Activate SMS Codes for the US and Canada

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

• Activate SMS codes to use in your company in the US or Canada.
  
• Set up and manage consent settings to send SMS messages.
  

Activate Your SMS Code

Your new SMS code appears in the SMS Codes section of Setup, but you now need to activate the code for use. Just follow these steps and you’re ready to go.

1. Click the code you want to activate.
   
2. On the Consent tab, set your consent opt-in status to Explicit or Double Opt-in.
   
3. Enter your opt-in and keyword information.
   
4. Save your changes.
   
5. Now activate the capabilities you want to use with the code:
   
   1. To use Flows: In the Activate Send and Receive Messages via Flow section, click Activate.
      
   2. To support agents and bots via Digital Engagement:
      
      1. In the Activate Access to Agent and Bot Conversational Support section, click Configure.
         
      2. On the Messaging Settings page, under Omni-Channel Routing, click Edit and set the Omni-Channel Routing configuration to route service messages to queues, flows, or agents depending on your business needs.
         
      3. Save your configuration.
         
      4. Return to the SMS code details page and in the Activate Access to Agent and Bot Conversational Support section, click Activate.
         

Get Consent to Send SMS Messages

No matter where you send your SMS messages, you need consent to do so. Some localities may just require explicit consent, while others require double opt-in. Follow these steps to set up your code’s consent settings.

1. On the Consent tab, set your consent opt-in status to Explicit or Double Opt-in. If you selected Double Opt-in, optionally modify the Double Opt-in Prompt. Subscribers receive this message to confirm their opt-in before they can receive messages from the selected number.
   
2. For Consent Keyword Settings, enter the keywords and messages that enable opt-in, opt-out, and help conversations with your subscribers. All languages default to the keywords that you enter here.
   
3. To include language-specific keywords and messages, click Add Language-Specific Consent Keywords and enter the text for the additional languages.
   
4. Click Save.
   

Complete the Final Steps After Setting Up Consent

Once you've set up consent, you just have a few more things to do.

• Connect the SMS code to a communication consent record. This record links the code to an SMS channel (SMS) and a purpose (like marketing, service, or transactional). This helps Salesforce make sure consent is followed when sending messages through Unified Messaging.
  
• If your company uses communication subscriptions, link this code and its consent record to a subscription (for example, SMS Marketing Updates). This lets you manage communication preferences across channels. It also enables contact-level subscription management and preference center functionality.
  
• If you have subscriber consent stored elsewhere (like a sign-up form or an old system), make sure to import these records for your existing contacts using Data Loader, APIs, or the consent import tools in Data 360 or Marketing Cloud Engagement. Create the records in the IndividualConsent object and link them to the correct ContactPointTypeConsent. This way, Salesforce knows who's opted in for messages.
  
• When you’re building journeys or Send flows, make sure they follow the communication consent model. Your entry criteria or decision splits should check that the recipient has opted in. This is important because, even if a code is active, sending messages to users who haven't given proper consent can be a compliance risk.
  

Remember to Plan Ahead

This process can take some time, so plan to make these requests a few weeks ahead of your start date. Regulatory agencies may have questions for you, or you might need to provide more details. By gathering all the data up front and staying responsive to regulatory follow-ups, you’ll soon be able to send marketing and transactional messages.

Resources

• Salesforce Help: Activate Your SMS Code
• Salesforce Help: Manage SMS Consent in Unified Messaging