Imagine finishing the long DLT template registration process only to receive a rejection email 24 hours later.
DLT Template rejection is one of the most disheartening things for an enterprise.
Because messages that are sent with a rejected template will not get delivered to the intended recipients, thankfully, this article will show you the common causes of DLT Template rejection.
You will learn the mistakes to avoid – and have the best information before you start registering your content templates on any DLT platform.
First, let us look at some rejected DLT templates and the possible causes of their failures.
| Having issues completing your content registration? Our team can help you. Contact us or send an email to info@smscountry.com. |
Examples and Causes of Rejected DLT Templates
Your DLT template will be rejected if you register a content template for a use case that is not allowed. For example;
Cold messaging:
If your text sounds like you are cold messaging the recipient, the template may be flagged as intrusive. see examples below:
- “Can we speak now?”
- “I tried contacting you but you weren’t available. When are you free?”
Survey to collect data from users, without a preceding order:
Read your template out loud and consider how it sounds. See the example below:
- “Hi, we’re interested in knowing how you feel about certain food groups. Do you mind participating in a survey?”
The following errors in your template can cause a rejection:
- Spelling mistakes: Check your template for errors because it will fail even if you have one tiny spelling mistake.
- Wrongly entered variables: For example, the variable to show the date of the service is {#DateDay#}. If you entered it like this {#DateDay#}}, or like this {#Dateday#} then your template will be rejected.
- Floating variables: These are variables that have no information before or after them. These variables do not show the purpose of your message, so your template will be rejected.
For example:
This message has variables with the proper information preceding them:
“Thank you for your purchase of {#Purchaseltem#}. Your order number {#Purchase#} was purchased on {#DateDaySms#} using {#PayMethod#}.”
Correct
But this one has floating variables:
“Thank you for your purchase of {#Purchaseltem#}. {#Purchase#} – {#DateDaySms#} – {#PayMethod#}.” Such templates will be rejected.
Wrong
If you add a template that threatens customers (in any way), that template will be rejected. Also, any template that contains abusive words will be rejected.
Wrong Sender ID format
Different templates have different header/sender ID requirements guiding them. They are as follows:
- All Transactional/ OTP content templates under the “Transactional” category should have alphabetic sender IDs only.
- Transactional/ OTP content templates for other industries under the “Service implicit” category should have alphabetic sender IDs only.
- For all Promotional content templates with a Numeric sender ID, select the “Promotional” category.
- For all promotions to internal employees or existing customers, under the “Service explicit” category, use alphabetic sender IDs.
To get more insight into the reasons for DLT template rejections, we spoke with Mr. Hussain Ali. Mr Ali is a DLT expert at Telebu Communications. Based on his insights, we learnt that beyond the common mistakes mentioned above, there are other reasons why DLT templates are rejected. You may not have heard of these guidelines before, which is why we have put them in the table below as ‘Dos and Don’ts’.
They include actions and inactions that you may unknowingly engage in while registering your content template on a DLT platform.
| Having issues completing your content registration? Our team can help you. Contact us or send an email to info@smscountry.com. |
DOs and DON’Ts to avoid DLT template rejection
| DON’Ts | DOs |
| Don’t use generic names and numbers in your DLT template names. | Make the purpose of your template clear in your template name. Instead of using a name like “template_009,” use “_ticket_details”. |
| Don’t leave your brand name out of your SMS content. | Brand Name is compulsory in all kinds of SMS content: Promotional, Transactional, and OTPs. It should be clearly mentioned in the SMS body or at the end.Ex: Hello {#Var#} |
| Don’t use short URLs in your template messages (bit.ly, short.ly etc.) | Use links that show the exact destination of the URL. |
| Don’t create templates with a different brand name or Sender ID | You must have a header/ sender ID of the brand name you wish to have a template of to build correlation. Ex: If you want to add a template with the brand name TELEBU, you should have a header related to TELEBU in your DLT account first, something like TELEBUJOIN.If the brand and header names differ, upload documented proof of their relationship. |
| Do not request sensitive information from your customers, e.g. credit card number, address, bank account numbers, and more. | If you must make a request e.g. feedback, then make mention of the previous engagement. See the example below. Hello, [name]! You recently spoke with one of our agents. Could you kindly dedicate 5 minutes to send us some feedback? Thank you, [company name]. This shows that this is not your first contact with the customer and that you did not initiate the message thread with this request. |
| Do not use more than 750 characters (variables & fixed content inclusive) in a Content Template. | |
| Do not exceed 30 characters (spaces inclusive) in a single variable. | If your variable exceeds 30 characters, you can split it into two variable slots as seen below: Hello, {#var#} {#var#} we invite you to join our meeting on {#var#} – Telebu Communication |
| Do not register a template that has over 40% of its total length occupied by variables. | |
| Do not include Promotional content in Transactional or Service templates or Headers. | Make sure your content is consistent with the template type you are registering. |
If you adhere strictly to these guidelines, your DLT template registration will be a breeze, and you’ll be texting your customers in no time.
Start getting the best business results with SMS
You’ve seen examples of DLT registration template rejections above, and you now know how to avoid them.
But if you need help with the DLT registration process, contact our team, and we’ll gladly help.
