As a business looking to leverage text messaging for its marketing campaigns or customer service, it's important to understand the rules of SMS compliance and how to handle opt ins and outs. Dissecting what does opt mean in text is the first step to ensure that your SMS communications are not only legal but also drive long-term results.
In a nutshell, opt in and opt out refer to customers giving or withholding their consent to receive certain messages from businesses. Specifically, in terms of SMS, these include messages that are marketing-related or automated (like appointment reminders). Businesses can ask for permission to text customers through a variety of means, including SMS keywords, web forms, and mobile sign-up widgets. These forms of communication are often considered to be the most effective way to get a customer's express consent to receive your SMS messages.
To comply with TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) regulations, many businesses require their customers to explicitly give their consent to receive their messages before they start sending them. Usually, this is done by asking them to check a box or clicking a link when filling out a form on the website or during an online chat session. Some businesses even send a confirmation text after a customer checks a box to verify that they indeed want to receive their messages, called a double opt in.
In general, it's best practice for businesses to only text customers that they have explicit consent from and to only send them information that is relevant to their products or services. This ensures that customers don't feel harassed or annoyed by the business and helps to build trust between them. Similarly, it's crucial that customers are provided with an easy method of opting out of receiving these messages from the business.
