Texting your customers shouldn’t feel like walking on eggshells. But with all the rules around SMS compliance, it can feel like you’re at risk of getting in trouble with every message.
Thank goodness for peer-to-peer texts (or P2P), which let you personally message customers right from your phone. No opt-ins are required, which means you can message your customers practically worry-free.
But peer-to-peer messaging doesn’t always cut it, especially if you need to automate messages or collaborate as a team. That’s why we’re breaking down everything you should know about peer-to-peer texting and when you can use it to text customers.
What is peer-to-peer texting?
Peer-to-peer texting is when you send individual text messages to another person from your cell phone. This means messages are sent person to person without mass texting or automation (also known as conversational messaging).
P2P text messages are mostly for personal use, like messaging friends on your contact list. But it can still serve a few purposes for small business owners, like collaborating with coworkers or asking customers for feedback.
When it comes to consent, you don’t need an explicit opt-in if a customer texts you first since their initial message implies consent for the conversation. That said, regulations can vary depending on the context and industry, so it’s always good to be mindful of SMS consent requirements.
Here’s a quick look at what you can (and can’t) do with P2P messaging:
| P2P messaging (Person-to-Person) | |
|---|---|
| Definition | SMS messages from one person to another (no mass or bulk texting) |
| Use cases | Personal conversations with no automations allowed |
| Sender type | A single person texting another person |
| Compliance | Subject to carrier rules |
| Carrier filtering | Minimal |
| Opt-in requirement | Not required if continuing a conversation |
| Cost | Usually included in basic mobile plans |
TL;DR: If you just want to message customers from your phone, peer-to-peer texting is a great option. But if you want to text from an app or automate recurring messages, you’re going to need application-to-person messaging (also called A2P). Luckily, that’s something you can do with a texting platform like OpenPhone.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can get started with peer-to-peer texting below.
Get started with peer-to-peer texting
Ready to start sending messages to customers? If you already have a business number, you’ve done the first step.
But if you don’t have a second number for business, you need to create one (or risk blurring the line between your professional and personal life).
With this in mind, here’s how to get started with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) platform like OpenPhone:
- Visit my.openphone.com/signup and enter your email address.
- Type in your mobile phone number and enter the verification code to confirm your account.
- Pick the phone number you want to use for texting. You’re welcome to port an existing number into OpenPhone or choose a local or toll-free number. If you do want to port an existing number, we’ll give you a temporary number until porting is complete.
Virtual phone number lookup
- Pick the plan that works best for your business needs. You can access all our texting features on the Starter plan, which costs $15 per user per month after your seven-day free trial.
- Complete US carrier registration. US carriers require businesses that use cloud phone services like OpenPhone to complete carrier registration before texting US recipients. So you’re not blindsided, The Campaign Registry (TCR) charges a one-time fee of $19, plus a monthly fee of $1.50 to $3 per month to keep you in good standing with US carriers. 100% of these fees go to keeping you in carriers’ good graces so you can send unlimited messages in the US and Canada.
Why you need to register and how OpenPhone makes it easy
P2P texting works well for solo business owners who have the time and bandwidth for texting one-to-one. But most small businesses don’t stay small forever, and the more your business grows, the harder it will be to text by yourself (and using only your cell phone).
That’s why most small businesses upgrade to A2P messaging — to send automated text messages to customers from any device. Plus, you can send MMS and group messages with your team so you can split responsibility for messaging and get rid of bottlenecks before they happen.
With OpenPhone as your VoIP texting platform, you can:
- Set up shared phone numbers for everyone on your team. That way, everyone who’s a member can read and respond to texts in the same SMS inbox, whether they’re using their mobile phone, work laptop, or tablet.
- Keep everyone in the loop with internal threads. You can leave comments and tags under individual text messages to collaborate on answers without the customer knowing.
- Stay compliant with built-in tools. You can text via snippets (AKA pre-saved templates) to automatically add required opt-in and opt-out phrases to outbound texts. You can also schedule texts between 8 AM and 9 PM so you don’t accidentally message customers outside of business hours in their time zone, which helps you stay TCPA compliant.
So, what about registering your number for texting? True, it’s more complicated than P2P texting.
But that doesn’t mean you have to fend for yourself. With OpenPhone, we guide you through the registration process in-app so you never have to worry about missing a step. We also make it easier to get up and running with resources like a privacy policy template and helpful tips for registration.
The timeline for approval mostly depends on your provider and circumstances, although approvals can happen as fast as five to seven business days. The bad news is you won’t be able to text US numbers until your registration is approved. The good news is when you register a number in OpenPhone, you won’t need to register additional numbers.
OpenPhone: The best way to text your customers
Peer-to-peer (P2P) texting is one of the easiest ways to connect with customers. It’s fast, personal, and direct. But as your business grows, you’ll need more than just basic texting — you need a platform that helps you scale.
That’s where OpenPhone comes in. As the #1 small business phone solution rated by G2, we provide all the features you need for texting from a messaging platform — plus sending automated texts, integrations with Make and CRMs like HubSpot, and the ability to send texts from anywhere with WiFi.
We also make it easy to have two-way conversations with customers using auto-replies, templated snippets, and unlimited messages in the US and Canada.
Why do 58,000+ people trust our business texting services?
Find out today by signing up for a seven-day free trial.
FAQs
You can legally send peer-to-peer text messages to anyone — no opt-in required. But if you’re a small business sending SMS messages through a VoIP phone platform, you’ll need to register for A2P messaging.
P2P texting is minimally filtered by carriers and doesn’t require explicit opt-ins from recipients. With OpenPhone, you get all the benefits of peer-to-peer texting while keeping your business conversations organized in one place without needing a separate phone or SIM card.
To get the most out of peer-to-peer (P2P) texting, follow these best practices:
– Stick to one-on-one messaging: P2P texting is for personal conversations, not bulk messages. Avoid mass texts for marketing, fundraising, polling, or political outreach.
– Be clear and professional: Keep messages short, relevant, and easy to understand.
– Respond quickly: Since P2P texting is a conversation, replying in a timely manner ensures you follow up quickly.
– Avoid spam-like behavior: Don’t send texting campaigns, unwanted messages, and only text people who expect to hear from you. Plus, you should always send personalized text messages.
Unlike P2P messaging, application-to-person (A2P) texting lets you send messages from devices other than your phone. This can be helpful for automating notifications, sending appointment reminder texts, and more.
Keep in mind there’s a difference between A2P low volume standard and bulk texting platforms. Low-volume A2P is intended for one-on-one messaging and not transactional messaging, like marketing campaigns that include sending bulk promotional messages. Those are usually better suited for bulk texting tools or platforms that support SMS short codes.
A few use cases of small businesses can use a P2P texting platform to send P2P messages include:
– Messaging coworkers or teammates
– Offering one-to-one customer support after a customer texts first
– Answering price inquiries or quote requests
– Notifying renters that you’re coming to visit
– Nonprofit organizations texting volunteers to increase event attendance
