Part of Inbox texting approval. This page is only about your Terms and Conditions (sometimes labeled Terms of Service). For the full checklist (names, Privacy, consent form, samples, submit), see Signing Up for Inbox: Texting Compliance Requirements.
You don't have to write these yourself. CoolFocus can create your texting Privacy Policy, Terms, and consent form in your organization's name, and the phone carriers have already approved them. In texting setup, choose Use the CoolFocus pages (recommended) and select Continue. Your pages go online right away and are added to your registration, and you can read each one before anything is sent.
We're opening texting setup center by center while we move to a new phone provider. If you don't see Set up texting under Settings → Phone yet, nothing is wrong with your account. Chat with us from the Help button and we'll set up your pages and registration with you.
The rest of this page is for centers that would rather use their own Terms.
Before CoolFocus can turn on text messaging for your organization, carriers require an approval process called A2P / 10DLC (Application-to-Person messaging on 10-digit long code numbers that businesses use to send text messages in the United States).
U.S. mobile carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and others) use this process to differentiate legitimate business texts from spam and to filter or throttle unregistered traffic. You provide this as part of the Set up texting wizard, in the guided texting setup, from Settings → Phone.
Registration requires three documents. This article covers only #2:
1. Privacy Policy Requirements for Texting— mobile/SMS non-sharing language
2. Terms and Conditions (this page)
3. Client Texting Consent Form Requirements — how clients opt in
Terms & Conditions
All message senders must have compliant Terms & Conditions made available to their consumers/recipients. This document must be provided as a part of your registration.
Your Terms page should cover SMS/texting rules for people who opt in to receive text messages from your organization. You can keep your existing Terms structure — just add or tighten the SMS / text messaging section if it is thin.
What to Include:
Organization or brand name - your organization or how you are identified in text messages (so clients can identify the sender)
Short organization description (who you are)
How people opt in (intake form, website checkbox, keyword START, written consent, etc.)
What types of text messages they should expect to receive (appointment reminders, care follow-up, etc. — match your real use case)
Message frequency (for example "message frequency varies" or "up to X messages per week") or a recurring-message disclosure
Message and data rates may apply
Complete opt-out instructions — reply STOP to opt out and HELP for help (display STOP and HELP in bold so they are easy to spot)
Customer support contact (email, phone, or web contact page)
Link or reference to your Privacy Policy
Carrier delivery disclaimer: Delivery is not always guaranteed (delays and failures can happen) • Wireless/mobile carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages
Exact carrier-friendly wording often used: "Carriers are not liable for any delayed or undelivered messages."
An example might look like this:
Messaging Terms & Conditions
You agree to receive informational messages (appointment reminders, account notifications, etc.) from [Organization Name]. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. For help, reply HELP or call us at [phone number]. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP.
What approval looks like for your Terms URL
Your Terms page must:
Load without a login
Be a public web page that anyone can open without logging in. The CoolFocus pages count, and so does a page on your own website. Shared documents (Google Doc, Dropbox, Canva) are a common reason for rejection.
Use normal page text (not only a PDF, image, or script-only widget CoolFocus cannot read)
Pro tip: Consider a clear SMS / text messaging section (or a short text-messaging–specific Terms page) so reviewers can find STOP, HELP, rates, and the carrier delivery disclaimer quickly.
Common reasons for rejection
Terms only on a Google Doc, PDF-only file, or login-only page
Missing brand name, support contact, STOP / HELP, rates, or frequency
Missing carrier delivery disclaimer (delivery not guaranteed / carriers not liable)
Terms never reference the Privacy Policy
SMS rules buried so deep reviewers cannot find them
Related
Signing Up for Inbox: Texting Compliance Requirements
Purchasing Your Text Number