply)

Links to privacy policy and terms and conditions

Dedicated short code users must create a privacy policy. Shared short code users can use the policy drafted by CDYNE for each shared short code. Terms and conditions must be posted online. (e.g. Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions)

Opt-In: Even if You Already Have a Business Relationship

It’s worth mentioning here that existing business relationships and the purchase of opt-in lists do not automatically allow a company to send text messages to those mobile numbers. For example, if you already communicate with customers via email, you must still get their permission to receive text messages. Or if you collect mobile numbers during an online transaction or other method – this does not count as an opt-in. Automatic enrollment in multiple programs is not allowed, and the CTIA requires a dedicated opt-in for each program. The CTIA  Compliance Handbook outlines four examples for capturing opt-in. In all opt-in scenarios, consent to receive text messages must be clear and accurate at the time the mobile number is given.

• Enter a phone number online,
• Click a button on a mobile Webpage,
• Send an MO message containing an advertised keyword, or
• Sign up at a point-of-sale location

SPAM

The reason behind all the rules and regulations is to eliminate unsolicited text messages, or SPAM. The CTIA Compliance Handbook defines unsolicited messages as, “All messages delivered before a user opts in or after a user receives confirmation of opt-out, and any message delivered in excess of the quantity advertised, are considered spam.”

For more information about the laws that address SPAM, read the FCC’s guide titled “Spam: Unwanted Text Messages and Email.”

CDYNE supports only the sending of opt-in text messages from the SMS Notify! API for both short codes and DIDs.  In an effort to ensure that all text messaging sent through CDYNE SMS Notify! API is conducted responsibly, please read the Responsible Use Guidelines.

Contact CDYNE for more information about short codes.

Test SMS Notify! API for free.

CDYNE is proud to announce SMS Short Code Service availability. SMS Notify! customers have requested bulk text messaging and can now send up to 35 text messages per second. A short code is a 5- or 6-digit number such as 99431 that is assigned to a business to send text messages over supporting carrier networks. SMS Notify! now supports U.S. and Canadian short codes.

Short codes come in two varieties: random or vanity. A random short code is assigned, and a vanity short code is a number or word you can request for example 77493 for “PRIZE.” They are easy to remember numbers businesses can use to communicate with their customers and clients.

Launching a short code requires access to wireless carrier networks and carrier approval. This includes a carrier application which details the message flow between your business and text message recipients. Short code setup and carrier approval typically takes 8-10 weeks. While setting up short code access, businesses can use SMS-enabled phone numbers (DIDs) to test their applications with SMS Notify! API.

Short codes are an excellent mobile communication tool to reach customers with immediate and relevant information.

Contact CDYNE today for more Short Code Service information.

Or sign up for a free trial license key to test CDYNE Phone Notify! API.

Developers find CDYNE SMS Notify! API integration details on the CDYNE developer’s wiki.

CDYNE Corporation Ranks in the Top 15 Percent of the 2012 Inc. 500|5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

CDYNE Places No. 747 on the 2012 Inc. 5000 Achieved by a 467 Percent Three-Year Sales Growth

Chesapeake, VA (August 22, 2012) – CDYNE Corporation debuted as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies on the 2012 Inc. 5000 list. The company achieved 467 percent growth in revenue between 2008 and 2011 and nearly doubled its workforce, ranking No. 747 and earning one of the most prestigious awards in business.

CDYNE facilitates business communications and data quality needs with developer-friendly APIs backed by a 100 percent SLA. With strategically located datacenters engineered for performance and reliability, CDYNE operates the most reliable, scalable, and secure infrastructure on the market today.

“CDYNE is honored to be ranked so highly among the esteemed companies in the Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest growing private companies,” said James Keown, CEO of CDYNE Corporation. “This reflects the commitment, talent and hard work of the CDYNE team, which has facilitated the aggressive growth achieved during a difficult economic period.”

The 2012 Inc. 5000 list represents a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy – America’s independent entrepreneurs.
In a stagnant economic environment, median growth rate of 2012 Inc. 500|5000 companies remains an impressive 97 percent. The companies on this year’s list report having created over 400,000 jobs in the past three years, and aggregate revenue among the honorees reached $299 billion.

Methodology
The 2012 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2008 to 2011. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2008. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2011. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2008 is $100,000; the minimum for 2011 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/500.

About Inc.
Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com/.

About CDYNE Corporation
CDYNE provides enterprise Communication and Data Quality APIs to solve the business need for real-time Communication and Data Quality verification. APIs are easily integrated into existing systems or applications and include Phone Notify!, SMS Notify!, PAV, PAV-I, Phone Verification, Demographics, Death Index, and IP2Geo. CDYNE billing is transaction-based and post-pay. There are no contracts, startup fees, or cancellation charges. For more information, visit http://www.cdyne.com/ or call 1-800-984-3710.

Today CDYNE launched PAV-I, an international postal address verification API which validates addresses for over 240 countries. Businesses with an international market presence can ensure data quality for their customer base without any prior knowledge of international address formats or foreign characters. One of the great features of PAV-I is that it takes the guesswork out of the many address formats that exist worldwide. We are excited about this new offering because it complements CDYNE’s existing PAV API, which is CASS Certified™ for US postal addresses, and now verifies Canadian addresses at no additional cost.

TRANSLITERATE ADDRESSES FROM ONE ALPHABET TO ANOTHER

PAV-I supports 9 writing systems and will transliterate address data for Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese Kanji, Chinese, Arabic, Thai, and Korean Hangul. For example, if you input a Japanese address in English characters, you have the option to request the validated address in either English or Japanese Kanji.

We will use the address 3-24-20, YOKODAI ISOGO-KU YOKOHAMA, 2350045, JAPAN to highlight the transliteration capabilities of PAV-I. The default setting for transliteration is false. When set to true, the verified address will output to the native language if it is supported. The only exception to this is the country output field, which will return in English.

Address entered with native output set to true:

Input Address: 3-24-20 YOKODAI ISOGO-KU YOKOHAMA 2350045 JAPAN

Output Results: A RESCODE of “1″ and OUTPUTSTATUS of “C” combined means the address was successfully matched or parsed and has been corrected to match the reference data. The corrected and transliterated address is output both in the ADDR field as well as the individual address fields. As mentioned earlier, the COUNTRY output field will return in English and does not transliterate.

 

The last output field MATCHLVL returned a “2,” which signifies verification down to the street level. These output returns are meaningful because they provide a record of any corrections that were made to your addresses along with the level to which the addresses were verified. The following MATCHLVL returns are available:

• 0 – No Match
• 1 – Town, City, Locality, Municipality, Suburb
• 2 – Street
• 3 – Premise (Building)
• 4 – Organisation (Varies by country, Business or Administrative Entity)

Address entered with native output set to false:

Input Address: 3-24-20 YOKODAI ISOGO-KU YOKOHAMA 2350045 JAPAN

Output Results: A RESCODE of “1″ and OUTPUTSTATUS of “C” combined means the address was successfully matched or parsed and has been corrected to match the reference data.

INNOVATIVE PARSING ABILITY

PAV-I has the ability to parse addresses entered in one or many fields. Using multiple address fields for input is useful when you are familiar with international addresses and the specific elements of the input address. If uncertain of the specific address elements, inputting information in the wrong fields may complicate or confuse matching.

To illustrate this, let’s use the address Rose House, 51-59 Circular Road, Isle of Man, IM1 1AZ, United Kingdom to show how this address can be entered using fielded or unfielded input.

Address entered with unfielded input:

Input Address: Rose House, 51-59 Circular Road, Isle of Man, IM1 1AZ, United Kingdom

Output Results: A RESCODE of “1″ and OUTPUTSTATUS of “V” combined means the address was successfully matched or parsed and has been verified mailable with no change.

Address entered with fielded input:

Input Address: Rose House, 51-59 Circular Road, IM1 1AZ, United Kingdom

Output Results: In this case, “Isle of Man” was not included in the input data. As a result, RESCODE  “1″ and OUTPUTSTATUS “C” was returned (the address was successfully matched or parsed and has been corrected to match the reference data).

PAV-I VERIFICATION CODES

Addresses are verified with a RESCODE and an OUTPUTSTATUS. The RESCODE returns data based on whether the address was successfully matched or not. The OUTPUTSTATUS provides extra details regarding the verification or correction that occurred when verifying the address. 

For more information about CDYNE PAV-I API, please contact an account representative at 1-800-984-3710, inquire by email, or initiate a chat for more details.

Or sign up for a free trial license key to test CDYNE PAV-I API.

Developers find CDYNE PAV-I API integration details on the CDYNE developer’s wiki

CDYNE’s Postal Address Verification API now fully validates Canadian addresses. You can standardize, correct, and verify US and Canadian addresses in one step. The API has been renamed PAV, and is the perfect complement to the PAV-I API, which standardizes and validates international addresses.

There are two supported operations for Canadian address verification: VerifyAddress and VerifyAddressAdvanced. Only two return codes apply to Canadian addresses. A return code of 200 means that the address was verified. A return code of 202 means that the input address is confirmed for all components except for the secondary number. A return code of 10 means that the address could not be found or verified.

If you have Canadian addresses with missing zip codes, PAV can append the zip code of the address as long as the Canadian province name has been abbreviated at input. Please see image below for an example.

We will use the address 75 University Ave West, Waterloo, ON to emphasize PAV’s ability to append a missing zip code.

Address input with missing zip code:

Address output with appended zip code:

As you can see, the correct zip code has been added and the address yields a return code of 200, meaning that the address is verified.  The address is now prepared for optimum delivery as suggested by the Canada Post with the output address properly parsed in upper case fonts and the zip code separated after the first three characters.

For more information about CDYNE PAV, please contact an account representative at 1-800-984-3710, inquire by email, or initiate a chat for more details.

Or sign up for a free trial license key to test CDYNE PAV.

Developers find CDYNE PAV API integration details on the CDYNE developer’s wiki.