Opt-outs and blocked numbers
How STOP is handled, the four ways a number lands on the blocklist, and the one situation where unblocking is legitimate.
Someone who asks you to stop texting them must stop receiving texts. ClearTalk enforces that automatically, across every campaign and agent in your organization — but you should know exactly what it does, because this is the part of texting with real legal consequences.
An opt-out is organization-wide and immediate. It isn't scoped to the campaign that sent the message, or to the agent that was talking to them. One STOP stops everything.
The four ways a number gets blocked
- 1
They texted STOP
STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, and the other standard opt-out keywords are recognized automatically. Shown as “Texted STOP”.
- 2
Your team blocked them
Someone clicked Block on the conversation. Shown as “Blocked by your team”.
- 3
A spam complaint
The recipient reported the message to their carrier. Shown as “Spam complaint” — treat these as a signal about your list or your copy.
- 4
The number is undeliverable
The carrier rejected it as invalid. Shown as “Undeliverable”. Not an opt-out — just a bad number, usually a typo or a landline.
Where to find the list
Open Do Not Call in your dashboard. Two lists live on that page, and Blocked from Texting is the lower one. It shows every blocked number with why it was blocked, the message they sent, who blocked them, and when — searchable, with a link to the conversation each block came from.
Two lists, one page, different channels
The list above it, Do Not Call, governs calls. Blocked from Texting governs texts. Someone can be on one and not the other — a lead who asks you to stop texting hasn't necessarily asked you to stop calling. See The Do Not Call list.
What happens on the number itself
Once blocked, messages to that number are stopped before they're sent — by campaigns, by message sequences, by follow-ups, and by the agent mid-conversation. There's nothing to configure and no way for a campaign to override it.
The number is stored in a canonical form, so it matches regardless of how it was written when it came in. (555) 555-0123, 555-555-0123, and +15555550123 are all the same number as far as the blocklist is concerned.
HELP and other required replies
Alongside STOP, carriers require that a business responds to HELP with an identifying message. ClearTalk sends that automatically, using the Business Name from the campaign — or your organization default if the campaign leaves it blank.
This is why the business name field matters and why it should be the brand your leads recognize. A HELP reply naming your agency, when the lead has never heard of your agency, is worse than no reply.
Unblocking
You can unblock a number, and the dialog will make you confirm it. There is exactly one situation where that's appropriate: the person asked, in writing, to start receiving texts again.
Texting someone who opted out is a violation
Not a best-practice issue — a regulatory one, with per-message statutory penalties in the US. If you can't point to the message where they asked to be re-subscribed, don't unblock them.
Unblocking reopens the linked conversation and allows your campaigns and agents to text the number again. Keep the record of their request somewhere you can find it later.
What to do with the signal
Blocks aren't just a compliance mechanism — they're the clearest feedback your list and copy will ever give you.
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A spike in STOPs on one campaign | The opening message doesn't explain why you're texting them |
| STOPs concentrated in one lead source | That list wasn't opted in — stop using it |
| Spam complaints, not just STOPs | Your messages read as unsolicited. This one follows your brand registration |
| Lots of undeliverables | Bad data — landlines or typos in the source. See List hygiene |
Watch your opt-out rate per campaign, not just the total
A single bad list can quietly poison a sending reputation that took months to build — and reputation damage outlives the campaign that caused it.
Your obligations, briefly
ClearTalk handles the mechanics. It does not make you compliant on its own.
- Every recipient needs prior consent appropriate to what you're sending.
- Your messages should carry opt-out wording, and your registered sample messages should show it.
- Texting is restricted to certain hours in the recipient's time zone.
- You are responsible for the rules that apply to your business and jurisdiction.
The texting compliance playbook covers this properly.
Follow-ups and quiet conversations
What happens when a lead stops replying mid-conversation — the timeout, the follow-up schedule, how each nudge gets written, and how hard to chase.
Calendars
How booking works in ClearTalk — event types, schedules, connected calendars, and the two places an appointment can live.