Call Forwarding

Learn why call forwarding is required for SMS marketing compliance and how to set it up in Recart.

Table of Contents:

1. Why Call Forwarding is Required
2. Setting Up Call Forwarding in Recart
3. How to Update your Company Phone Number
4. Call Forwarding for Shortcodes
5. Updates to Help Keyword

Why Call Forwarding is Required

To comply with U.S. state Mini-TCPA regulations and TCPA guidelines, businesses using SMS marketing must provide a callable phone number for recipients. These regulations require that consumers have a way to contact businesses via phone if they receive marketing messages. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to $25,000 per violation.

To ensure compliance, Recart has implemented automatic call forwarding for all businesses using Recart SMS:

• Toll-Free Numbers (TFNs): Calls are automatically forwarded to your company phone number, ensuring that customers can reach your business directly.
• Shortcodes: Since shortcodes do not support voice calls, Recart routes calls through a TFN, which then forwards them to your company phone number for compliance.

By ensuring that your company phone number is callable and correctly set up in Recart, your business stays compliant with SMS marketing regulations while maintaining accessibility for customers.

Setting Up Call Forwarding in Recart

You can now set up call forwarding within the app. Here’s how it works:

• Default: By default, the forwarding number will be set to the general contact phone number.
  
• Customizable: You have the option to change the forwarding number to any phone number of your choice.
  
  
• Mandatory: This field is required and cannot be left empty.
  

How to update your company phone number

1. Log in to the Recart App
2. Go to General Settings
   1. Click on your name in the bottom left corner.
   2. Select Settings from the menu.
3. In General Settings, navigate to Company Info
   1. Scroll down to Company Information.
   2. Locate your Company Phone Number and update it as needed.

 

How to choose a different number for Call Forwarding 

1. Log in to the Recart App
2. Go to SMS Settings
   1. Click on your name in the bottom left corner.
   2. Select Settings from the menu.
3. Go to the SMS Settings tab
   1. Scroll down to Call Forwarding.
   2. Choose whether you would like to use Company Phone Number or enter an alternative number you would like to use. 
   

Call Forwarding for Shortcodes

Since shortcodes do not support voice calls, Recart automatically enables call forwarding via Toll-Free Numbers (TFNs). This ensures compliance across all supported countries.

• If you’re using a shortcode, your Help Flow will automatically include a callable TFN instead.
• This means that recipients will always see a valid phone number when replying to marketing messages.

Updates to Help Keyword

To align with these changes, Recart has updated the default Help Flows:

• When a recipient texts “HELP,” the response will now include both standard help information and the phone number for voice callbacks.
• A new Contact Number Variable has been introduced to store the forwarding phone number. This variable is automatically included in Help messages sent from shortcodes.

These updates make it easy to stay compliant while maintaining effective communication with your customers. For assistance with call forwarding or other features, visit the SMS Settings page.

If you have any remaining questions, do not hesitate to contact the Customer Support team.