Which setup is right for me?
Four questions decide how you set the CRM up: who pays, whose phone number, whose EIN, and whose branding. Answer those and the rest of the setup follows.
Who this is for
Whoever is standing the CRM up — an owner, an admin, or a solo agent setting up for themselves.
People get stuck here because they look for a 'right' setup. There isn't one. There are four ownership questions, and they almost always move together — whoever pays the bill usually also owns the number, the EIN on the A2P registration, and the branding on the messages.
The four questions
1) Who pays for texting, calling and AI — the agency, or each agent? 2) Does everyone send from one shared number, or does each agent get their own? 3) Whose EIN is on the 10DLC registration? 4) When a lead gets a text, whose name is on it?
If the answer to all four is 'the agency', you're a captive setup. If it's 'each agent', your agents are independent and each one needs their own setup. If you're on your own, you're solo — which is really just 'independent' with one agent.
Why this matters more than it sounds
It decides who you send to which instructions. In a captive agency the reps have nothing to configure except their own calendar, and sending them a telecom setup guide wastes their time and generates support questions. In an agency of independent agents, every agent has to do the whole telecom and compliance setup themselves, and an agency-wide 'all set' status means nothing about whether any given agent can actually work.
You can change your mind
This isn't a lock-in. It sets which guidance you're shown by default. Every article in this portal has a toggle at the top so you can read how the other setups work — which is worth doing if you're planning your own build, because the shapes are more similar than they look.
How this differs by setup
Solo agent You run everything yourself.
Captive agency The agency owns the numbers, the A2P brand and the bill.
Independent agent You're in an agency but buy your own number and register your own EIN.
Related
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