Overview

iCIMS Text Engagement enables customers to send, receive, and store SMS, WhatsApp, and Facebook communication between their users and candidates for pre-employment and employment purposes only. Phone carriers and other messaging services have special requirements for messages sent from businesses, which customers are responsible for following as part of their Text Engagement use.

This article outlines several of those carrier-mandated requirements and, where possible, links to additional details provided by other organizations. It also contains best practice recommendations to assist customers in increasing the successful delivery and response rates of their outgoing messages. 
 

• General Text Message Requirements
• Short Code Requirements
• Additional Recommendations

General Text Message Requirements

The following requirements come from carriers and apply to all customers. These points are meant to provide a general overview and should not be taken as comprehensive. Where possible, links to additional details, including third-party documentation not maintained by iCIMS, are provided.

1. Customers must register for 10DLC; for new Text Engagement customers, this is part of the implementation process. For more information on 10DLC and Text Engagement, review the Text Engagement and 10 DLC: Customer FAQs article.
2. Customers must obtain a candidate’s explicit consent to the type of messages you intend to send before you contact them. Customers must also retain a record of that consent, except in certain cases where a candidate opts in by contacting you first or where you need to provide information (e.g., an appointment reminder) to an individual with whom your organization already has a relationship. For specific details, review the Consent/Opt-In section of Twilio’s Messaging Policy. (This document is not maintained by iCIMS.)
3. Users must address candidates by name, introduce themselves, and say what company they’re from in their opening message.

• You can use variables to help accomplish this (e.g., using $firstName in a greeting).
• You do not need to repeat these details in future messages that are part of an ongoing conversation with a candidate, though you should repeat them if you start a new conversation at a later date with a candidate you had messaged with previously.

4. Customers must provide candidates with a way to opt out of receiving further messages. (This is generally handled by standard Text Engagement functionality; for more information, review the iCIMS Text Engagement: Introduction to Candidate Opt-Out and Resubscribe Messages article.) For specific details, review the Opt-Out section of Twilio’s Messaging Policy. (This document is not maintained by iCIMS.)
5. Customers should stay up to date on Twilio’s Messaging Policy, SMS Guidelines for different countries, and Service and Country Specific Requirements. (These documents are not maintained by iCIMS.)
6. Customers should send SMS messages to a candidate using a phone number from the same country as the candidate’s phone number. Messages sent internationally may be subject to network restrictions as well as various technical issues and other delays.

Short Code Requirements

The TextApply feature in iCIMS Text Engagement utilizes a short code, which customers can advertise as a way for candidates to apply for open jobs.

Carriers require that customer short code advertisements include the following:

• A call to action (e.g., “to learn more about job opportunities in your area, text…”).
• The phrases "message frequency will vary," "message and data rates may apply," and "powered by TextApply."
• Help/stop instructions (e.g., "Reply HELP for help or STOP to cancel").
• Links to your organization's mobile terms of service and privacy statement.