Compliance at Voyage

Many SMS opt-in methods offer a discount in exchange for signing up. The language in these opt-ins must be explicitly clear that the individual is also enrolling in a promotional SMS program. If any ambiguity exists, it could lead to the individual claiming their consent was not valid (i.e., that the subscriber did not clearly authorize you to deliver ongoing advertisements via text).

In the Voyage platform, the pre-populated opt-in text message for every list building method deployed includes the language “receive other exclusive SMS messages” — which eliminates ambiguity and protects your brand from claims of invalid consent.

For brands looking to double down on opt-in validation, Voyage defaults to double opt-ins across all of our SMS list building methods. Voyage encourages brands to use this quick, double validation option to ensure their subscribers give consent clearly, reducing all possible compliance issues.

The Voyage platform automatically activates double opt-ins for list-building methods that require it, including keyed-in entry and Keyword campaigns.

The robust reporting capabilities inside the Voyage platform ensure that you know when and by which method every subscriber has opted-in to an SMS program.

In accordance with TCPA and industry guidelines, Voyage automatically includes a list of opt-out keywords within each account that will lead to being unsubscribed (none of which are case sensitive): STOP, Unsubscribe, Cancel, Stopall, End, Quit, Arret (Canada), and Opt Out.
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Besides including the mandatory and standard keywords for quickly opting out of text campaigns, Voyage encourages brands to include common misspellings of these opt out keywords with your campaigns and confirming if the intent was to opt out when they come through. Offering these extra safety net opt-out keywords ensures thoughtful customer experience at every engagement, even when they are stepping away from your text campaigns.

Not all responses from a subscriber are an explicit opt-out like “STOP”, sometimes they are “Please stop messaging me” (or more unsavory). Our platform works to detect these types of opt-out messages that are not as clear in their intent and remove the Subscriber from your lists.

Our system also is tuned to infer intent vs simple keyword matching. For example, “Please cancel my order” contains a keyword, but will not remove the Subscriber for your list.

In the event our system has low-confidence in the message's intent, we will send a reply to the Subscriber, “It appears that you may want to opt-out. Please text STOP to confirm, otherwise ignore this message.”

Attention should be paid to the potential for receiving opt-outs via other channels of communication. For example, brands may receive opt-out requests from subscribers who are physically present in a store, send an email or DM, or place a telephone call. Voyage mandates that all opt-out requests be provided to us in a timely manner to reflect these opt-outs in the platform.