Text messaging plays a key role in how BrightSide users communicate with their guests. When people are on vacation, they do not check their email as frequently as they do when they are at home or working. Some surveys revealed that as many as 75% of people never check email while on vacation. However, most people rarely skip checking their text messages. If you want to communicate with your guests after they leave their house, you most likely need to do it via SMS, or text.

BrightSide offers text messaging to users who request it. It is not a feature that “works right out of the box.” Implementing our texting feature is a lengthy process that takes time to set up and use.

• The Process
• Text Message Templates

NOTE: We do not charge our users additional fees for texting, acquiring a phone number, or registering a campaign. However, we reserve the right to begin charging for these services if/when we determine it can no longer be offered for free.

Let Us Know

If you are a current BrightSide user, call or send us an email to let us know that you want to add texting to your account. This will set things in motion. Please keep reading to know what to expect. The process can take up to six weeks or more.

If you are a new client and will be onboarding, let the onboarding specialist know that you want to include texting. If we start early enough, you may have texting ready by the time you launch.

The Campaign Registry

In 2018, the FCC ruled that SMS and MMS are informational services giving mobile carriers the ability to regulate the sending and receiving of messages as they see fit. In 2021, wireless carriers classified businesses sending texts as A2P, or Application to Person. They also began requiring businesses to register their company, numbers, and campaigns, with The Campaign Registry. This entity is supported by the major carriers, with authority provided by the FCC, to regulate business texting. For more information, watch the video below provided by RingCentral.

Register a Number

You must have a phone number associated with your texting campaign. If you do not have one, BrightSide will acquire one for you. At the moment, we use Twilio, Nuso, or Flowroute, to process text messages.

Brand Registration

Your company is your brand. Wireless regulators require you to apply, and register your “brand” through The Campaign Registry. BrightSide is happy to walk you through this process, and even do it for you, if needed.

Campaign Registration

After your brand is registered and approved, you must then register a “campaign.” The campaign tells regulators how you plan to use text messaging to communicate with your customers. If you use texting for more than one purpose, you must register a separate campaign for each.

For example, management companies sending text messages to guests with information about their upcoming stay is one campaign. Sending messages long after they have completed their stay asking them to come back, is another campaign, and requires registration.

Create a Text Template

Your campaign was approved and now you are ready to begin setting up your text message templates. For detailed instructions, go to our Knowledge Base article, Creating a Text Message Template.