How to Set Up a 1-800 Number for Church Texting and Call Forwarding | SteepleMate Guide

Setup a 1-800 Number for Mass Texting and Call Forwarding

SteepleMate provides churches with a dedicated 1-800 number to support mass texting and call forwarding services. Below are answers to commonly asked questions to help you understand the setup process and how it works.

Choosing a Number for the Church

  1. From the left navigation, select the Administration Menu, then select Organization Settings. 
  2. Select the section, Phone Numbers, Text Messaging, and Call Forwarding.
  3. Select "Claim My Free Number", and follow the prompts to customize the last four digits of your 1-800 number (if desired). 
  4. Once claimed, your new 1-800 number will appear in the Organization Settings Phone Number section listed as Unverified.

Verification Process

  1. Initially, your 1-800 number will show as Unverified in the table.
  2. Verification by major carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.) is required to ensure:
    1. The number is legitimate.
    2. It complies with carrier-specific rules for mass texting and call forwarding.
  3. The verification process takes 1 to 6 weeks, depending on the carriers’ workload and internal processes.
Note: Major carriers operate independently and are not federally regulated. SteepleMate cannot expedite the verification process or request follow-ups from carriers.

Confirmation of Verification

Once the number is verified:

  1. A task notification will appear in your dashboard, informing you that the number is ready to use.
  2. The verification status in Organization Settings will update to reflect the change.

Warning

Importance of Verification

  1. Carrier verification ensures that your number is safe for use and prevents it from being flagged as spam.
  2. Verified numbers comply with carrier regulations, minimizing risks of:
    1. Blocked text messages.
    2. Unreceived calls or messages.
    3. ❗️U.S. Carrier Penalties for Non-Compliant Messaging❗️




      • Related Articles

      • Communication: Setting Up Text Messaging

        SteepleMate's offers a complimentary toll-free number for various communication needs like sending and receiving text messages, system notifications, call forwarding, and more. Claim Your Free Texting Number From the Administration menu, select ...

      • Enable Text Messaging and Call Forwarding in SteepleMate

        SteepleMate’s Communication section provides robust tools to manage text messaging, call forwarding, and mass notifications for your church. These features help streamline communication, ensuring that you can easily reach your community through SMS ...

      • Reviewing Text Message Responses

        1. Click Communicate on main menu. 2. Click Receive Messages on drop down menu. 3. Any responses to text messages can be viewed/deleted from this inbox. Note: Any intra-office messages will be sent to your Home inbox, this only shows incoming text ...

      • Setup Your Church's Attendance Tracking in 3 Simple Steps

        Steeplemate’s attendance tracking system offers an efficient and streamlined approach to manage church attendance for services, Sunday school, and special events. This help guide and video will walk you through the setup process step by step, ...

      • FAQ: Is the kiosk setup software compatible only with Windows?

        Yes, our on-site kiosks, marquees, and billboards are designed to run exclusively on Windows-based software. They are not compatible with Apple devices (such as Macs or iPads) or Amazon Fire devices. This means that you’ll need a Windows machine for ...

      • Recent Articles

      • Export Contribution Statements in SteepleMate

        This guide will walk you through exporting contribution statements to PDF, XLSX, and image formats. While multiple file types are available, PDF and image formats are the most commonly used. Before You Begin Before exporting, ensure you have ...

      • How to Send Emails in SteepleMate

        This guide will walk you through using the email features in SteepleMate, including sending messages to individuals and groups. Composing a New Email Navigate to the Email Composer From the left navigation menu, select Communicate > Send Messages. ...

      • I accidentally deleted someone's profile. What can I recover?

        Can a deleted profile be recovered? Unfortunately, due to compliance requirements, once a profile has been expunged in SteepleMate, it cannot be recovered. This action is permanent and irreversible. Is any data retained after deletion? While the ...

      • How to Expunge a Person’s Data in SteepleMate

        SteepleMate provides an option to permanently delete a person's data from the system. This action is designed to help comply with privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation ...

      • How to Connect Your QuickBooks Account to SteepleMate

        SteepleMate is the only cloud-based church management system certified by Intuit, offering a direct integration with QuickBooks Online. This integration allows you to post journal entries for online giving and in-person offerings directly to ...