How texting works in Dispatch Bros: numbers, sender mapping, 10DLC, and delivery

Texting in Dispatch Bros runs on four pieces: a phone number you own, a one-time carrier registration (10DLC for local numbers, Toll-Free Verification for toll-free), a sender-number map that decides which number each job source texts from, and delivery tracking on every message. Once your number's SMS status reads Ready, everything — the Messages inbox, automations, review requests, invoice texts — sends through the same pipeline. This page walks the whole path from "I bought a number" to "the customer's phone buzzed."

The four pieces

1. Numbers — the phone lines you own, managed in Phone System → Numbers. Each one shows a live SMS Status.
2. Verification — US carriers require registration before they deliver business texts. Local numbers use 10DLC; toll-free numbers use Toll-Free Verification.
3. Sender mapping — each job source can have its own default texting number, set in Automations → Sender Numbers.
4. Delivery — every outbound text is tracked as carriers report back, and customer opt-outs (STOP replies) are honored automatically.

Before you start

• You need at least one phone number in Dispatch Bros (buy a number or port one in).
• 10DLC registration asks for your legal business details (legal name, EIN, address). Sole proprietors without an EIN are supported — the entity type "Sole Proprietor (no EIN — verified by phone)" verifies your identity with a code texted to your mobile instead.
• You need an owner or admin login to register and manage numbers.

Step 1 — Get a number that can text

Buy a local number in Phone System → Numbers. Local numbers are the normal choice for texting: they support both voice and SMS once registered. Toll-free numbers are voice-only until they pass a separate Toll-Free Verification — an unverified toll-free row shows Voice only with the note "SMS is not enabled for toll-free numbers."

Step 2 — Register for 10DLC

Open Phone System → 10DLC Verification. The registration card is titled "10DLC Compliance Registration" — as the page says, it is "Required by US carriers to enable outbound SMS on your numbers." Registration is two stages, shown as two tabs:

1. Brand Verification — your business identity: legal name, entity type, address, contact. This is checked against carrier registries.
2. 10DLC Registration — your messaging campaign: what you text about and sample messages. Submit it with Submit Campaign for Review.

After submitting you'll see "Registration submitted! Approval typically takes 1-3 business days." While it's in review, the status banner tells you exactly which stage you're waiting on — "Stage 1 of 2 — Brand Registration Pending" or "Stage 2 of 2 — Campaign Registration Pending". When both stages clear, the banner reads "Registration Approved" with "Your messaging account is fully compliant."

Step 3 — Watch for the Ready status

Back in Phone System → Numbers, every number's SMS Status column tells you where it stands:

A number that isn't Ready yet can still receive inbound texts and make calls — only outbound texting waits on the carrier.

Step 4 — Map a sender number to each job source

Open Automations in the sidebar, then the Sender Numbers tab. Each job source row has a Sender Number picker:

1. Pick the number that source should text from. Only SMS-ready numbers are selectable — numbers still getting verified appear grayed out with their current status.
2. A source with no sender shows "Fallback to primary" in the SMS Status column — its texts go out from your company's primary number instead.
3. A chip above the table counts sources still missing a sender; click it to filter down to just those rows.

This same tab also holds each source's Review Link and Smart Link — see how review collection works.

How Dispatch Bros picks the number for each text

• Automated texts tied to a job (confirmations, reminders, review requests) send from the job's source sender number — that's the whole point of the map: a customer who called your "ABC Locksmith" line gets texts from that same brand's number.
• Sources without a sender fall back to your company primary number.
• Replies come back to the same number, so the conversation threads correctly in the Messages inbox no matter which line it started on.

Delivery, opt-outs, and compliance

• Every outbound text's status updates as carriers report delivery, so the Messages inbox reflects what actually arrived — not just what was sent.
• Customers can reply STOP at any time. Dispatch Bros confirms the opt-out automatically and blocks future sends to that customer; a HELP reply gets an automatic help response. This is a carrier requirement and is handled for you.
• Your plan meters SMS usage — see plans and pricing for how message volume is counted.

Troubleshooting

• A number sits on Pending 10DLC for days — open Phone System → Numbers and press the row's Retry button (or select several rows and use Retry 10DLC). If it still doesn't clear, the status detail popover carries the carrier's actual reason.
• SMS Status shows Blocked — the number is attached to a different 10DLC campaign than yours. The detail reads "SMS is blocked for this number — it is assigned to a different 10DLC campaign." Use Retry to re-run setup, or release the number if it can't be recovered.
• A toll-free number won't text — it shows Voice only until it passes Toll-Free Verification. Once submitted it reads Verification pending; once approved it reads Ready and sends like any local number.
• The sender picker won't let me choose a number — numbers that aren't SMS-ready are visible but disabled in the picker, with their live status as the hint. Finish verification first, then assign.
• Registration was rejected — the banner shows the reason when one was provided. Fix the flagged details and resubmit; if only the campaign was rejected, your brand approval is kept and you only redo the campaign step.