Text messages — consent, compliance and what gets sent

Sidebar: Business Settings, then Customer Notifications, then the Text Messages tab.

Texting is regulated. Alaga checks consent before every text, so sometimes a text you expected does not go out. The Delivery Log tab says why.

The number texts come from

Texts go out from Alaga's toll-free number, (844) 979-1388, on your business's behalf. Clients reply to that number and their replies land in Messages. See Two-way messaging with clients.

Automatic texts you can switch on

All three are off until you switch them on:

Appointment reminder texts — a short reminder next to the reminder email, 24 hours and 2 hours before the visit.
Ready-for-pickup texts — sent when a pet is marked ready for pickup on the Live Board. When all of a client's pets are done, they get one combined text.
Check-in tracker texts — a Track My Pet link when the pet is checked in. The client signs in to their portal to see it.

Booking confirmation texts are listed as Coming soon.

Every check must pass

A text only sends when all of these are true:

Your plan includes texts. If not, the Text Messages tab says "Your plan includes no text messages". Reminder emails still send.
That text type is switched on for your business.
The client has agreed to texts of that kind.
The client has not replied STOP.
The client has a mobile number on file.
You have texts left — your monthly allowance, then any prepaid credits.

If any check fails, the text is skipped and the Delivery Log records why. See Why didn't my reminder send? to work through it.

If the main number fails, Alaga tries the client's second phone number, if they have one.

Two kinds of consent

Clients can agree to two things. Staff record them on the client's form, under the phone number:

Appointment texts — reminders, ready-for-pickup texts and replies about their appointments.
Marketing texts — promotions and campaigns. This needs the client's express consent. Ticking it also covers appointment texts.

Clients can also opt in from their portal home page.

When you move from another system, opt-outs come with your data. Appointment-text consent may be carried over for established clients. Marketing consent never carries over. Clients must agree again in Alaga.

STOP and START

A client who replies STOP, STOP ALL, END, CANCEL, QUIT or UNSUBSCRIBE is opted out of all texts right away.

It happens automatically.
Only the client can undo it, by replying START, YES, SUBSCRIBE or UNSTOP. Even if you tick their consent again, the phone company blocks texts from our number to that phone until they reply START.
Replying HELP sends them information about the messages.

Never try to get around a STOP by texting from another number.

Your monthly allowance, packs and auto-refill

Each plan includes a number of texts a month. Reminders, pickup texts and conversation texts from Messages all count. A picture message uses 3 credits.

When the allowance runs out:

Texts draw from prepaid credits, if you have any. Credits never expire.
With no credits, texts pause until next month. Emails keep sending. Owners and managers get a "Texts are paused" notification.

Owners buy packs under Business Settings, then Billing, on the SMS Usage card. Switch on Auto-refill there and pick a pack. When you run out, your card on file is charged for that pack, so texts never pause.

Owners and managers are also notified when 80% of the allowance is used, and when credits drop low.

Marketing texts

Promotions go through Marketing, which only texts clients with marketing consent and counts against the same allowance. See Sending an email campaign. Do not slip offers into reminders or conversations.

If you are unsure

The safe rule: texts about a booking the client made, to a client who agreed, with an easy way to stop. This article explains how Alaga behaves. It is not legal advice about what the law requires where you are.