Introducing Geo Permissions: What Does It Mean for Your Business Messaging?

It goes without saying that reaching a wide audience is key for a business. And with the right tools, it’s more than possible. But the matter goes beyond just sending messages to an entire list of contacts. The trick is to reach the right people, not all the people.?

On a global scale, this matter lies in the fact that your business messaging may not be compatible with every region. And this can be due to one of many reasons. Maybe you’d prefer avoiding a certain country for security purposes. Or perhaps there are local regulations standing in the way. It’s also possible that your campaign simply doesn’t resonate with a certain region’s demographics. In any case, you’ll want to filter your communications.?

Cue geo permissions.

What Are Geographic Permissions in Business Messaging?

Also known as geo blocking, geo permissions in business communication refers to restricting or allowing the delivery of messages to a selected geographic location. To put it simply, it allows companies to decide which regions or countries can or cannot receive their text messages. This ensures that their communication efforts don’t go against local regulations of the location they’re targeting—or that they’re on the same page with local demographics and marketing approaches.?

Geo blocking also comes in handy for preventing fake code requests from high-risk countries. This is especially crucial for businesses that make use of two-factor authentication or one-time password verification via SMS. In this scenario, you may also call it country blacklisting.?

How Do Geo Permissions in Messaging Work for Businesses?

• Geolocation data: Before applying geo permissions, businesses would need to gather geolocation data from various sources, such as IP addresses and mobile network information—in addition to location data provided by customers. This helps in pinpointing the recipients’ location and setting the right communication rules
• Setting geographic boundaries: By using geo permissions, businesses can set specific geographic boundaries or regions they may want to target or avoid. These can be anything from small cities to entire countries, depending on the company’s goals and target audience
• Message filtering and routing: With geographic boundaries in place, businesses can lay down rules for the filtering and routing of messages. They can choose whether to send or withhold a message based on where the recipient lives. This basically ensures that the right message reaches the right person
• Compliance and regulations: Geo permissions help companies in being compliant with local regulations and privacy laws. It essentially allows them to abide by specific texting regulations put in place by authorities in various countries. By tailoring campaigns based on geographic location, brands can avoid having to deal with any legal issues

How Can Businesses Benefit from Geo Blocking?

Besides ensuring compliance and dodging legal issues, geo permissions can serve other purposes as well. Let’s take targeted messaging, for instance. Brands can use geo blocking to customize their marketing campaigns for specific regions, making sure the content is relatable to the local audience. It’s worth mentioning that location-based campaigns are typically more relevant and effective. A global bike manufacturer wanting to send promotional texts, let’s say, may choose to exclude regions where it doesn’t have a showroom.?

Companies can also leverage geo permissions to align their messaging with local customs, cultures, or languages. This effort helps in showing sensitivity to regional preferences and can do wonders in building strong relationships with customers and fostering a sense of trust and familiarity.?

Cost optimization is another area where geo permissions come in handy. It wouldn’t make sense to deliver messages to a region where the target audience is not very likely to engage. With geo blocking, businesses can focus their resources and messaging budgets on regions that have higher potential for customer response. The result? Simply a greater return on investment.?

In certain cases, a company may face challenges in specific regions as a result of negative experiences or adverse market conditions. This is yet another scenario that calls for geo blocking. Suppose a company suffered bad publicity in a particular country. It can block messages to that country and concentrate on maintaining a positive reputation in other markets, mitigating potential risks in the process.?

Country Blacklisting With Dexatel

As a brand, you’ve probably received a fake code request or had to deal with fraudulent activity at some point. This may happen while using SMS or voice calls as a method of authentication. Thanks to the new geo-blocking feature in Dexatel’s CPaaS, you can control which destination countries receive your messages. And if you have a predefined target country, you can allow your messages to be sent to that country only.?

The Country Blacklist dashboard lets you easily manage geo permissions by choosing the countries you want to allow or block. You’ll also be able to see which countries are marked as high risk and take precautions accordingly.?

Here’s how it works in Dexatel’s platform:

1. Log in to your #Dexatel account and go to “Settings“
2. Select the “Country Blacklist” tab?
3. Choose the regions or countries you want to block. You can either click on the countries from the list or search for them in the search field by name or country code

1. Move the selected countries to the “Blacklisted Countries” list by clicking on the right arrow icon. You can move them back to the list of allowed destinations by selecting them and clicking on the left arrow?