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Reintroduce a text-to-join feature

Text to Join needs to come back.  I do a lot of networking and it's so easy to say to someone "pull out your phone, text hwallen to 22828 and type in your email address when prompted".  It's also easy to say that once to a group of people and have them all sign up concurrently.  From what I've experienced with QR codes, it needs to be printed (and passed around) or brought up on one phone so another can scan it (now two phones are needed instead of 1 and it's done one on one, not as a group). Once the QR code is launched then a form pops up and the person has to navigate from space to space to fill it out.  Registering my attendance at church is where I've experienced the QR code to-form situation.  I just write on the paper attendance pad because it's faster so I can get back to the service rather than tab, type, tab, type, tab, type, submit. If it takes too long, no one fills it out. With the removal of this feature, it makes email gathering so much more arduous and not productive. If you're trying to make things easier, you've gone the wrong way.  Test it out. Ask a board room of people to join a list and see how long that takes using Text to Join v QR code.  I'd like to see the results.  If QR wins, then please tell me how to use it more efficiently. 

6 Comments
LindaM75770
Campaign Contributor

Text to Join needs to come back.  I do a lot of networking and it's so easy to say to someone "pull out your phone, text hwallen to 22828 and type in your email address when prompted".  It's also easy to say that once to a group of people and have them all sign up concurrently.  From what I've experienced with QR codes, it needs to be printed (and passed around) or brought up on one phone so another can scan it (now two phones are needed instead of 1 and it's done one on one, not as a group). Once the QR code is launched then a form pops up and the person has to navigate from space to space to fill it out.  Registering my attendance at church is where I've experienced the QR code to-form situation.  I just write on the paper attendance pad because it's faster so I can get back to the service rather than tab, type, tab, type, tab, type, submit. If it takes too long, no one fills it out. With the removal of this feature, it makes email gathering so much more arduous and not productive. If you're trying to make things easier, you've gone the wrong way.  Test it out. Ask a board room of people to join a list and see how long that takes using Text to Join v QR code.  I'd like to see the results.  If QR wins, then please tell me how to use it more efficiently. 

Frankie_P
Moderator

Hi @LindaM75770

 

Thanks for sharing this feedback with us! We apologize for any inconvenience caused from this feature no longer being available. Our text-to-join feature uses shared short-codes, which means that the same code could be used by more than one business. Shared short codes are however no longer permitted on carrier networks, and we are required to make these changes to be in compliance with their rules. The good news is our teams are actively working on a new feature that will be available through our SMS offering. 

 

Because of this we will mark this idea as planned and will reach out in the future when we have any further updates to share regarding the replacement.

Frankie_P
Moderator
Status changed to: Planned
 
MorganH970
Rookie

HI, I am a long-timer with Startlogic/Constant Contact, and would like to add my affirmative sentiment to keep / update / replace the Text to Join feature...could be QR code, but many people still don't use that very well, if it defeats the purpose if the user (not ageist, just saying..my more senior customers--a large, beloved segment of my customers) need to learn how to do this...A QR code can be printed on my receipts, on my webpage...all that but I have a sign in my window about texting to join.   Couldn't tell you if or how many may have used it, but it's there and is important to my business.   If it is replaced with a good QR code, I would like a product program around it too...downloadable for my website, mail-list etc.   I made an elaborate one years ago and any of you interested to see / try it, can go to www.allpointsyarn.com and it's right there in the upper banner.   I am totally an amateur, so please keep the applause to a low roar.    So my vote is to keep the Text to Join, or a pathway for our more "techno-savvy" customers.

DaveR7
Constant Contact Partner

Please allow text to join with only an email signup option. No SMS option. Our company has a strict policy of no marketing or promotion using text. It is only used to communicate with clients while traveling internationally. The boilerplate CC welcome and SMS opt-in for promotion and marketing is unacceptable.

 

 

Caitlin_M
Administrator
Status changed to: Closed - Implemented

Hi all. Text-to-join now is part of the SMS marketing add-on.  Text to Join needs to be included as part of SMS marketing so you stay in compliance with our Terms and Conditions and Terms of Service for SMS marketing as well as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

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