Introduction:
Allowing specific keywords to unsubscribe from automated text messages is a requirement for all companies in order to comply with Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulations. If you send marketing or promotional text messages to customers in the United States, you're subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This means keywords like "Stop, End, Cancel, and Unsubscribe" are all recognized opt-out commands under TCPA regulations. This is not something Planet DDS or Cloud 9 can change due to federal law.
The complete list of "opt out" words is here:
STOP
QUIT
END
REVOKE
OPT OUT
CANCEL
UNSUBSCRIBE
Process description:
As a workaround for confirmation or appointment reminder messages, the office can update their messaging template to say something along the lines of, “Reply with 'Reschedule' to reschedule your appointment.” Another option is to edit the verbiage of the message going out, asking patient to either text "N" or "No" to cancel the appointment and "R" or "Reschedule" to reschedule the appointment. This approach has helped reduce instances where patients opt out of SMS messaging accidentally by typing "cancel" to cancel their appointments.
If a client does accidentally "opt out" of receiving text messages, you will see in their patient contact information a red icon indicator attached to their phone number. The remedy for this will be for the patient to text START to the number they received the reminder from. This will remove the opt out designation from their cell number.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Cloud 9 Support by emailing us at cloud9support@planetdds.com . You can chat with us online using the chat bubble on the lower right at https://cloud9support.planetdds.com/hc/en-us . You can also give us a call during our business hours of 8:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST at the 1.800.394.6050 option 2.