Avidon's SMS capability lets your coaches and program automations reach members through text messaging alongside email channels. SMS is configured by you, sent on your behalf, and protected by a set of automatic safeguards that keep your member experience high-quality and your program operating within US carrier and regulatory standards. 

This article covers how SMS works in Avidon, how member consent is captured, how quiet hours protect engagement, how to choose between the shared phone number (default) and a dedicated number for your organization, and a brief reference to the underlying regulations. There are FAQ's at the end of the article.

How SMS works in Avidon 

Avidon does not initiate SMS on its own. Every text message comes from one of three sources you control: 

• A coach messaging a member directly through the coaching interface 
• An Automation you've configured (habit nudges, appointment reminders, program check-ins, enrollment confirmations, etc.) 
• Bulk message sent to a group of members 

By default, all SMS traffic for all Avidon clients flows through a shared 10-digit phone number that Avidon owns and operates. Members see this number when they receive a message; replies route back through Avidon to the right coach or workflow. Avidon is the registered sender of record (the "brand") with The Campaign Registry for the shared number. 

For higher-volume, a dedicated number registered to your organization is available. With a dedicated number, your organization becomes the registered sender of record. See Choosing the right SMS configuration below. 

Member consent 

Before Avidon sends a member their first SMS, that member's consent must be on record. Avidon enforces this automatically—if consent isn't recorded, the platform won't send, even if a phone number exists in the member profile. 

We support two consent capture methods, and most organizations use both.

Method 1: Consent captured upstream and passed to Avidon 

If your organization already collects SMS consent during enrollment, you can pass that consent into Avidon along with the member's phone number. This is the most common path for B2B clients. 

Three integration points support this: 

• Eligibility file (data feed) — Include phone number and consent attestation fields in your member eligibility upload 
• Client API — Send phone number and consent metadata via our REST endpoints 
• SAML SSO — Include consent attributes in the SAML assertion at sign-in 

When you use these methods, your organization attests that you collected TCPA-compliant consent before passing the phone number to Avidon. Avidon stores the consent metadata you provide alongside the member record. You'll be asked to include: 

• The date and time consent was captured 
• The method or system where consent was captured (e.g., your enrollment portal) 
• The version of disclosure language the member saw 

Method 2: Member provides consent directly in Avidon 

For members who weren't asked about SMS during your enrollment process, you can add a phone-number capture component to a Flow. Two common placements: 

1. Booking flow—When a member schedules their first coaching session, the Flow asks for their phone number and SMS preferences 
2. Sign-in flow—A one-time prompt that appears on a member's next sign-in 

The Flow component handles all required disclosure language automatically — message type description, "message and data rates may apply" notice, and opt-out instructions. Members can accept or skip without affecting their access to the rest of the platform. 

How members opt out 

Members can opt out at any time by replying STOP.  Avidon detects this automatically and stops all SMS to that member in real time across all of your Automations. 

Members can also manage SMS preferences from their account settings, and your coaches can mark a member as opted-out from the coaching interface when a member requests it conversationally. 

Consent records and export 

Consent records are retained for a minimum of seven years. The admin Reports section includes an audit report with full metadata per member, available on demand. 

Quiet hours 

Avidon enforces SMS quiet hours from 9:00 PM to 8:00 AM in each member's local time zone. Messages queued during quiet hours are released starting at 8:00 AM, staggering across the early morning to avoid a delivery spike that could trigger carrier filtering. 

Quiet hours apply to both coach-initiated and Automation-driven messages. The window matches federal requirements. 

Two notes: 

1. Flow SMS actions — An SMS Action in a Flow is sent immediately any time of day.  Flows are interactive experiences, as such, a member is awake and receptive at the time the SMS is sent. 
2. Visible queue indicator — Coaches see an in-app indicator when composing a message that will be held until morning, so there's no confusion about whether a message went out. 

Choosing the right SMS configuration 

Avidon offers a tiered model so your organization gets the right balance of speed-to-launch, cost, and capacity. 

Shared number (default) 

Best for coaching-driven, informational SMS programs. Most clients operate here and stay here. 

Included: 

• No setup time, no separate registration on your end 
• All standard protections (consent enforcement, quiet hours, opt-out detection, content monitoring) 
• Coach-to-member conversations 
• Informational Automations (appointment reminders, habit nudges, program check-ins, session confirmations) 

Capacity limits per client on the shared number: 

• Up to 1,000 messages per day, 20,000 per month 
• Up to 2,500 recipients per single bulk message execution 
• 30-day rolling opt-out rate below 2% 

Dedicated number 

Required if your program needs more capacity or covers use cases the shared number doesn't support. Any one of the following triggers a dedicated number: 

• Volume exceeds the shared-number capacity limits above 
• Bulk message sends broadcast-style messages or re-engagement campaigns 
• Your organization wants its own brand and carrier trust score, independent of other Avidon clients 

Setup: 

• Your organization is registered with The Campaign Registry as the brand of record on your dedicated number 
• 2 – 4 week setup window for brand and campaign approval through the carriers 
• 14-day volume warm-up period after the number goes live (carriers expect gradual ramp-up on new numbers) 
• Avidon manages the registration process on your behalf — you provide business documentation, we handle the submissions and ongoing compliance reporting 

Contact your account team if this fits your program. 

About the regulations 

We've built Avidon's SMS features to handle the technical and policy requirements of US SMS automatically. This section is informational, so you can verify the rules independently if you choose. 

Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) 

Federal law enacted in 1991, extended to cover SMS, and enforced by the FCC and through private litigation. The statute and FCC implementing rules establish: 

• Consent requirements before sending automated SMS 
• Permitted sending hours (8:00 AM – 9:00 PM recipient-local time) 
• Mandatory opt-out handling, with opt-outs honored through any reasonable means 
• Record-keeping standards for consent 

The statute is published at 47 U.S.C. § 227. The FCC's implementing rules are at 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200. Statutory penalties are $500 per message for non-willful violations and up to $1,500 per message for willful violations. 

Avidon's consent enforcement, quiet hours, opt-out detection, and record retention are designed to meet these requirements automatically. 

CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices 

Industry standards published by the CTIA and enforced by US mobile carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon). Carriers can filter, throttle, or block messages that don't comply. The current CTIA guidelines are publicly available at ctia.org. 

Avidon's shared-number throttling, opt-out handling, and tier policies align with current CTIA guidance. 

10DLC and The Campaign Registry 

Since 2023, US carriers have required all business-originated SMS to be sent from numbers registered with The Campaign Registry, with the brand and campaign approved before traffic flows. Avidon maintains registration for the shared number and manages registration for dedicated numbers on behalf of clients. 

Frequently asked questions 

Can we send SMS to members without collecting consent first? 

No—and this isn't specific to Avidon. US carriers and federal law require consent before the first SMS reaches a recipient. We've designed both consent paths (data feed and in-product Flow) to make consent capture straightforward. 

What happens if a member's phone number is in our data feed but no consent attestation is included? 

The phone number is stored on the member profile, but no SMS is sent. The member can later provide consent through a Flow, at which point SMS becomes active for that member. 

Can we shorten the quiet hours window? 

Yes.  The default 9 PM – 8 AM window matches the federal sending window. Custom quiet-hours windows within the federal window are available in your portal settings. 

Can we use SMS for marketing campaigns? 

No, marketing campaigns are not supported. 

Who is the registered sender on the shared number? 

Avidon Health is the brand of record with The Campaign Registry for the shared number. On a dedicated number, your organization is the brand of record. 

Does Avidon support international SMS? 

This article covers US SMS. International capabilities, where available, follow the regulations of the recipient country. Contact your account team for current international availability.