The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) governs commercial SMS messaging in the United States. Understanding your obligations helps you use Level Feedback's SMS features confidently and legally.
What is TCPA?
TCPA is a federal law that restricts unsolicited telemarketing calls and text messages. For SMS review requests, the key requirement is that you must have the recipient's prior express consent to contact them. Sending messages without consent can result in significant fines.
What Level Feedback does by default
Level Feedback includes an opt-out mechanism in every message (a "Reply STOP to opt out" footer). Numbers that have opted out are automatically blocked from receiving future messages from your account. The platform also enforces quiet hours — no messages are sent before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's estimated time zone.
Your responsibilities as the sender
Level Feedback handles the technical compliance features, but obtaining consent is your responsibility. You should only send review requests to customers who have provided their phone number in the context of a business transaction. Purchasing lists of phone numbers or texting people who haven't done business with you is not permitted.
What to do if a customer asks to opt out
If a customer tells you in person or via another channel that they don't want to receive texts, add their number to your opt-out list in Settings > SMS > Opt-outs. This ensures they won't receive future messages even if you manually enter their number.