Prepare your sender strategy

Before we can start provisioning senders for your account, we need to ensure that you have a well-configured parent account. This process is straightforward, but there are a few configurations you can do now to ensure that you have the strongest foundation possible as you advance through onboarding.

Read about the actions below and navigate to the relevant documentation to complete your account creation and configuration.

1. Create an account (required)
2. Enable two factor authentication (2FA - required for paid accounts): we recommend erring on the side of caution and requiring 2FA on every login but you also have the option to require this every 30 days. Discuss these options internally with your security and administrative team and decide on what works best for you.
3. Add Users to your Account (optional): on this page you can add teammates and provide them with a given role to fit their Twilio account access needs. We advise keeping administrative access at a minimum. Once teammates have roles in the account, you can set up notification preferences for them so that they can get critical information in a timely manner.
4. Create API Keys for your Account (recommended): within the Twilio Console, you can authenticate your API usage using account credentials, account SID, or through an API Key. We highly recommend utilizing API keys as it's the most secure.

Well done! You now have a working, configured account built for scale.

One of the benefits of a message is the ability to reach a consumers' handset and land on their lock screen. To get there, you'll need to select a sender or phone number that meets your use case, geographic, and feature needs.

We recommend considering these three basic questions as you choose your sender type:

• What is your use case? This will indicate the type of throughput and features you'll require.
• Where are your recipients? This will dictate the regulatory requirements you'll need to complete.
• What is the expected behavior? This will indicate the features (such as a one-way or two-way communications) you'll need your sender type to be able to perform.

Your sender choices and the process of provisioning them will look different depending on whether or not you are sending to North America. Choose the path below that best describes your sending location.

Navigate to the relevant documentation to choose and start the process of provisioning your sender.

1. Set your Geo Permissions (required)
2. Choose the sender that will meet the needs of your use case(s) (required)
3. Provision the sender you need (required)
4. Port existing numbers (optional)

It's worth noting that all senders in North America will require some form of verification or registration to protect consumers from bad actors, ensure the high deliverability of messages, and preserve the value of the channel for all senders. Here's a summary of what to expect.

• For Application-to-Person (A2P) 10-digit long codes (standard phone numbers with a local area code prefix), you'll need to register both your Brand and Campaign in the Twilio Trust Hub. For more information, please check out the How to register for A2P 10DLC support article.
• For Toll-Free phone numbers (10-digit numbers beginning with an 8XX- prefix) you will need to complete the mandatory verification process in the Twilio Trust Hub before sending messages. For more information, please check out the How to verify a Toll-Free number support article.
• For short codes (five- to six-digit messaging-only numbers) businesses must complete a registration process that can take 8-10 weeks. For more information, please check out the Starting a Short Code Application support article.

With Twilio's Messaging APIs and more than 65-thousand phone number prefixes, you can reach consumers in over 180 countries. However, some countries have restrictions on the sender type used to reach consumers, including registration requirements. If SMS is not a viable option for your sending locations, WhatsApp can often offer a great alternative.

Navigate to the relevant documentation to determine the right sender(s) for you and begin the regulatory process.

1. Review country-specific SMS guidelines (required)
2. Learn about international phone number capabilities (recommended)
3. Learn about an alphanumeric Sender ID (recommended)
4. Set your Geo Permissions (required)
5. Identify the required regulatory documentation for the countries on your list (required)
6. Submit your regulatory bundles (required)

At this point, you should be ready to provision the type of sender you need. You can also consider porting an international phone number if appropriate for your business.

Next, Build your Account