SMS & Voice Issues

This article covers common problems with SMS text messages, voice calls, and the phone number setup process. If you’re setting up SMS for the first time, start with Setting Up SMS & Voice first.

Messages Not Being Delivered

If parents report they’re not receiving your text messages, work through these checks:

Verify Your Setup Is Complete

SMS and voice broadcasts require a fully completed setup. Go to Settings > Communication and check that all four steps are finished:

1. Business Details — Submitted
2. Brand Verification — Verified
3. Campaign Approval — Accepted
4. Phone Number — Assigned

If any step is incomplete, messages cannot be sent. See the sections below for help with each step.

Check the Broadcast Status

Go to the Broadcasts page and open the broadcast in question. Look at the recipient list to see individual delivery statuses:

• Sent / Delivered — The message left Campflow successfully. If the parent says they didn’t get it, the issue is on their phone or carrier’s side.
• Error — The message failed to send. The error log will show a reason (invalid number, carrier rejection, etc.).
• Pending — The message hasn’t been sent yet. Large broadcasts send messages in batches, so some recipients may show as pending while the broadcast is in progress.

Common Delivery Failures

• Invalid phone number — The number on file isn’t a valid US phone number. Check the family’s record for typos or missing digits. Phone numbers should be 10 digits (area code + number).
• Landline number — Text messages can only be delivered to mobile phones. If the family has a landline listed as their primary number, the message will fail.
• Carrier blocked — Some carriers block messages from numbers they don’t recognize, especially if the recipient hasn’t opted in. This is more common before A2P registration is fully approved.
• Parent opted out — If a parent previously replied STOP to one of your messages, the carrier blocks all future messages from your number. The parent must text START to your camp’s number to opt back in.
• Do Not Disturb — The parent’s phone may be silencing messages from unknown numbers. This is a setting on their device, not something Campflow can control.

If Many Messages Are Failing

If a large percentage of your broadcast failed to deliver:

• Check your campaign status — Go to Settings > Communication and confirm the campaign status is still Accepted. If it changed, see “Campaign Rejected” below.

Brand Verification Failed

After you submit your business details, phone carriers review your organization’s identity. If the brand verification comes back as Unverified or Failed, it means the carriers couldn’t confirm your organization’s information.

Common reasons verification fails:

• EIN doesn’t match — The EIN (Employer Identification Number) you entered doesn’t match the business name on file with the IRS. Double-check both the EIN and the legal company name.
• Business not found — The carriers couldn’t find a matching business in public records. Make sure the legal company name is spelled exactly as it appears on your IRS documents.
• Address mismatch — The address doesn’t match what’s on file with the IRS or state business registry.
• Missing information — Required fields were left blank or contained placeholder text.

How to fix it:

1. Go to Settings > Communication.
2. Click Edit Business Details to return to the form.
3. Correct the information — make sure the legal company name, EIN, and address match your official IRS documentation exactly.
4. Click Save Business Details to resubmit.

Verification typically takes 1-3 business days after resubmission. You’ll see the status update on the Communication Settings page.

If your business is brand new, the verification systems may not have your information yet. In that case, reach out to us through the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your screen and provide your IRS EIN confirmation letter (SS-4 or CP 575). We can initiate manual vetting on your behalf.

If verification fails again after you’ve confirmed all details are correct, reach out to us through the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your screen. Some organization types (new non-profits, sole proprietors) occasionally require manual intervention with the carrier.

Campaign Rejected

After your brand is verified, the carriers review your messaging campaign (what types of messages you plan to send). If the campaign is Rejected, you’ll see the decline reason on the Communication Settings page.

Campaign rejections are less common but can happen if the carriers determine the messaging doesn’t comply with their guidelines. Reach out to us through the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your screen with your camp name and we’ll work with the carrier to resolve it. In most cases, campaigns can be resubmitted with minor adjustments.

After a campaign is approved, it can take a few hours for all carriers and systems to fully update. If messages aren’t going through immediately after approval, wait a few hours and try again.

Adding a Phone Number After Approval

Once your brand and campaign are both approved, you can add a dedicated phone number to your camp. Phone numbers are not added automatically — you need to set one up yourself.

How to add a phone number:

1. Go to Settings > Communication.
2. In the Phone Number section, click to add a phone number.
3. Follow the prompts to complete the setup. There is a one-time $49 setup fee for the dedicated number.

If you don’t see the option to add a phone number, make sure both your brand verification and campaign approval are complete. If both steps show as approved and you still can’t add a number, reach out to us through the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your screen.

Voice Calls Not Going Through

Voice calls share the same setup as SMS but have some additional considerations:

• Answering machine detection — Campflow automatically detects voicemail and adjusts the message delivery. If a parent says they received a garbled or cut-off message, this is usually the system adjusting between a live answer and a voicemail.
• Caller ID — Calls come from your camp’s dedicated phone number. If a parent doesn’t recognize the number, they may not answer. Let families know your camp’s phone number so they can save it as a contact.
• Call not answered — If a call goes unanswered and reaches voicemail, the voice broadcast message will be left as a voicemail. The recipient status will show as “completed” even if the parent didn’t answer live.
• Number blocked by parent — If a parent blocked your camp’s number or has aggressive call filtering enabled, voice calls won’t go through. Ask the parent to unblock the number or add it to their contacts.

Parents Replying to Messages

When a parent replies to one of your text messages:

• STOP — Opts the parent out of all future messages from your camp. They will not receive any more SMS or voice messages until they text START to opt back in.
• HELP — Sends an automated response with your camp’s contact information.
• START — Opts a previously opted-out parent back in to receive messages.
• Any other reply — Incoming text messages from parents are forwarded to your camp’s email address. You’ll receive an email with the parent’s phone number and message. Note that you cannot reply directly to that email. Instead, use the link in the email to go to the family’s profile in Campflow and message them from the Communication tab.

Good to Know

• SMS and voice messaging costs are charged per message. See Broadcast Costs for current pricing.
• Your camp’s phone number is dedicated — no other organization uses it.
• The setup process (brand verification and campaign approval) is a one-time requirement mandated by US phone carriers to prevent spam. It’s not specific to Campflow.
• If you update your business details after the initial setup (for example, if your organization changes its address), you can resubmit for re-verification from the Communication Settings page.
• Email broadcasts don’t require any of this setup — they work immediately. If you need to get a message out urgently while waiting for SMS approval, use an email broadcast instead.