Scale to Win supports using toll-free numbers to send SMS and MMS campaigns. Toll-free numbers are ten-digit phone numbers with area codes like 833, 844, or 866. 

You can access toll-free numbers by going through a registration process. Check out our article on how to get registered here. If you prefer to only text with 10DLC (local numbers), then you do not need to register for toll-free.

Why text on toll-free?

Toll-free phone numbers are uncapped, meaning you can send as many segments or messages in a day to your contacts as you like. If your organization is a 501(c) non-profit or private entity, we strongly recommend using toll-free instead of 10DLC phone numbers, which are capped for all but 527 and government organizations.

Toll-free is also an attractive option for fundraising. Though we can’t guarantee this will be true for every one of your texting campaigns, we typically see excellent deliverability (outside of bad / disconnected phone number errors) while texting with toll-free and links in the initial message. 

Disclaimer: Deliverability is never guaranteed, and is always subject to change. Mobile carriers don’t always communicate what traffic they will and won’t allow, and filtering on toll-free is still possible.

What does it cost?

Nothing. It's free to register for and use toll-free numbers.

How do I use toll-free numbers?

You will need to register to use a toll-free number to send texts. Once you’ve registered, you will be able to text from a verified toll-free number. 

If you have successfully registered for 10DLC as well as toll-free, you can switch between phone number strategies in your campaigns. Just head over to the "Phone Number" tab in your campaign and select the dropdown menu. 

Image above: Scale to Win supports both 10DLC and toll-free numbers for sending texts in your campaigns.

Click on “Toll-Free Number - SMS / MMS” to access your registered number. 

Image above: Select "Toll-Free Number" to send SMS and MMS campaigns from your registered toll-free number.

Then, select “Save and Go to Next Section”. Now, when the texts in your campaign are sent, your contacts will see them coming from your toll-free number.

Note: you cannot change a phone number strategy after a campaign has launched.

What are the downsides?

After testing toll-free at scale, we have found no negative impact on response rates or action takers with contacts who received a text message from a toll-free number vs. a traditional local phone number (in fact, we often see higher positive rates due to increased deliverability!)