Handling STOP and Opt-Outs in Business Texting

When a customer texts STOP, or any clear request to stop, stop texting them. Send at most one short confirmation, record the opt-out against their number, and make sure nobody on the team can text them again until they opt back in. This is required by carrier guidelines and FCC rules, and it is also the fastest way to keep your business number from being flagged as spam.

What counts as an opt-out

Type	Examples	Treat as opt-out?
Standard keywords	STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT	Yes
FCC-listed words	REVOKE, OPT OUT (plus the above)	Yes
Plain language	"Please stop texting me," "Take me off your list," "Don't text this number"	Yes
Ambiguous	"Not interested," "Wrong number"	Treat as stop for that topic; clarify only if necessary
Help request	HELP, INFO	No; reply with business info and how to opt out

Under FCC rules effective April 11, 2025, consumers may revoke consent to robocalls and robotexts using any reasonable means, and words such as stop, quit, end, revoke, opt out, cancel and unsubscribe sent in reply to a text are treated as revocation. Callers must honor the request within a reasonable time not exceeding 10 business days. The CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices similarly expect senders to support multiple opt-out mechanisms and honor every request.

This is general information, not legal advice.

The confirmation message

Carrier guidelines allow one final message confirming the opt-out. Keep it short and free of marketing:

Summit Heating and Air: You're unsubscribed and won't receive more texts. Reply START to resubscribe.

Do not add "Are you sure?", a discount to stay, or a link to a survey.

Opt-outs by topic versus all messages

A customer who replies STOP to an appointment reminder has clearly asked to stop texts from you. The FCC adopted a rule requiring that a revocation in response to one type of message apply to all future robocalls and robotexts from the same caller on unrelated matters, but that part has been delayed, most recently to January 31, 2027. The simplest policy for a small business is not to slice it: when someone says stop, stop all texts to that number until they opt back in.

If you must reach the customer about an active job after they opted out of texts, call or email, unless they asked you to stop those too.

Requests that arrive other ways

Opt-outs do not only come by text. A customer might:

• Tell a technician "please don't text me anymore"
• Email asking to be removed
• Say it on a phone call
• Write it on a form

All of these count. Make sure staff know to record them, not just text keywords. A shared note on the contact record ("No texts, requested by phone 10/1, per Kim") makes it visible to everyone.

Opting back in

Customers can opt back in by texting START or UNSTOP, or by giving new consent, for example by asking you to text them again at booking. Record when and how. Send a confirmation:

Summit Heating and Air: You're subscribed to appointment texts again. Msg frequency varies. Reply STOP to opt out.

Do not treat a customer texting you a new question as permission to resume marketing messages; it restarts the conversation they began, nothing more.

The HELP keyword

Carriers expect a reply to HELP that tells the person who you are and how to stop:

Summit Heating and Air: For help call 555-210-4477 or email [email protected]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Team procedures

In a shared business number, opt-outs fail when one person sees the STOP and another keeps texting. Set up:

• Automatic suppression: your texting system should block texts to opted-out numbers
• A visible opt-out flag on the contact record
• A rule that staff never text customers from personal phones (which would bypass suppression)
• A process for logging non-text opt-outs (calls, emails, in person)
• A monthly check that bulk lists exclude opted-out numbers
• Training for new staff. See phone training checklist for new hires.

Include opt-out language up front

Put "Reply STOP to opt out" in:

• The first text to every new contact
• Every marketing message
• Confirmation messages after opt-in

In an ongoing conversation a customer started, you do not need to repeat it in every reply. More in how to get consent to text customers.

Why opt-outs protect your number

Carriers and analytics systems watch complaint and opt-out signals. A business that keeps texting people who asked it to stop invites spam reports, filtering and, eventually, suspension of its texting campaign. Treat a rising opt-out rate as a signal:

Signal	Likely cause	Fix
Opt-outs spike after a campaign	Message not relevant or too frequent	Narrow the audience, reduce frequency
Opt-outs on first message	Texting people who did not expect it	Tighten consent collection
"Who is this?" replies	Missing business name	Identify yourself in every first message
Opt-outs after reminders	Reminders too early or too many	Reduce to one reminder

A worked example

A landscaping company sends a spring booking message to past customers who opted in to seasonal reminders. Three reply STOP, one replies "pls stop," and one tells the owner on a job site that she does not want texts.

• The three STOP replies are suppressed automatically, and each gets one confirmation text.
• The "pls stop" reply is not a standard keyword, so a team member marks the contact as opted out and sends the same confirmation.
• The owner adds a note to the site-visit customer's record and marks her opted out.
• Next season's list automatically excludes all five.

Five opt-outs handled in a few minutes, with a record of each.

Mistakes that cause problems

• Replying to STOP with a sales pitch. "Sorry to see you go! Here's 10% off to stay" turns a compliant opt-out into a violation.
• Removing the number from one list but not others. If you keep separate lists for reminders and promotions, make sure the opt-out applies to the texts the customer meant, and when in doubt, all of them.
• Re-importing old contact lists. Uploading a spreadsheet from last year can quietly re-add people who opted out. Check suppression before every bulk send.
• Ignoring opt-outs in a different language. "Alto" or "no más mensajes" from a Spanish-speaking customer is as clear as STOP.
• Treating a new customer question as a re-opt-in for everything. It covers that conversation only.

Opt-outs in Callata

Callata enforces opt-outs for you: every conversation honors STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END and QUIT, and Callata automatically blocks texting to anyone who opts out until they reply START. Because the whole team texts from one shared inbox on your business number, a keyword opt-out blocks texting for everyone on the team, not just the person who saw it. Contacts carry notes, so opt-outs given by phone or in person can be recorded where everyone sees them. Business texting starts after carrier 10DLC registration, a $49 one-time fee.

Callata costs $99 a month with five users included. Create your account.