FRANCHISE & MULTI-LOCATION SMS COMPLIANCE

// Course Guide

Who this course is for

• Franchisor compliance and marketing leaders
• Franchisees and multi-unit operators
• Franchise operations and field support teams
• Technology vendors serving franchise networks

Why texting compliance is different for franchise systems

Franchise texting raises a question most businesses never face: who is the sender? A franchisor may own the brand and the platform while each franchisee owns the customer relationship and the EIN. Consent collected by one location may be used by the system for national promotions, or the reverse. 10DLC registration has to reflect that structure, and liability for violations can flow to both franchisor and franchisee depending on who controlled the messaging.

What each module covers

1. TCPA Foundations for Franchises. The TCPA as it applies to franchise systems: consent tiers, autodialer rules after Facebook v. Duguid, Do Not Call obligations, statutory damages and recent case law.
2. TCR Registration. 10DLC registration for franchise systems: brand and campaign structure, use case selection, vetting, and keeping registrations accurate as the business changes.
3. Consent Responsibility Allocation. How to capture, scope and document consent for franchise systems: express versus express written consent, disclosure language, recordkeeping and consent that survives a challenge.
4. Message Classification. For franchise systems: classifying messages as informational, transactional, conversational or marketing, and why the classification decides which consent and which campaign apply.
5. Contamination Prevention. For franchise systems: preventing contamination: keeping marketing content out of informational and transactional messages so consent and registrations stay valid.
6. Opt-Out Management. For franchise systems: processing STOP and other opt-outs across every system, honoring revocation by any reasonable means, and keeping internal and national DNC lists synchronized.
7. Campaign Compliance. For franchise systems: running compliant promotional programs: express written consent, CTA disclosures, frequency, quiet hours and state laws stricter than the federal rules.
8. Vendor Compliance Management. For franchise systems: managing vendors and platforms that send or store data on your behalf: due diligence, contracts, audit rights, suppression syncing and liability allocation.
9. Location Operations Compliance. For franchise systems: running compliance across multiple locations, brands or teams: centralized controls, shared suppression, registration structures and local accountability.
10. Scaling Compliance Programs. Designing a compliance program for franchise systems: policies, roles, training, controls and the review cycle that keeps messaging compliant as it grows.
11. Audit & Documentation. For franchise systems: building the evidence trail: consent logs, message archives, monitoring dashboards and the records regulators, carriers and plaintiffs request.
12. Liability Defense. For franchise systems: responding to complaints, demand letters, class actions and regulator inquiries: preserving evidence, common defenses and settlement considerations.
13. Final Certification Exam. A proctored final assessment covering every module, with scenario questions drawn from real franchise systems situations. Passing earns the course certificate.

The problem this course prevents

A franchisor launches a national SMS promotion using numbers collected by 120 franchisees under location-level consent, while several franchisees also text the same customers locally. Opt-outs at one level are not honored at the other. The course covers consent allocation, shared suppression and registration structures for franchise systems.

Course FAQ

Does each franchise location need its own TCR brand?

It depends on who sends and whose EIN applies. The TCR registration and scaling modules cover the common structures and when each is appropriate.

Who is liable when a franchisee violates the TCPA?

Liability can extend to the franchisor depending on control over the messaging program. The liability defense module covers allocation and contractual protections.

Is the course self-paced?

Yes. Franchise & Multi-location SMS Compliance runs about 20 hours across 13 modules, including the final exam, and you can work through it at your own pace with lifetime access to updates.

Is this course legal advice?

No. It teaches the rules, carrier requirements and operational controls that apply to franchise systems, but it is not a substitute for advice from qualified counsel on your specific program.