Mobile Commons: Phones, Profiles, Subscriptions

Each phone number that interacts with your Mobile Commons account will have a profile created. That profile is a record of that phone number's interactions with your Mobile Commons account and can not be deleted. It is important that a full record of each phone numbers interactions be kept for any potential compliance auditing. 

Mobile Commons will automatically detect whether a phone is a valid mobile number or not. Because phone numbers can enter our database from the web, via uploaded CSVs, and through CRM software, it is possible for invalid phone numbers - like landlines and phone numbers from other countries to get into the system. These numbers will have a profile created even though they are not valid numbers.  To ensure that your database is as usable as possible we recommend that you carefully explain to your potential subscribers that you need mobile phone numbers in order to send them text messages. This is very important for any opt-ins that are not an end-user texting in a keyword-CRM syncs, web-form opt-ins or written sign ups. 

This article will help define terms and explain details about phones, subscriptions and the deactivation/opt-out process.

Basic Terms

• Profile: This represents a user in your account. A profile has a phone number that may or may not be valid. If a user is currently opted-out, their profile is considered opted out. If they are currently subscribed or have never opted-in (e.g. just made a phone call), they are considered active.
• Landline: A landline is a phone number can not receive SMS text messages but can make and receive mConnect phone calls. It may be a regular land line, an office phone, a VoIP number, a Skype number, etc. We do not distinguish between the different types. A landline will show up as a profile in your account but will not be considered an active subscriber. Once we determine a number is a landline, we will not attempt to send them text messages.
• Invalid Number: An invalid phone number, (e.g. 123-456-7890) will show up in your account as a profile but can not be subscribed to any campaigns and we will not attempt to send them text messages.
• Deactivated Mobile Numbers: These are valid mobile phones but should be opted-out in compliance with carrier policy. 
• Soft Bounce: We get a variety of errors that can be considered 'soft bounce'. These might be if a user has their phone off for a week while on vacation-the message will be sent to them but will fail. There may be carrier errors, network errors, phones traveling outside of the coverage area etc. These errors will not mark a phone as permanently unable to be sent to-simply the messages sent during the affected period will have failed.
• Hard Bounce: We get a "failed permanently" error code if the message sent out failed permanently. We should assume these phones are not textable, mark them as such, and unsubscribe them from all campaigns. 

Filtering and Tracking Profiles

To filter and track the types of profiles you have in your account you can look at the Profiles tab in the Home Menu. You can also create a filtered group to view, message, report and download different segments of your

Profiles Tab

Show

• All: view all the profiles in your Mobile Commons account
• Active Subscribers: view only the profiles that are currently subscribed to active campaigns
• Former Subscribers: view profiles who had active subscriptions, but their campaigns ended
• No Subscriptions: view profiles who are not currently subscribed to any active campaign
• Opted Out: view profiles who have ended their subscription(s)
• Synced: view profiles who are synced with a CRM 
• Invalid Profile Data: view profiles who have addresses as phone numbers (incorrect receipt of phone number, usually via sync or other integration)

First Seen

• Tell-a-Friend: profiles who first came over from a tell-a-friend
• Donated: profiles who first came over via a donation
• Uploaded Group: profiles who first came over via an upoaded group
• Called mConnect: profiles who first came over by calling an mConnect
• Used mData: profiles who first came over by using an mData
• CRM: profiles who first came over through a CRM sync
• Opted In: profiles who first came over via a web or keyword opt-in path
• Unknown: profiles from an unknown source-rarely seen

Filtered Groups

• All Profiles: includes all profiles regardless of opt-in status
• Active Subscribers: includes any profile with at least one subscription to an active campaign
• Profiles with no Subscriptions: include any profiles that have been created but have no subscriptions to any campaigns (this can occur when you upload a group but do not opt them into any campaigns)
• Profiles with pending double opt-in: any profile who has not confirmed a subscription through double opt-in. This includes profiles who have not responded to a double opt-in or have responded not in the affirmative ("no" or anything besides a valid "yes")
• Opt-outs and undeliverable phones: this includes any phones that can not receive text messaging (landlines usually, or foreign numbers) and profiles who have opted-out

It is important to note than any individual profile may be valid for a variety of these statuses. Below are all examples of subscriptions for one individual profile. This profile would be an Active Subscriber-as they are an active member of several campaigns. They also have opted-out of other individual campaigns, making them also a profile that would be in "Opt-outs and undeliverable phones". They also have two pending subscriptions-so they would also appear in filters for "Profiles with pending double opt-in". If you were to use the "All Profiles" filter this individual profile would appear 1x, even though their activity renders them a member of multiple statuses. 

You can export your filtered groups or sections of profiles as a csv. This will provide not only the profile's status but also a description for any undeliverable profiles. This is helpful in determining why a phone is undeliverable.

Opt-Ins

A profile may become a subscriber through a variety of methods. These methods must all abide by the compliance standards set out by the CTIA handbook. 

• Keyword
• Web Form/Web Opt-In Path
• CRM Sync
• Manual Opt-In via Uploaded Group
• Manual Opt-In via Admin User (in the user's profile)
• Receiving a Broadcast (when you target a broadcast to a group and members of that group are not yet active subscribers to the campaign from which the broadcast is being sent they will have a subscription created to that campaign upon receipt of that broadcast)
• Filtered into a Smart Campaign

Opting Out

Users may be opted out through a number of different methods. The exact details are available in Mobile Commons in the profile's page.

• Texted STOP to opt out
• Web form to opt-out
• Manual (inbox, profile page, uploaded CSV)
• Deactivated due to carrier policy (ported, didn't pay bill, canceled plan, etc)
• Deactivated due to hard bounce (not a valid number, unsupported carrier)

Opting Back In

To prevent spam and to ensure that customers do not accidentally add invalid numbers back into their account, Mobile Commons prevents opted-out users from being manually re-enabled in the platform. In order to reactivate a previously deactivated phone, a user must text in again. Once they do, they will get a new subscription to your campaign.