Getting Started with SMS
SMS is a text message sent to a patient's mobile phone. In your Dewy account, texting runs alongside email: your nurture sequences use both, and you can also send one-time SMS campaigns to a list.
Texting has rules that email does not. Carriers filter aggressively, and a practice that breaks the rules loses its number. This article covers what has to happen before the first text goes out and the habits that keep your number healthy.
How SMS gets turned on
SMS is not enabled automatically. During onboarding, the Dewy team registers your practice with U.S. carriers (a process called A2P 10DLC registration) and activates texting in your account once approval comes through. Approval typically takes 5 to 7 business days after submission.
Registration requires your business details, a Tax ID or EIN, and a website with compliant privacy and terms language. The two articles below cover what carriers look for and the step-by-step form:
- An Overview of SMS Verification Requirements (what your website and forms need before you submit)
- A2P 10DLC Registration for SMS Messaging in Dewy (the registration form, field by field)
First sends are reviewed
Once SMS is live, your first few campaigns may be held for a manual compliance review. If a message appears paused, that is why. Approved messages are released and delivered without any action on your part.
Consent: the one rule that matters most
You may only text people who have explicitly agreed to receive texts from your practice.
- Email consent does not count as SMS consent.
- "General consent to be contacted" does not count either.
- A web form with SMS opt-in language next to the phone field counts. A phone caller who agrees to receive appointment texts counts. A purchased list never counts.
What every text must include
Dewy formats outbound texts for you so each one identifies your practice and carries an opt-out line:
[Practice Name]: Your consult is tomorrow at 2:00 PM. Reply STOP to opt out
Patients who reply STOP are removed from texting automatically. Nothing for your team to do.
Habits that protect deliverability
- Send during business hours. Carriers can block late-night sends.
- Keep frequency reasonable. A promotional text more than once a week invites complaints.
- Do not include protected health information in a text. Appointment type is fine; diagnosis is not.
- Keep links short. Dewy shortens them for you when link tracking is on.
Related
Questions about texting or registration status: click the help bubble in the bottom right corner of any Dewy screen.