How KaiCalls Handles TCPA, Do Not Call, and A2P Compliance
What KaiCalls actually does to help you follow TCPA, the Do Not Call list, and A2P 10DLC texting rules — and what it can't do for you. This is not legal advice.
KaiCalls checks consent and the Do Not Call list before every outbound call or text, honors STOP replies instantly, and walks you through A2P 10DLC carrier registration — but none of that makes your business automatically compliant, and using these tools does not make KaiCalls responsible for your legal compliance. These are tools that reduce the chance of a mistake and log the record if anyone ever asks. The responsibility for who you contact, and why, is still yours.
Texting and cold-calling laws have real teeth. TCPA fines run $500 to $1,500 per message, and lawyers actively look for violations to sue over. A single bad batch of texts to numbers that never opted in, or sent from an unregistered number that a carrier flags, can wipe out a year of profit. Most business owners running an automated phone system never intended to break these rules — they just didn't know a Do Not Call check or a carrier registration was required before the first text went out.
This guide covers what KaiCalls actually checks and logs, what it can't decide for you, how to set up your DNC list and complete A2P registration, and where the responsibility line sits.
Table of Contents
- What KaiCalls does automatically
- What this can't do — read this part
- Setting up your DNC list, step by step
- Completing A2P 10DLC registration, step by step
- What it costs
- FAQ
What KaiCalls does automatically
KaiCalls checks three things before it will let an outbound call or text leave your number:
- Consent. KaiCalls logs consent automatically whenever a lead comes in through your phone, your intake form, or an SMS opt-in — who gave it, how they gave it (inbound call, web form, or SMS opt-in), and whether they've since opted out. That timestamp is the record you'd point to if anyone ever challenges whether you had permission.
- The Do Not Call list. Before an outbound call or SMS goes out, KaiCalls scrubs the number against your DNC list for that channel and against the federal Do Not Call registry, and blocks the attempt if it's listed — even if you tell Kai to send it anyway. Checks are channel-aware: a number blocked for SMS only can still receive a call, and vice versa, unless it's blocked for both. DNC takes priority over consent, meaning a listed number stays blocked even with a consent record on file. If a customer says "please stop calling me," you can tell Kai "add this number to my do not call list" and it's handled on the call, or add it from Dashboard > Compliance > DNC List.
- STOP replies. If someone texts back STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, or another standard opt-out word, KaiCalls flags the number as opted out before the next message can leave the queue. They can opt back in by replying START.
Every outbound message, every DNC addition or removal, and every consent change gets logged with a timestamp, so if a customer ever claims you contacted them without permission, there's a record to pull up.
A2P 10DLC is the separate piece that governs whether your texts get delivered at all. Carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) require every business to register a brand and a campaign before they'll reliably deliver application-to-person texts — without it, even a legitimate appointment reminder can get filtered, throttled, or dropped, and an unregistered number can pick up a bad carrier reputation that takes weeks to clean up. KaiCalls' registration wizard walks you through both steps.
What this can't do — read this part
This is not legal advice, and KaiCalls does not make your business TCPA-compliant, DNC-compliant, or A2P-approved by itself. These are tools that check what KaiCalls can see and enforce what you tell it — they don't replace judgment about who you should be contacting in the first place.
A few specifics worth being direct about:
- The DNC list only governs outreach KaiCalls initiates. It does not block inbound calls or texts from the person — they can still call or text you, and Kai answers normally.
- DNC checks and consent logging cover calls and texts launched through KaiCalls. If you build a custom integration on top of the API, that integration is responsible for honoring consent on its own end.
- A DNC entry only works for the channel it's set for. An SMS-only block does not stop a call, and vice versa — if a number still gets contacted, check that the entry covers the right channel and was saved before the outreach ran.
- Carrier review timing is an estimate, not a fixed schedule. Brand review commonly takes 1-2 business days and campaign review 3-5 business days after that, but plan for the process to take up to two weeks end to end.
- If you're not sure whether you can legally contact someone, the tools won't decide that for you. When in doubt, wait for them to reach out first, and consider talking to an attorney about your specific situation.
Setting up your DNC list, step by step
- Go to Dashboard > Compliance > DNC List.
- Click Add to open the add-number dialog.
- Enter the phone number.
- Choose a reason — customer request, complaint, legal requirement, or a STOP keyword — and add notes if useful for future review.
- Choose whether the entry blocks SMS, voice, or both.
- Save. Enforcement applies to outreach from that point forward.
You can also import numbers in bulk when migrating from another system, or search existing entries by phone number when a customer asks about their status. Remove an entry only when you have a valid, documented reason to contact that person again.
Completing A2P 10DLC registration, step by step
Registration has two parts that happen in order: a brand (who your business is) and a campaign (what you text people about and how they opt in). Open Dashboard > Compliance > A2P Setup and work through the checklist:
- Fill in your business information — use the legal name and EIN exactly as they appear on your IRS paperwork, not a DBA or trade name.
- Add an authorized contact name, email, and phone number.
- Choose a campaign type and write a plain-English use-case description (for example, "appointment reminders and follow-ups for plumbing customers" — "marketing" alone will get rejected).
- Add two or more sample messages that match what customers will actually receive, with opt-out language ("Reply STOP to opt out") in at least one.
- Confirm the STOP, START, and HELP keyword responses.
- Describe your consent flow so it matches how people actually opt in — an inbound call, a web form, or an SMS opt-in, not a purchased list.
- Submit brand registration first; after it's approved, submit campaign registration.
Do not run text campaigns before your registration is approved — carriers will block most messages and your number can pick up a bad reputation that takes weeks to clean up.
What it costs
These compliance tools are included on every KaiCalls plan — Solo starts at $69/mo, Pro at $199/mo, both with a generous answered-call allowance and no per-minute overage. There's no extra fee for consent logging, DNC checks, STOP handling, or the A2P registration wizard itself; carrier registration fees for A2P 10DLC are set by the carriers, not KaiCalls, so check the current registration cost in the dashboard before you submit.
FAQ
Does KaiCalls make my business TCPA-compliant? Not by itself. KaiCalls checks consent and the DNC list before every outbound call or text it sends and logs the record, but compliance depends on decisions only you can make — who you contact and why. This is not legal advice.
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration if I only send appointment reminders, not marketing texts? Yes. Carriers require registration for any application-to-person texting, including reminders, regardless of whether the content is promotional.
What happens if someone on my DNC list calls in? Nothing changes on their end — the DNC list only blocks outreach KaiCalls initiates. Kai still answers their inbound call or text normally.
How long does A2P registration take? Brand review commonly takes 1-2 business days and campaign review another 3-5 business days after that. Plan for up to two weeks end to end and don't schedule a text launch against the optimistic end of that range.
What if a customer says I texted them without permission? Every outbound message is logged with its consent status at the moment it was sent, so you can pull up the record. Whether that record satisfies a specific legal claim is a question for an attorney, not KaiCalls.
Set up your DNC list and A2P registration from the dashboard, or call the KaiCalls demo line at (417) 386-2898 to ask Kai how compliance works on your account, or visit kaicalls.com.
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