Even after imposing the Do Not Disturb (DND) activation facility and taking suitable measures to prevent spamming, the problem of unsolicited SMS is increasing at an alarming rate. Customers continued to suffer from uninvited texts, unwanted SMS, and phishing messages even after activating the DND service. In order to guard consumers’ interest, TRAI has notified The Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) 2018 and has declared certain guidelines to regulate fraudulent practices and bring an end to spam messages. They are the new TRAI Guidelines for DLT.
The system will be managed using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). According to the revised TRAI guidelines, every individual/business needs to register with the telecom operators on the DLT platform in order to continue sending SMS to their clients and customers without interruption. Each Individual/Business(Principal Entity) and Telemarketer will be accountable to telecom operators(Access Providers) who will be directly accountable to TRAI.
After introducing the new regulations, there are slight changes in A2P Messaging routes. In this blog let’s learn about them in detail with examples.
Promotional Bulk SMS route in DLT:
Promotional routes allow marketing SMS for advertising a product or service. The companies can promote their offers and discounts to the customers and Promotional SMS are only sent to Non-DND Numbers.
Customers can set a particular time duration to receive promotional messages according to their own interests. For Example, if the user wants to receive SMS on Monday from 9 AM to 11 AM, then the messages will only be delivered to him at that particular time on Monday from 10 AM to 11 AM.
Sender ID (Header) has to be created for sending promotional messages and it should be of 6 numeric digits (not more or less). You cannot use alphabetic characters for creating Headers in the promotional routes and every Header will have a unique ID set by the operator.
Examples of Promotional Bulk SMS:
1. Dear User, Get up to 60% off on shopping of Rs. 2500/- and above. Hurry up! Offer valid for a limited time.
2. Festival Sale! Order now and get a free gift worth Rs. 500. Call us at 1122334455 for more details.
3. Holi Sale 2021 Discount offers up to 30% off + extra 10% off on all orders above Rs. 3999 on Electronics Items Mobiles, Laptops, TVs, etc. Visit now to get the Exciting Offer.
Transactional Bulk SMS route in DLT:
As per the newest TRAI guidelines, the Transactional Bulk SMS route will be reserved only for Banks for sending One Time Password (OTP) to complete an online transaction initiated by the bank customer. All National/Private/Scheduled/Government and MNC Banks can use the Transactional route to send OTPs.
Banks should create a Header (Sender ID) of six alphabetic characters for using the Transactional route.
Examples of Transactional Bulk SMS:
1. Dear Customer, OTP for the transaction of INR 5000 is 80976. Please do not share it with anyone.
2. OTP for Axis Bank Debit Card ending 1996 is 945382. OTP is valid for 1 minute.
Service Bulk SMS route in DLT:
As per the revised TRAI Guidelines, Service (Implicit and Explicit) route has been introduced. It allows a brand to send SMS to its Customers informing them about a product or service. To send SMS from the service route, a Header (Sender ID) of six alphabetic characters has to be created.
There are 2 kinds of categories in the Service route – Implicit and Explicit
Service Implicit SMS:
Service Implicit SMS: If a company or business wants to send Informative SMS other than OTP will fall into the category of Service Implicit route. Using this route, important notifications regarding products and services such as purchase confirmation messages, order status, alerts, reminder SMS, etc. can be conveyed to the customers. Promotional SMS cannot be transmitted using the Service Implicit route.
Examples of Service Implicit Messages:
1. Payment confirmation messages from any banks and Card Transactions.
2. Product purchase confirmation messages regarding any order status or delivery status.
3. OTP SMS for any E-commerce Website Login, Mobile Number Verification, KYC, etc.
4. Messages from school on important notifications like attendance, timetable, event invitation, etc.
5. Messages from Clinics/Hospitals for Booking an Appointment, Reminders, Lab Reports, Bill Payments, etc.
6. Messages from Government/TRAI, Local Authorities, Traffic Advisories, Election Commission, Disaster Management Advisories.
7. Service update messages from Car Showroom, any Home Appliances Service Centers.
8. Alert SMS from Banks, Insurance Companies, etc.
Service Implicit Bulk SMS Examples:
1. Dear Customer, your order is being prepared and will be delivered within 20 minutes.
2. Hello! Your account number ending with 4089 has been debited by Rs. 3000.
3. Dear Customer, Your Order will be delivered by our agent Today Before 7 PM
Service Explicit SMS:
Service Explicit Bulk SMS Examples:
1. Dear Customer, Thank you for sign up with our premium account. Enjoy our exclusive offer for Premium Customers. Get an extra 25% discount while shopping at our store. Offer valid till this week.
2. Dear Customer, This is to inform you that your policy renewal is due. Avail of 10% off on the renewal charges if you renew the policy before the Due Date.
Classification of SMS as per the new TRAI Rule
Below given Image will help you to understand and identify the Bulk SMS Routes.
Try our variety of Bulk SMS used in the DLT Process – FREE credit will be provided after signup with our service. Go through our DLT Registration. Contact Us at +91 9019 120 120 or Write an Email to support@webrevenant.com any time.
