10DLC (Ten-Digit Long Code) is the US carrier registration program required for any business to send SMS marketing or transactional messages from a standard 10-digit phone number. Without it, your messages will be heavily rate-limited or flat-out blocked.
Why it matters
Pre-10DLC, businesses could spin up a Twilio number and start texting customers. Carriers cracked down on this in 2023-2024 because of the spam problem. Now: every business sending SMS through a 10-digit number must be registered.
Registration is one-time
You do this once, when you sign up. Subsequent SalesThumb shops you open under the same business don't need to re-register.
Steps
1. SalesThumb → Settings → Messaging → "Register for 10DLC" 2. You'll fill out a form: legal business name, EIN, address, expected message volume, sample message text, business website. 3. SalesThumb submits to Twilio. Twilio reviews + submits to the carriers. 4. Carrier approval typically takes 5-10 business days. 5. You'll get a confirmation email when approved.
During the wait
You can still send SMS in test/dev mode (the SalesThumb dev shop has a pre-registered test account). Production sending is rate-limited to ~5 messages/day until 10DLC approval lands.
What to expect on the form
The most-rejected fields are: - Sample message — must show a typical message, NOT a marketing blast. "Hi Sarah, your ceramic install is scheduled for Tue 10am. Reply YES to confirm." is good. "Black Friday — 30% off!" gets rejected. - Use case — pick "mixed" if you'll do both transactional (reminders) and promotional (review requests). Picking "marketing only" gets stricter limits. - Opt-in language — describe how customers consent to receive SMS. "Customers provide their phone number at quote time and explicitly opt into SMS at booking" is fine.
Cost
Twilio charges a one-time ~$15 registration fee + ~$2/mo to maintain the registration. SalesThumb passes these through at cost.