SMS channel

How SMS gets provisioned

When you create a band on BandBrain, you can provision a dedicated SMS long-code number from the Channels page → SMS section. One click — Twilio picks a US area code and assigns the number to your tenant. ~$2/month, charged to BandBrain (not you).

The number is permanent for the life of the tenant.

A2P 10DLC compliance

Every BandBrain SMS goes through a Twilio Messaging Service with an A2P 10DLC campaign. This means:

Each recipient must opt in before BandBrain sends them proactive messages
STOP / HELP / START are handled at the carrier edge automatically
Reply rates and unsubscribe rates are monitored

Opt-in flow

When you add someone to the roster with a phone number, BandBrain auto-sends them an opt-in SMS:

"Jordan added you to The Northern Lights' BandBrain assistant. Reply YES to get tour info by text, or just text any question. STOP to opt out. Msg&data rates apply."

Until they reply YES (or just text the BandBrain number with a real question), the opt-in state stays "pending" and:

BandBrain cannot proactively text them (no broadcasts)
They can still initiate by texting the bot themselves — that counts as opt-in

After they reply YES (or text any non-trivial message):

Opt-in confirmed
They show up as "you're opted in" on the Channels page
They receive broadcasts and can text the bot freely

How the bot replies

SMS replies follow strict format rules to stay scannable on a phone in motion:

Max ~320 chars (2 SMS segments)
Plain text, NO markdown
Lead with the answer
Use LABEL: value lines with line breaks, not paragraph prose
Always append a timezone abbreviation to clock times ("1:00 PM EDT")
End with a short open question ("Anything else?")

Example:

Tonight (6/1) at Amityville Music Hall, 198 Broadway, Amityville NY.

Hotel: Spark by Hilton Bensalem, 3499 Street Rd, Bensalem PA.

Load-in: 1:00 PM EDT.

Anything else?

STOP / START / HELP

These keywords are intercepted by Twilio's carrier-edge logic — BandBrain doesn't see them as inbound messages.

STOP: stops all future SMS to that number. The Channels page reflects "opted out".
START (or UNSTOP): re-enables SMS after a STOP.
HELP: Twilio sends a standard reply about who's sending and how to opt out.