22.25. Call & Text Add On

This allows you to set up text and robo-call reminders. Please follow the setup instructions closely. They are outlined below.

To see what all texting can do for your clinic, go here.

In January 2023 new FCC requirements are in place. Businesses must register a profile and campaign to send business-related text messages. This is not an HQ thing, it’s a new federal requirement in the industry for any business that uses texting, no matter which texting service you use. If you use another texting service, we suggest you ask your text message provider if your campaigns are registered. If your clinic uses HQ texting, please complete your business profile in Settings. This is a new FCC requirement for any company that uses business texting. If you do not complete your business profile, some carriers may not push your text messages through to their clients. For example, text messages may not be deliverable to ATT clients, or TMobile clients.

Business Profile

THREE STEPS to register your Business Profile & Campaign

STEP 1: Fill Out Your Business Profile

Please go to Settings > Call & Text Add On and click the button to “Fill in Business Information.”

Fill in business profile

Enter Business Information*
Proceed with filling in the business information. Enter the EIN number, business details, and contact. It is common for the registered business name associated with the EIN number to be different than the day-to-day business name. If one period is out of place, it is declined. It’s a computer verifying the information

Having trouble with the business information being accepted?
Twilio, our provider, independently checks this information character for character against IRS records. Please use your last year’s tax return or 990 to verify details. If one period is out of place, it is declined. It’s a computer verifying the information. There is no room for interpretation.

If you still need assistance, please open a help ticket. In your ticket provide the following information.
Non-profits: EIN number, website, contact person (full name, email, phone, job position, title)
For Profit: A copy of last year’s tax return (just the top contact information – no financial data), website, contact person (full name, email, phone, job position, title)

STEP 2: Submit Business Registration

Then, click Submit Business Registration.
A field for US A2P BRAND STATUS will appear where it indicates pending or approved. Most clinics will see an approval within a few minutes. Refresh the page or check back after a bit.

!If your clinic has submitted the registration and does not have approval within 4 hours, please open a help ticket.

STEP 3: Complete Registration

Once the US A2P Brand Status is “APPROVED,” you must click the button beside the status and submit the campaign, by clicking Complete Registration.

You must click Complete Registration after business info is verified.

This is what you will see when the registration is approved.

Campaign Status

We will auto-register your “campaign.” A campaign simply describes the nature of your text messages. By default, all clinics are registered a “business transactional.” It should take about one minute for it to register the campaign. NOTE: Twilio has posted that due to the high demand, this process is taking longer than expected. Some users may not have an approved campaign for several weeks.

Campaign Status

Once a phone number is selected, you must complete the A2P business registration form. After submission, your clinic should be approved to use the phone number within a minute.

Once the campaign is registered, refresh the page and you’ll see a green “Completed” status indicator.

Campaign Registration Success

Enable a Phone Number

Select the phone number only after the brand and campaign are approved. We do not recommend enabling a phone before the campaign is verified.
Once a phone number is selected, monthly charges for the add-on will begin.

Select and activate your clinic's texting phone number.

In order to set this up, input your area code and click Enable. To disable it, click the red button.

*Your clinic does not need a physical phone for the number to be connected with for Call & Text Add-On.

The Call & Text Add-on phone number is used to send communications from Clinic HQ and is not tied to a physical phone.
1. Select your State.
2. Select either a City OR enter an area code.
3. Click “Setup” for the system to search available numbers. On the next page activate a number (No other numbers are available besides these).
This will pull available phone numbers from the integrated Twilio system. Select the number you want to be associated with your clinic’s text messages and robo-calls. This number is NOT your clinic’s landline.

Note, that you must have a credit card on file in order to activate. The phone number is $1/month. Go to Profile > Billing & Subscription to ensure your clinic’s billing information is active.

!If your clinic chooses to disable the phone number, it cannot be recovered.

The Cost

The charge for text messages is 5¢ per segment. Each segment consists of up to 160 characters, including spaces. To reduce cost, shorten the message.
The charge for auto-calls/robo-calls is 5¢ per segment. Each segment consists of up to one minute, which includes about 800 characters including spaces. To reduce cost, shorten the message.

The monthly fee is $1.00 per month for the phone number (in addition to the .05 cents per segment).
Your clinic will be billed at the beginning of each month for the text and call add-on. This is separate from your clinic’s subscription.

*Note: The calculation is only an estimate and may not reflect actual length. The length of the message, with each message, will be slightly different based on changing the length of placeholder fields such as the animal name.

Go to your Confirmations and Reminders to set up automated texts or calls.
Keep in mind that if the client has more than one pet on the same appointment date, they will only receive one text. If you choose to include fields in the reminder text such as animal name, this will populate with all of the animals for that day. You are then more likely to have a larger cost associated with that reminder. Tip: To keep texting fees low, make sure your character count on a message stays below 160. Example reminder text that won’t go over the character count: “Reminder for your pet’s appointment tomorrow. Check-in is at 8 AM. Check your email for more instructions.”
Read more about setup in these sections of the manual: Confirmations & Reminders and Communications

Texting back and forth with clients.

This is done via the e-Lobby. If the client messages you, there is no charge. Only outgoing messages are billed to your clinic.