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03.02 Set up texting so it is legal, delivered and respectful

03.02

Set up texting so it is legal, delivered and respectful

Register for A2P 10DLC, put consent language on every form, set quiet hours, and make sure every opt-out is honored before you automate a single text.

40 minNeeds verificationChecked 2026-10-20

Video walkthrough

Coming soonBefore you automate one text: consent, registration and quiet hours
It will cover
  1. Why carriers block unregistered business texts, and what A2P 10DLC registration actually is
  2. The consent sentence every form needs, and the privacy policy line carriers check
  3. Quiet hours: the federal 8am to 9pm rule, stricter states, and how each CRM enforces it
  4. Opt-outs: STOP keywords, and the 'please don't text me' that software misses
  5. The five-minute compliance check you run before turning on any automation
This chapter is complete without it. Every step is written out on this page.

What you're building

Five safeguards that every later chapter depends on: (1) carrier registration of your texting number, (2) consent language on every lead form, (3) a privacy policy that says you do not sell or share phone numbers, (4) a sending window that keeps texts and calls inside quiet hours, and (5) an opt-out process that catches both keywords and plain-English requests.

Why it matters

US carriers filter business texts from numbers that are not registered. Follow Up Boss states that to text from it, your business must be registered and approved by carriers; you can still receive texts and calling is not affected. HighLevel completes the same registration through its Trust Center.

Beyond delivery, an unwanted text costs you twice: the person can report your number as spam with their carrier, which follows your business, not the phone number. Follow Up Boss notes that once numbers are tied to your business, swapping numbers will not fix a spam reputation.

What you need

  • Your exact legal business name, business type, EIN and registered address as they appear on your IRS documents (Follow Up Boss requires an EIN for the account owner; HighLevel offers Standard Brand and Sole Proprietor paths).
  • Edit access to your website forms and privacy policy page (or your website vendor's contact).
  • Owner or admin role in Follow Up Boss, or admin in the HighLevel sub-account.

Time and cost

Time
1 to 2 hours of setup; carrier review takes days to weeks
Cost
Registration and per-message carrier fees apply

HighLevel publishes A2P registration, monthly campaign and carrier fees on its help center; Follow Up Boss handles registration inside the account. Fees change, so check the current pages before you submit.

Step by step

  1. Add consent language to every form that collects a phone number

    Carriers check that the form on your website tells people you will text them and how to stop. Follow Up Boss is explicit: filling out a website form is not an opt-in unless opt-in wording is present. Put the consent sentence (template below) directly under the phone field or above the submit button on your website, landing pages, open-house sign-in, and HighLevel forms and surveys.

    Check: Open each form on your phone. The consent sentence is visible without scrolling past the submit button, and it names your business.

  2. Update your privacy policy

    Add the statement that phone numbers and lead data are not sold or shared with third parties for marketing, plus the SMS terms (what you text, STOP to cancel, HELP for help, message and data rates may apply). Follow Up Boss publishes sample wording on its registration help page; the template below follows it.

    Check: Your privacy policy URL loads publicly and contains the words 'will not be sold or shared' and 'STOP'.

  3. Register: HighLevel Trust Center

    Registration has two parts. The Brand says who is sending (your legal business identity). The Campaign says what you send and why: the use case, sample messages, how people consent, and your website. Use your real sample messages from chapter 6, each with your name, business name and opt-out wording.

    Check: Trust Center shows the Brand and Campaign as approved and your sending number is linked to the approved campaign.

  4. Register: Follow Up Boss Business Registration

    1. Enter your country, whether you have an EIN, and your full website URL.
    2. Enter your legal business name, business type and EIN, and the registered address exactly as on the EIN.
    3. Confirm the privacy policy and opt-in language items under Website compliance.
    4. Submit. One registration covers all team members.

    Check status at Admin > Company > View Business Registration.

    Check: The status bar shows the registration as approved.

  5. Set the sending window (quiet hours)

    Federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8:00am or after 9:00pm in the called person's local time, and several states are stricter. This Playbook uses 9:00am to 8:00pm in the lead's time zone for every automated text and planned call. It is narrower than the federal window on purpose.

    • HighLevel: in every workflow that sends SMS, open Settings, turn on Time Window (Specific Time), set Start 9:00 AM, End 8:00 PM, and choose the days. Actions due outside the window pause and resume at the next opening. Set Timezone to the contact's time zone where available.
    • Follow Up Boss: Lead Flow initial texts do not send between 9pm and 8am in the assigned agent's local time; they queue for 8am. Note this is the agent's time zone, so for out-of-area leads also check the lead's local time before you text manually.

    Check: Every SMS-sending workflow in HighLevel shows a Time Window in Settings. Run the cadence planner in chapter 6 with a 9:30pm arrival and confirm the first text moves to the next morning.

  6. Make opt-outs stick, including the ones that do not say STOP

    Both CRMs handle keywords automatically. Follow Up Boss blocks all future texts from any number in the account when a contact texts STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END or QUIT (START, YES or UNSTOP opt back in). HighLevel sets a permanent DND when a contact replies with a standard opt-out keyword such as STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE; only the contact can lift it by texting START, YES or UNSTOP.

    People also write 'please stop texting me' or 'take me off your list'. Treat any clear request to stop as an opt-out, the same day.

    • HighLevel: create a workflow with the Customer Replied trigger, add a Contains Phrase filter for each phrase in the opt-out phrase list below, then add the DND Contact action (enable DND for SMS, or for all channels if they asked to stop all contact) and an Internal Notification to the assigned user so a person double-checks it.
    • Follow Up Boss: add a tag Do Not Text to the person and a note with the date and their words, and exclude that tag from every texting Smart List (chapter 4). Ask your Follow Up Boss support contact whether your account can mark a number as opted out manually; this Playbook could not confirm that from the help center.

    Check: Text STOP from your own phone to your business number: the contact shows opted out (orange number in Follow Up Boss, DND in HighLevel). Then text START to restore it.

  7. Record where consent came from

    Create two custom fields: SMS Consent Source (dropdown: Website form, Landing page, Open house sign-in, Verbal on call, Replied first, Past client) and SMS Consent Date (date). Fill them from each form's hidden field or by hand. When a lead has no consent source, call or email first; do not text.

    Check: Open your five most recent leads. Each has a consent source or is clearly marked as call/email only.

What success looks like

  • Registration approved (Trust Center or Business Registration status).
  • Consent sentence live on every phone-collecting form; privacy policy updated.
  • Every SMS workflow has a 9am to 8pm Time Window (HighLevel), and you know Follow Up Boss's built-in 9pm to 8am hold.
  • Keyword and plain-English opt-outs both end texting the same day.

Copyable templates

textPrivacy policy: SMS section
Text messaging
Phone numbers and lead data collected for text messaging will not be sold or shared with third parties for marketing or promotional purposes.
We use text messages to respond to your inquiry, confirm and remind you of appointments, and share updates you asked for.
You can opt out at any time by replying STOP. We will send one message confirming you are unsubscribed, then no further texts. To rejoin, reply START.
For help, reply HELP or email [CONTACT EMAIL].
Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
textOpt-out phrase list (HighLevel Customer Replied filters)

Add each line as its own Contains Phrase filter. Review the internal notification each time, because 'stop' can appear in other sentences.

stop texting
stop messaging
stop contacting
unsubscribe
remove me
take me off
do not text
don't text
dont text
do not contact
wrong number
not interested
textHELP reply (save as a text template)
[Business Name]: You're receiving texts about your real estate inquiry. For help call [phone] or email [email]. Reply STOP to opt out. Msg & data rates may apply.

Try it

Gate 1

Registered

Brand and Campaign approved, number linked. Without it, carriers filter your texts.

Gate 2

Consented

The lead gave permission on a form that said you would text, or texted you first. No consent source, no text.

Gate 3

In the window

9am to 8pm in the lead's time zone. Outside it, the message waits.

Gate 4

Not opted out

No STOP keyword, no DND, no 'Do Not Text' tag, no plain-English request to stop.

How to test it

  1. Submit your own website form with your mobile number. Confirm the consent sentence was on screen and the lead record shows a consent source.
  2. Trigger your first automated text at 9:30pm (create a test contact). Confirm it does not arrive until the window opens.
  3. Reply 'please stop texting me'. Confirm the HighLevel workflow set DND and notified you, or that you tagged it in Follow Up Boss within the day.
  4. Reply STOP to a different test message. Confirm a single confirmation text and nothing after it.

Troubleshooting

Texts show as failed or undelivered.

Check registration status first (Trust Center or Admin > Company > View Business Registration). In HighLevel, error 30034 means the number is not linked to an approved campaign.

A lead who texted STOP wants to hear from you again.

They must text START, YES or UNSTOP to your number. You cannot lift a keyword opt-out from the UI in either CRM, and you should not try.

Campaign registration was rejected.

Read the required-fix details. Common causes are a missing consent sentence on the website form, a privacy policy without the no-sharing line, or sample messages without your business name and opt-out wording.

HighLevel adds 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe' to my first text and it reads awkwardly.

You can customize the wording at Settings > Phone Numbers > Advanced Settings > SMS Compliance. Keep a clear opt-out instruction in it.

Advanced technical details

Optional. You can follow every step above without these.

Technical detailsHow the pieces fit: TCR, carriers and throughput

A2P 10DLC (application-to-person over standard 10-digit numbers) registration goes to The Campaign Registry. The Brand verifies identity; the Campaign declares the use case, sample messages and opt-in flow. Carriers set throughput and filtering based on that. HighLevel's LC Phone also applies daily bulk-SMS sending levels for new sub-accounts (starting at 500 SMS in 24 hours and stepping up), which matter only for bulk actions.

Follow Up Boss positions its texting for one-to-one conversations with people you have a relationship with, not mass or drip texting. Its Automations and Action Plans do not send texts other than the Lead Flow initial text; design your cadence (chapter 6) with that in mind.

Technical detailsWhat could not be verified
  • The exact current FCC consent-revocation deadlines after the September 2026 order. Check the FCC docket CG 02-278 and your attorney.
  • Whether Follow Up Boss lets an admin mark a number opted out without the contact texting a keyword.
  • HighLevel Trust Center screen-by-screen field names, which vary between Standard and Sole Proprietor registration.

Sources

Written from the best available information. One or more steps could not be confirmed; see the notes in the chapter. Last checked 2026-10-20.