What You Need to Provide for SMS Messaging Approval
Aesthetix CRM handles your A2P 10DLC registration through our managed Twilio infrastructure. To complete your setup and ensure carrier approval, we need you to provide compliant consent forms, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.
This guide explains exactly what's required for approval.
A2P (Application-to-Person) 10DLC is a carrier-mandated registration system that verifies who is sending SMS messages and ensures patients are consenting to receive them. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and other carriers require this before allowing business text messaging.
What Aesthetix CRM handles for you:
Brand registration with carriers
Campaign registration and submission
Technical integration with Twilio
Ongoing compliance monitoring
Monthly carrier fees
What you need to provide or embed:
Compliant consent collection forms (we can set up our own forms for you and all you have to do is embed these across your site)
Privacy Policy with required SMS language
Terms of Service with required clauses
Business verification documents (as needed)
Your website forms, booking calendars, and patient intake processes must collect consent properly. The rules are strict and depend on whether you require phone numbers.
Your contact form, booking calendar, or intake form cannot require a phone number. Follow these rules:
Two Separate Consent CheckboxesYou must have TWO distinct checkboxes - one for marketing messages, one for appointment/service messages. Patients choose which to opt into (one, both, or neither).
Marketing Messages Checkbox - Use This EXACT Language:
I consent to receive marketing text messages from [Your Practice Name] at the phone number provided. Frequency may vary. Message & data rates may apply. Text HELP for assistance, reply STOP to opt out.
Appointment/Service Messages Checkbox - Use This EXACT Language:
I consent to receive non-marketing text messages from [Your Practice Name] about appointment reminders, confirmations, and service notifications. Message & data rates may apply. Text HELP for assistance, reply STOP to opt out.
Critical RulesCheckboxes MUST be unchecked by default - Never pre-select consent boxes
SMS consent MUST be optional - Patients can submit the form without checking either box
Cannot force consent - Form submission cannot require SMS consent
Must be separate from Privacy/Terms acceptance - Don't combine SMS consent with "I agree to Privacy Policy"
Example compliant form structure:
Every form on your website that collects phone numbers must have:
Privacy Policy LinkMust be clearly visible in the footer
Must be a direct clickable link
Cannot be hidden behind modals or pop-ups
Must be accessible BEFORE form submission
Terms & Conditions LinkMust be clearly visible in the footer
Must be a direct clickable link
Must be accessible BEFORE form submission
Links Must Be ClearFont size must be readable (not tiny fine print)
Links must be distinguishable as clickable
Cannot be obscured by other design elements
Must work on mobile devices
Example footer:
If you collect consent verbally during appointments or via paper forms, you must document:
Verbal Consent:
Exact script used with all required disclosures
Staff training documentation
Process for sending a confirmation message immediately after
Paper Forms:
Photo/scan of form showing consent language
Must include all required elements (frequency, data rates, HELP/STOP instructions)
Clear field for phone number
Patient signature and date
Provide these to Aesthetix CRM for campaign submission documentation.
Your Privacy Policy must include specific language about SMS data handling. This is a carrier requirement for A2P approval.
Your Privacy Policy must include this exact paragraph somewhere in the document:
SMS CONSENT AND DATA SHARING
No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. Information sharing to subcontractors in support services, such as customer service, is permitted. All other use case categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
Remove Any Language About:Sharing patient contact information with affiliates
Selling patient data to third parties
Sharing data with marketing partners
Lead sharing or lead buying/selling
Data brokers or contact list sales
Contact Information Must MatchYour Privacy Policy must show:
Your legal business name (or clear DBA relationship)
Phone number matching your brand registration
Email address matching your brand registration
Website URL matching your domain
BrandingYour practice name and logo in the header
Professional, branded page design
URL on your practice domain (e.g., yourpractice.com/privacy-policy)
Cannot use generic privacy policy generators without customization
Added required SMS consent paragraph (exact language above)
Removed all language about sharing/selling patient data
Removed all affiliate marketing language
Contact information matches brand registration
Practice name/logo in header
Hosted on your practice domain
Publicly accessible (not behind login)
Mobile-friendly and readable
Your Terms of Service must include five specific clauses about SMS messaging. We provide the exact language carriers expect to see.
Identify your SMS program and what patients can expect:
[YOUR PRACTICE NAME] SMS PROGRAM
This service provides [describe what you send: appointment reminders, treatment information,
promotional offers, post-treatment care instructions] to patients who have opted in to receive
text messages from [Your Practice Name].
Example for a med spa:
[YOUR PRACTICE NAME] SMS PROGRAM
This service provides appointment reminders, treatment confirmations, post-care instructions,
and promotional offers for aesthetic treatments to patients who have opted in to receive text
messages from [YOUR PRACTICE NAME].
Copy this language exactly into your Terms of Service:
You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to [YOUR PRACTICE PHONE NUMBER].
After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that
you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us.
If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending
SMS messages to you again.
If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP
for more assistance, or you can get help directly at [YOUR SUPPORT EMAIL] or [YOUR PRACTICE
PHONE NUMBER].
Replace the bracketed items with your actual information:
[YOUR PRACTICE PHONE NUMBER] - The number patients text with
[YOUR SUPPORT EMAIL] - Your practice email
[YOUR PRACTICE PHONE NUMBER] - Can repeat or use different number for support
Copy this language exactly:
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
Copy this and fill in your message frequency:
As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us
from you. You will receive [SPECIFY FREQUENCY]. If you have any questions about your text
plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.
For [SPECIFY FREQUENCY], choose one:
"approximately 4 messages per month" (if you know the average)
"message frequency varies" (if frequency changes)
"up to 10 messages per month" (if you have a maximum)
Examples:
"You will receive approximately 2-4 messages per month."
"You will receive message frequency varies depending on your appointment schedule."
Link to your Privacy Policy:
If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy:
[LINK TO YOUR PRIVACY POLICY]
Example:
If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy:
https://www.yourpactice.com/privacy-policy
Here's how all five clauses look together:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
SMS MESSAGING TERMS OF SERVICE
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
RADIANCE MED SPA SMS PROGRAM
This service provides appointment reminders, treatment confirmations, post-care
instructions, and promotional offers for aesthetic treatments to patients who have
opted in to receive text messages from Radiance Med Spa.
You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to (555) 123-4567.
After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to
confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive
SMS messages from us.
If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will
start sending SMS messages to you again.
If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the
keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at
support@radiancemedspa.com or (555) 123-4567.
Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us
and to us from you. You will receive approximately 3-5 messages per month. If you
have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your
wireless provider.
If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy:
https://www.radiancemedspa.com/privacy-policy
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━Added Program Identity & Description (Clause 1)
Added Opt-Out & Support instructions (Clause 2 - exact language)
Added Carrier Liability disclaimer (Clause 3 - exact language)
Added Message Frequency disclosure (Clause 4 - exact language)
Added Privacy Policy link (Clause 5)
Contact information matches brand registration
Practice name/logo in header
Hosted on your practice domain
Publicly accessible (not behind login)
Mobile-friendly and readable
Understanding the difference helps you set up consent properly:
Appointment confirmations Appointment reminders Appointment rescheduling notifications Post-treatment care instructions Medication reminders Lab results available Payment/invoice confirmations Account notifications
Treatment specials and promotions New service announcements Seasonal offers (summer body sculpting, holiday deals) Member appreciation events Birthday/anniversary offers Referral program promotions Educational content about treatments Before/after photo showcases
Why it matters: Patients may want appointment reminders but not marketing offers. Separate checkboxes let them choose.
Q: Do we have to have both marketing and non-marketing checkboxes?
Yes, if you send both types of messages. If you only send appointment reminders (non-marketing), you only need one checkbox. But most practices send both types, so you'll need both checkboxes.
Q: Can we pre-check the appointment reminders box since everyone wants those?
No. Carrier rules prohibit pre-checking any consent boxes, even for appointment reminders. Patients must manually check the boxes.
Q: What if a patient doesn't check either box but gives us their phone number?
You can only contact them via phone calls or email (if provided). You cannot send them any SMS messages without their explicit consent via the checkbox.
Q: Can we require SMS consent to book an appointment?
No. Even if your booking system requires a phone number, you cannot require SMS consent. Patients must be able to book without opting into texts.
Q: Do we need to update our existing Privacy Policy and Terms of Service?
Yes. You must add the required SMS language to your existing documents. Aesthetix CRM can review your current documents and let you know what needs to be added.
Q: What happens if we don't have compliant forms?
Your A2P campaign will be rejected by carriers, and you won't be able to send SMS messages to patients. You'll need to fix the issues and resubmit, which delays your SMS capability.
Q: Can Aesthetix CRM create our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service for us?
We can provide templates and guidance, but you should have your attorney review and customize them for your specific practice. We are not attorneys and cannot provide legal advice.
Q: We operate under a DBA name. Does that matter?
Yes. If your legal business name is different from your practice name, you need to clearly show this relationship in your website, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service.
Format: "[Legal Business Name] DBA [Practice Name]"
Example: "Aesthetic Wellness LLC DBA Radiance Med Spa"
If this isn't clear on your website, your campaign will be rejected.
Q: How long does approval take once we provide everything?
Once you provide compliant forms, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Service, Aesthetix CRM submits your campaign. Carrier approval typically takes 5-10 business days. We'll notify you once approved.
Q: Can we start sending texts while waiting for approval?
No. You must wait for full campaign approval before sending any A2P SMS messages. Attempting to send before approval can result in blocked messages.
Q: What if our campaign gets rejected?
Aesthetix CRM will work with you to identify and fix the issues. Common problems are incomplete consent language, missing Terms of Service clauses, or Privacy Policy issues. We'll guide you through corrections.
DO: Use the EXACT checkbox language provided in this guide Keep consent checkboxes unchecked by default Make SMS consent optional, even if phone number is required Separate marketing and non-marketing consent Include Privacy Policy and Terms of Service links in all form footers Add the required SMS paragraph to your Privacy Policy Include all 5 required clauses in your Terms of Service Use your actual practice name (not "the company" or placeholders) Match contact information across all documents Make footer links clearly visible and accessible Host Privacy Policy and Terms on your practice domain Document verbal or paper consent processes clearly Show DBA relationship clearly if applicable Keep documents mobile-friendly Review everything before submitting to Aesthetix CRM
DON'T: Pre-check or pre-select consent boxes Require SMS consent to submit forms Combine SMS consent with Privacy Policy acceptance Use generic consent language - must use exact wording Skip the separate marketing/non-marketing checkboxes Hide footer links or make them inaccessible Mention affiliates, selling, or buying patient data in Privacy Policy Skip any of the 5 required Terms of Service clauses Use placeholder text like {{business_name}} in live forms Reference "the company" instead of your actual practice name Use Aesthetix CRM demo numbers or sample content Have mismatched contact information across documents Host legal documents on third-party domains Use generic privacy policy generators without customization Make DBA relationships unclear or undocumented
Your campaign will likely be rejected if:
Consent checkboxes are pre-selected Form requires SMS consent to submit Checkbox language doesn't match exact requirements Only one checkbox for both marketing and non-marketing Privacy Policy allows sharing patient data with third parties Privacy Policy mentions affiliates or selling patient data Privacy Policy missing required SMS paragraph Terms of Service missing any of the 5 required clauses Footer links to Privacy/Terms are missing or hidden Contact information doesn't match across documents Using placeholder or demo content DBA relationship unclear or not documented Documents not branded with your practice name Documents hosted on wrong domain
Once you've completed your compliance requirements, provide the following to Aesthetix CRM:
Website forms with compliant consent checkboxes
URL to each form that collects phone numbers
Screenshots of forms showing checkbox placement and footer links
Privacy Policy with required SMS language
Public URL to your Privacy Policy
Confirmation that required SMS paragraph is included
Terms of Service with all 5 required clauses
Public URL to your Terms of Service
Confirmation that all 5 clauses are included
Business information (if not already provided)
Legal business name
DBA name (if applicable)
Practice phone number
Practice email address
Website URL
EIN/Tax ID
Alternative consent methods (if applicable)
Verbal consent script with all disclosures
Paper form templates with consent language
Process documentation
Submit via: Your Aesthetix CRM client portal or provide to your onboarding manager
Timeline: Once submitted, Aesthetix CRM reviews for compliance (1-2 business days), then submits to carriers for approval (5-10 business days).
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Aesthetix CRM is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. The information in this guide regarding Privacy Policies, Terms of Service, consent forms, and A2P compliance is provided solely for informational purposes to help you understand carrier requirements for SMS messaging approval.
The templates, sample language, and guidance provided are based on current carrier requirements as we understand them, but:
They are not a substitute for legal advice from a qualified attorney
They may not address all legal requirements specific to your jurisdiction
They may not cover all aspects of your practice's legal obligations
Laws and regulations change frequently and may differ by state
You should consult with your own legal counsel before publishing or implementing any Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, consent forms, or other legal documents. Your attorney can ensure these documents:
Comply with federal and state laws applicable to your practice
Address your specific business needs and risk factors
Include all necessary provisions for your jurisdiction
Properly protect your practice and patients
Aesthetix CRM makes no representations or warranties about the legal sufficiency or compliance of any information provided in this guide. By using this information, you acknowledge that Aesthetix CRM is not responsible for any legal consequences arising from your use of this guidance.
Healthcare providers should also ensure compliance with:
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
State medical privacy laws
Professional licensing board requirements
Telemedicine regulations (if applicable)
When in doubt, consult your attorney.