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2023-08-07 Problems relating to SMS text messages

Incident IDEXX Software HQ

12:45 CET, 24th August 2023

We have received clarification regarding the “opt-out” messages your customers may have received.

For a short period of time, an error caused an “opt-out” message to be appended to some outgoing SMS text messages. Our text messaging partner has confirmed that customers will continue to receive messages with no further action needed.

FAQ

  1. Am I affected?
    If you send SMS text messages to recipients in the UK, your messages may be blocked if:

    • you have not registered your SMS originator (“text message sender”) with Animana using this form.
    • you are using a URL-shortening service.
  2. How do I know if I am affected?
    We advise you to test your text messages to your personal numbers.
  3. I have already requested an SMS originator change from Animana.
    No action is required. However, if you wish to change your SMS originator again, please ensure you register this change with the Animana team using the following form. Note that this change will take 3-4 weeks to update.
  4. Can I still use “Vets” as my SMS originator?
    No, please change your “text message sender” back to your original text. If you are not sure what this was, please contact the Animana support team.
  5. How do I know if I am using a short URL service?
    Short URL services process are 3rd party websites that process a long web address and make it as short as possible.
  6. What can I send instead of a shortened URL?
    If your text messages contain a URL using a short URL service such as bit.ly, tinyurl.com, or t.ly, please replace these with the full URL.
  7. My customers received an “opt-out” at the end of their text messages – Is any action required?
    No action is required – recipients will continue to receive your messages with no further action.
  8. Where can I get more information?
    Please see: In focus – SMS text messaging.

13:20 CET, 17th August 2023

We continue to monitor, seek advice, and update our documentation regarding this issue.

The registration for practices in the UK and Ireland has now successfully taken place, and text message functionality should be restored.

Using URL-shortening
Be aware that if your text messages to UK recipients contain links created using a URL-shortening service, they will be blocked, for more information, please see: Use of URL shortening services. We have also added tools when creating SMS text messages in Animana to help you spot troublesome URLs.

Using “Vets” an SMS originator
If you temporarily used “Vets” as my SMS originator, please change your “text message sender” back to your original text. Please contact the Animana support team for help with this if required.

For more information on SMS text messaging, and troubleshooting messages in Animana,  please see: In focus – SMS text messaging.

11:03 CET, 7th August 2023

Problems relating to SMS text messages

We are currently looking into an issue where a subset of practices in the UK and Denmark may be sending SMS text messages which are not received by recipients.

This problem stems from a change in “SMS Originator” regulations on marketing messages sent via text message for practices in the UK, Ireland, and Denmark. The new regulations state that any text message must be sent with a registered company name.

For Animana users in the UK and Denmark, we have already reached out to you, and have registered on your behalf. However, for some practices, the service provider handling the registration process is taking longer than anticipated.

Additionally, the new regulations block the usage of short URL services, in an effort to provide transparency with the link you are clicking.

  1. Test all your SMS text message templates to a personal number.
  2. Replace all short URLs in all your SMS text messages with the full URL.

If your SMS text messages are not reaching recipients

We apologise for the inconvenience caused and would like to reassure you that we are treating this with utmost priority. We can offer the following workarounds while the registration is processed;

  1. Consider (temporarily) sending via email instead of SMS text messages. Once you receive confirmation from us that your SMS originator has been registered, you can switch back to SMS text messages.

  2. Temporarily change your SMS originator in Animana to a generic (already registered) name. To do this:

    1. In Animana, navigate to settings > general settings > general settings > mailing

    2. Change the “text message sender” to “Vets”, and click Save

    3. Once we receive a notification that your SMS originator has been processed, we will contact you so you can change this setting back. At this point, as long as your SMS text messages do not contain short URLs, all SMS text messages should be delivered.

09:01 CET, 7th August 2023

We are aware of problems currently affecting Animana. Our teams are currently looking into it, and updates will be posted here.

We apologise for this inconvenience.