Do Not Contact and unsubscribes
Updated
When a contact is marked Do Not Contact, Ostira stops all texts and emails to them. This page lists how that happens and who can lift it.
What Do Not Contact stops
| Stops | Details |
|---|---|
| Ostira's replies | Ostira doesn't answer the contact. Their messages still show in Ostira. |
| Your own messages | You can't send them a message from their conversation. Ostira shows an error that they've opted out. |
| Campaigns | The contact is taken out of every campaign. They show "Opted out" on the enroll list and can't be selected. |
| Both channels | Texts and emails are both blocked, whichever way they opted out. |
How a contact becomes Do Not Contact
| How | Applies to | Who can lift it |
|---|---|---|
| You turn on the Do Not Contact switch in the contact's panel | Your account only | You, by turning the switch off |
| The contact texts STOP | Every Ostira agent who has that phone number as a contact | Only the contact, by texting START |
| The contact unsubscribes from an email | Every Ostira agent who has that email address as a contact | No one in Ostira. The panel says "They unsubscribed from email. Only they can opt back in." |
| The contact asks to stop in their own words, such as "please stop texting me" | Your account only | You, with Undo (see below), or the contact, by texting START |
Text keywords
The keyword has to be the whole message. Capital letters and an ending period don't matter, so "Stop." works but "please don't stop" doesn't.
| Keyword | What it does |
|---|---|
| STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT | Opts out of texts from the shared Ostira number and marks the contact Do Not Contact. |
| START, UNSTOP | Lifts an opt-out the contact made by text or in their own words. It never lifts an email unsubscribe or one you set. |
| HELP | Isn't passed to Ostira as a reply. It doesn't change the contact. |
Ostira never answers a keyword message as part of the conversation.
Email unsubscribes
Every email Ostira sends to a contact includes an unsubscribe link. The link opens a page where they select Confirm Unsubscribe. Mail apps that show their own unsubscribe button use a one-click version that does the same thing.
Opt-outs in a lead's own words
Ostira checks each reply for a request to stop. When the request is clear, Ostira marks the contact Do Not Contact, sends one short confirmation, stops their campaigns and tells you. The contact panel shows "Opted out by Ostira". If the reply is unclear, Ostira doesn't answer and hands the conversation to you to decide.
If Ostira got it wrong, for example "stop texting, call me instead":
- On Contacts, select the contact to open its panel.
- Next to "Opted out by Ostira", select Undo.
- Say why it wasn't an opt-out.
- Select Undo opt-out.
Turn Do Not Contact on or off yourself
- On Contacts, select the contact to open its panel.
- Turn the Do Not Contact switch on or off. It saves right away.
The switch is locked when the contact opted out by STOP, by email, or in their own words. See Manage your contacts.
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