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SMS Opt-In System Field

Learn how to use the recommended system field for SMS opt-in effectively to ensure trust and compliance.

Michael Stephenson avatar
Written by Michael Stephenson
Updated over a week ago

Overview

Effective SMS communication starts with consent. At Element451, we stress the importance of securing a student's opt-in to uphold trust and meet regulatory standards. Without this consent, messages risk being marked as spam, damaging your institution's reputation and trust score with carriers.

By leveraging the user-sms-updates field, you ensure your messaging practices are not only compliant but also respected and welcomed by students and other contacts, safeguarding your ability to engage effectively.

❗Important: These system fields do not automatically block SMS messages to students who haven't opted in. You are responsible for respecting and honoring students' opt-in preferences. By carefully segmenting your audience according to these fields, you ensure compliance with SMS marketing laws and maintain your students' trust.

Here's how you can effectively use the recommended system field:


System Field Explained (user-sms-updates)

The user-sms-updates field is universally applicable across forms, events, applications, etc., reflecting a student's opt-in status for SMS communications across their entire record. When a student opts into SMS updates through any interaction point, this field is set to true, indicating their consent to receive SMS messages.


Segmenting with SMS Opt-In System Field

To ensure that you only send SMS messages to students who have explicitly opted in, using a filter to segment your audience based on their opt-in value is essential. As a reminder, Element451 does not automatically remove students without an opt-in value on their record when sending SMS communications.

To avoid sending messages to those students who haven't opted in, you should use the following filter when creating a Segment:


What about user-application-sms-updates?

While user-application-sms-updates exists, it is scoped specifically to applications and presents limitations due to its narrow scope. Institutions that completed implementation before late 2023 might still be using this field. However, we strongly recommend updating any applications or processes to utilize user-sms-updates instead. This shift will streamline your SMS opt-in process, ensuring a consistent and compliant approach to student communication.

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