Overview
SMS texting lets you send proposals, invoices, change orders, reminders, and "on my way" messages straight to your customers' phones from MotionOps. Before you can text, you register your business and get a dedicated phone number that's approved for business messaging in the United States.
This guide walks you through the full setup: registering your business, choosing a phone number, and setting up call forwarding and an autoresponder. Setup is done in the Web App.
Before You Start
You'll need a few things ready before you begin: your legal business name and Tax ID (EIN) exactly as they appear on your IRS documents, a business website or social media page, and public links to your business Terms of Service and Privacy Policy that describe how customers opt in to your texts.
US carriers require every business to register before sending texts. This is called A2P 10DLC registration, and MotionOps handles it for you. Accurate information helps your registration get approved faster.
How SMS Registration Works
Registration has three parts that happen in order:
Business & Brand Registration — You register your business so carriers recognize you as a legitimate sender. This helps avoid message blocks and spam flags.
Get a Phone Number — You choose a dedicated business phone number used to send your texts.
Send SMS Notifications — Once approved, you can text proposals, invoices, "on my way" messages, and other reminders to your customers.
Your registration is reviewed by the carriers. Approval is subject to review and may take 3 to 5 days.
Step 1: Open SMS Settings and Start Registration
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner and select Business Settings.
In the left menu, under Business Configuration, click SMS.
On the Register for SMS Messaging screen, click Set up SMS Now.
Step 2: Choose Your Business Type
On the Getting Started step, you tell us how your business is set up. This determines which fields you'll fill out next.
Confirm your Business Location. This is the country where your business operates (United States).
Choose your Business Type. There are three options:
Business — Choose this if your business is registered with an EIN (for example, an LLC or corporation). You'll also select a Business Structure.
Sole Proprietor (with EIN) — Choose this if you operate on your own and have an EIN.
Sole Proprietor (without EIN) — Choose this only if you operate on your own and do not have an EIN.
Click Next: Contact Info to continue.
Step 3: Enter Your Business Information
On the Business Information step, fill out your details carefully. Enter everything exactly as it appears on your official documents.
Enter your Legal Business Name. This must exactly match your IRS documents (for example, "Your Company, Inc." rather than "Your Company").
Enter your Tax ID (EIN). Your legal business name and EIN must match your IRS records. (This field is hidden for sole proprietors without an EIN.)
Enter your Brand Name. This is what customers see in your messages, so enter it the way you want clients to recognize you (for example, "Your Company").
Enter your Business Website or Social Media URL.
Enter your Business Email.
Enter your Registered Business Address. PO Boxes are not allowed. Address Line 2 can be N/A or a suite/apartment number.
Fill out the Authorized Representative section (labeled Personal Information for sole proprietors): Legal Name, Job Title, Email Address, and Phone Number. Enter the representative's name exactly as recorded with the IRS.
Complete the Opt-In Compliance section. Enter your Terms and Conditions URL and Privacy Policy URL. Both pages must be publicly accessible (no login required) and must describe how customers opt in to your text messages.
Check the box to confirm you understand and agree to the Terms, then click Submit.
Why this matters: Carriers may visit your Terms and Privacy Policy pages during review. If those pages don't clearly cover SMS opt-in, your registration can be delayed or rejected. See SMS Compliance & Best Practices for details.
Step 4: Choose Your Phone Number
Next, pick the dedicated number you'll use to text your customers.
Filter the available numbers by US state or area code.
Choose a number from the list. Only numbers that support SMS in your selected state are shown.
Confirm your selection. MotionOps reserves and assigns the number to your business.
If no numbers are available for the state you chose, you'll see a message that there are no available numbers in that state. Change the filter and try again.
Step 5: Set Up Call Forwarding and Your Autoresponder
Your dedicated number is for sending texts - it doesn't receive calls or replies on its own. These two settings tell customers what to do when they call or text it back. You can set them as the last step of registration and change them anytime from the SMS Settings page.
Call forwarding — When a customer calls your dedicated number, the call is routed to a phone number you choose. Click Change next to Call forwarding to to set or update it.
Autoresponder message — When a customer texts your dedicated number back, they get an automatic reply you set. Click Change next to Autoresponder Message to edit it.
The default autoresponder message is:
This number can't receive messages. To get in touch please call or text: [your business phone number].
After You Submit
Your business and brand are sent to the carriers for review. You can track your status on the SMS Settings page, where you'll see your registered business name, your dedicated number, and approval indicators for Brand Approved and Messaging Approved.
Once both are approved, you can start sending texts to your customers.
Tips & Best Practices
Match your IRS records exactly. The number one cause of delays is a legal business name or EIN that doesn't match your IRS documents. Copy them character for character.
Set your Brand Name the way customers know you. This is what shows up in your texts, so use your everyday business name, not your formal legal name.
Check your Terms and Privacy Policy links before submitting. Open them in a private browser window to confirm they load without a login and clearly mention SMS opt-in.
Point call forwarding to a number you actually answer. Customers will call it back, so route it to your office line or cell.
Things to Know
SMS registration and setup are done in the Web App.
SMS messaging is available for businesses operating in the United States and Canada.
Approval is subject to carrier review and may take up to 5 days.
Your dedicated number sends texts but does not receive replies. Customer replies trigger your autoresponder, and calls follow your call-forwarding setting.
Sole proprietors without an EIN don't enter a Tax ID, and their representative section is labeled Personal Information.
Troubleshooting
My registration is taking a long time.
Approval is handled by the carriers and can take up 5 days. If it's been longer, double-check that your legal business name and EIN match your IRS documents exactly, then contact support.
No phone numbers are available in my state.
Choose a different state or adjust your search filter and try again. Numbers shown must support SMS in the selected area.
My customers say they can't reply or call my texting number.
That's expected. Replies receive your autoresponder message, and calls are routed to your call-forwarding number. Update both from the SMS Settings page.
I don't see the SMS option in Business Settings.
SMS may not be enabled on your plan. Contact support to confirm availability for your account.
Have questions? Reach out via the support chat or email support@motionops.com.