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What is A2P? An EasyRinger Guide

The virtual phone number industry is in constant flux, and 2023 brings a pivotal change with the USA’s implementation of A2P (Application to Person) regulations (also known as A2P 10DLC) and the emphasis on A2P compliance. It’s important to note that, for now, this only impacts the USA, and if you don’t send or forward to the USA, you do not need to worry about this. However, it’s likely that countries like the UK or Canada will follow this standard soon, though there are no dates planned.

If you’re deliberating, “What is A2P, and how does it affect my operations?” look no further. We’re committed to illuminating the nuances of these regulations, ensuring you’re aligned with the latest in A2P compliance standards.

Why Should Our Subscribers Care About A2P Compliance?

As we progress into 2023, the USA is ushering in robust SMS text messaging regulations under the banner of “A2P” (Application to Person). The core drive behind A2P is to clamp down on spam and misleading messages. What’s crucial for EasyRinger subscribers to note is that platforms like EasyRinger fall squarely into the A2P category. Customers must register both the business and its SMS campaigns, ensuring transparency about their text messaging intent. Introduced in 2022, these regulations are becoming more strict. By Fall 2023, any message dispatched on A2P platforms to USA recipients will hit a wall unless backed by an A2P registration.

Breaking Down the Basics: What is A2P Messaging?

A2P stands for Application to Person messaging, and it’s rapidly becoming a buzzword in the business world. So, “what is A2P?” you might ask. Simply put, it allows a company’s software to send text messages to a USA customer’s phone.

You might have experienced A2P without even realizing it. Have you ever received a promotional code from a favorite brand? How about a notification from your bank about a transaction? Or perhaps an appointment reminder from your service provider? All these interactions are prime examples of what A2P messages can do.

But here’s the real appeal for savvy business owners: the efficiency of text messaging. A staggering 98% of text messages are opened and read. So, when pondering over “what is A2P?” and its relevance to your business strategy, know that A2P messaging isn’t just a trendy term; it’s a potent tool promising reach and results.

The Information Required Depends on Your Business Status

Your journey into this new A2P realm hinges on one pivotal question: Do you run a business with a Tax ID in the USA or Canada? But worry not. Even if you don’t have a Tax ID, you can still register. The essential thing to remember is that your use cases must always revolve around a business or a service. Let’s delve deeper for clarity.

If You Have a Business Tax ID:

If you have a USA or Canadian business tax ID, EasyRinger has specific information requirements for you to navigate the A2P landscape. Here’s what we’ll need from you:

• Personal Details: Your role in the company as well as your first and last name
• Key Business Communication Channels: Email and phone
• Your Business Hub: Full address, including postal code and country
• Your Company’s Identity: Its legal name, website, business entity type and market segment
• Fiscal Essentials: Country of registration and Tax ID/EIN
• SMS Campaign Details: Name, Description, and Intent (will they include phone numbers or links?). Additionally, please provide a glimpse into sample messages. We also need to understand how your end-users consent to receiving messages.

If You Don’t Have a Business Tax ID:

For those stepping into the A2P world without a USA or Canadian business tax ID, you are considered to be a sole proprietor and follow a slightly different registration procedure. Let’s break down what you need to know and how to get started.

1. Providing Your Business Address Details:

• Street Address: The official location of your company.
• City & State: The administrative division and city where your business is located.
• Country: Currently, only businesses situated in the USA or Canada are eligible for this process.
• Postal Code: Your business’s official postal code.

2. One-Time Password (OTP) Verification:

• Purpose: The US telecom sector is ensuring text messaging remains a trusted medium, free from potential misuse.
• Procedure: Authenticate your identity with a one-time code sent to your phone.
• Note: Please use your personal number for this verification; EasyRinger numbers are not accepted.

As a sole proprietor diving into the A2P scene, there are a few restrictions that you will encounter:

• You’re limited to one SMS campaign.
• Your campaign should stick to just one phone number.
• Your messages will be sent out at a pace of one per second.

Peering into the Future and Navigating A2P Regulations

As the USA spearheads the A2P regulations, Canada watches closely. Given the historical ties between Canadian and USA telecom sectors, Canada might soon adopt similar A2P measures. The UK already has restrictions on certain inbound international messages and will likely introduce A2P in the future.

For EasyRinger subscribers, comprehending these A2P regulations is crucial. We’re dedicated to helping you decode, adapt, and remain compliant with these ever-evolving standards. In a rapidly changing digital landscape, knowledge equips you with power. With EasyRinger by your side, stay informed and confidently navigate the future of messaging!

Place a Call from your Browser

We are thrilled to announce a new feature: Placing a phone call directly from your browser. Using this feature, you can be comfortably seated at your laptop with your headset and microphone and make all the calls you need from the EasyRinger dashboard. There’s no need for a destination number, just an internet connection.

Start your call by clicking/tapping on the new button that appears on your number card:

The new user interface will then expand and you’ll be able to select the country of the number then enter the number that you want to call, very similar to how you current make an outgoing call on EasyRinger:

When you use the “Make a Call” button, EasyRinger will call directly out to the number that you entered. Make sure that your audio is already working on your device. You’ll soon be connected to the number that you want:

To end the call, simply use the red “hangup” button. The call will then end and the user interface will shut down. Likewise, if the callee hangs up first, the call will end and the user interface will close automatically.

Transcribe Voicemail to Text

EasyRinger Pro subscriptions now set up their voicemail to convert voicemails to text and send an email containing the text. At the bottom of your “Voicemail Options” tab, you will see this checkbox:

Voicemail transcription is the conversion of the voicemail audio track into written words to be stored as plain text in a conversational language. Voicemail transcription can be a useful tool for business, training, medical, or legal reasons. Text has more advanced search and analysis features available than audio. A text-based history of voicemails is necessary for many use cases.

Are you interested in privacy?

EasyRinger is a great option if you want to keep your real number private. It’s more expensive to switch out a real number with a SIM card or one tied to a contract, but it’s easy to switch out an EasyRinger number. To keep your number 100% private, make sure you set your voice options to look like this:

The most important option here is the second one, “When I calld, show people who answer my call…”. If you set this to “This EasyRinger Number”, then people you call will always see your EasyRinger number and not your personal number that is handling the call.

Likewise, give people and organizations your EasyRinger number rather than your personal number. If you want to know when someone has dialed your EasyRinger number rather than your personal number, be sure to set the “When someone calls my number show me…” option to “This EasyRinger number”. This way, you’ll know that someone is trying to reach you on your EasyRinger number.

What happens if you start getting too many unwanted calls on your number? You have two options:

• Set up an allow or a block for your number
• Just switch out your EasyRinger number for a new one

New Voice and SMS Options

EasyRinger now offers more granular control of how you handle forwarding of your calls and messages. Previously, if you didn’t want to forward a call or message, you simply deleted your destination number. But, what if you want to forward calls but not messages? You were out of luck! We now let you control whether you forward your calls or your messages – and you don’t need to ever delete your destination number to take advantage of this.

Many subscribers like to save money by not forwarding their messages. This often will result in free or near free messaging on your EasyRinger number. You can receive your text messages in email or just monitor your SMS history.

To not forward your text messages or your calls, just click/tap on the gear icon next to your number in the EasyRinger dashboard. That will let you configure your EasyRinger number. The first tab you will see is the “Voice Options” tab, the second is the “SMS Options” tab. Use the “Forward SMS messages to my destination” button to turn on or off your forwarding.

Invoice Data

Many subscribers have requested that their official information be present on invoices. We have now added this feature. To access it, log in to your EasyRinger dashboard and click/tap on the “Subscription” button. We have added an “Invoice Data” panel where you can enter your name, company name, and address. All fields are optional. Whatever you fill in will be present on all of your invoices.

Notifications

We have added a new tab to the options interface for your EasyRinger number called: “Notifications”. Here, you can set up how you would like to be notified of special events on your number. We are starting with the simplest: Email.

In the past, all notifications went to your subscription email address. But, many subscribers with multiple numbers wanted to be able to associate a different email address with each number. That’s only natural, especially if each phone number is assigned to a team member, for example.

If you leave the email address blank, then your subscription email address will be used.

Block Numbers & Allow Numbers

EasyRinger now offers a super easy way to block unwanted calls. To access these options, click/tap on the little “gear” image next to your number in the EasyRinger dashboard, then select the “Number Blocking” tab.

Number blocking or number allowing is simple. First you need to decide if you want to allow number or block numbers. If you block numbers, select the “Block Numbers” radio button. Then, any number the matches the calling number will be blocked. All other numbers will be allowed. If you want to only allow numbers, select the “Allow Numbers” radio button.

“Allow Numbers” is much more restrictive. For example, if you select “Allow Numbers” then add one number to your list, then only that number can call you. Every other number will be blocked. Use this if you know that only certain numbers should call you and you want to remove any excess calls.

(Above) In this example, only 19701234567 can call my number.

“Block Numbers” is useful if you have some particularly bothersome numbers that won’t stop calling. Simply select “Block Numbers” then add the offending numbers to your list:

(Above) In this example, I’m blocking all calls from 19702221234 and all calls from China! (Nothing against China, it’s just an example! 🙂

Note: You don’t have to type the full number. If you enter “86”, then you block all calls from China (since “86” is China’s country prefix). If you enter “1970”, then you block all calls from this area code in the USA.

To remove a number, simply click on the “trash” icon and the number will be removed. You can have up to 50 blocked or allowed numbers.

Potential solutions to SMS problems

If you’ve noticed that your EasyRinger number is no longer forwarding your text messages to your destination phone number, you may need to adjust your SMS Options. Recently, in an effort to combat spam, many carriers have been denying forwarding of SMS messages if the carrier does not recognize either the source or destination number. This might happen if you have the “When someone sends an SMS to my number, show me” set to “The Calling or Messaging Number”. To fix the problem, change the setting to “This EasyRinger Number”. The carrier will recognize your EasyRinger number and allow the message to be forwarded.

EasyRinger Voicemail

EasyRinger offers a simple and flexible voicemail system. All numbers that support voice have access to voicemail. In the past, the EasyRinger voicemail system allowed you to type in text which would be read by an AI voice. We still have that, but now you can also upload an MP3 file to serve as your voicemail greeting.

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(Above) Here’s an example of a simple voicemail system.

Voicemail is enabled by default. But, in some countries, voicemail is not as popular. To turn off voicemail, just click/tap the “Enable Voicemail” button.

“Timeout” lets you decide when your voicemail picks up. The number (which is seconds) can range from “0” (which means the number won’t ring but will go straight to voicemail) to “120” – two minutes.

Under “Actions”, you can use the traditional “Read Text” option or you can select “Play a File” to either select or upload an mp3 file. When creating your mp3 files, be sure to record in mono and encode with a lower quality setting. This will ensure that your voicemail picks up and runs as quickly as possible. There’s no value in encoding in stereo at a very high bitrate.

We now also support “Language”, which is only available when “Read Text” is selected. Use this if you want the AI voice to read with the proper inflections and pronunciations in the language that you’ve entered. For example, greeting text that’s in Spanish will sound a lot better when you select “Spanish” as the language. You can even select for regional pronunciations for some languages.