A Consent Ledger for Customer Texts: Storing Opt-Ins and STOPs So Every Automation Can Check Them

A single ledger can store consent information for customer text messages, ensuring that every automation checks this data before sending. This practical solution, employed by an AI automation agency, helps avoid issues when a second tool, like a CRM sequence or reminder service, attempts to text a customer who previously opted out.

The ledger is an append-only table, meaning new entries are added rather than updating existing rows. It contains fields for the phone number, communication channel, purpose (transactional, marketing, or event), reason for the action (opt_in, opt_out), source of the request (web form, keyword reply, or staff entry), and the timestamp of the event.

Before sending any message, the system checks the most recent event associated with the phone number, channel, and purpose. If there is no previous entry, the automation can proceed if the purpose is transactional and there is an active request. For any other purpose, it verifies that the last event was an opt_in. The ledger captures opt-outs by recording an event for all purposes on the specific channel, accommodating broader opt-out requests such as "please stop texting me."

While some customers may prefer to verbally request opt-outs, these requests should also be documented for clarity. Storing opt-in information alongside detailed event sources provides a comprehensive record, addressing customer inquiries about previous text messages. Testing scenarios include an opt-out on Monday blocking a reminder scheduled for Sunday, an opt-in for reminders only preventing a marketing campaign from running, and normalizing phone numbers formatted in three different ways to ensure consistent identification of the same person.

By designing consent ledgers during a 72-hour audit, businesses can ensure their texting workflows comply with regulations before incorporating automation.