Can car salespeople text customers from their own number?
Short answer
Usually yes, but it depends on your store. Many reps already text from their personal cell. What dealers care about is that store leads get logged in the store CRM and that customer financial information stays in store systems. Ask your manager what the policy is, keep logging store leads where the store wants them, and never put credit applications or Social Security numbers in any outside app.
What dealers usually care about
- Store leads get logged in the store CRM. Many stores measure and pay on CRM activity. If yours does, keep logging there.
- Customer financial information stays in store systems. US dealers are covered by the FTC Safeguards Rule, which requires them to protect customer information and oversee the service providers that handle it.
- Who keeps the customer. Some pay plans have rules about taking store customers when you leave. Read yours.
- Opt-outs. If a customer tells the store to stop texting, that should hold everywhere.
Questions to ask your manager
- Can I text customers from a business number on my own account?
- Do store leads need to stay in the CRM, and can I forward lead emails anywhere else?
- Is there a social media or texting policy I should read?
- What happens to customers I bring in myself if I leave?
Rules that apply wherever you text from
- Never put credit applications, deal jackets, license photos or Social Security numbers in a personal app.
- Text people who asked to hear from you, and stop when they say stop.
- Business texting from a US 10-digit number has to be registered with the carriers.
Relay Solo is built for the customers you bring in yourself. It does not connect to or change the store's CRM, and nothing is installed at the dealership.
Common questions
Can my dealership stop me from texting customers on my own number?
Your employer can set policies for how you contact store customers, so ask. This page is general information, not legal or employment advice.
What is the FTC Safeguards Rule?
A federal rule that requires financial institutions, which includes car dealers that arrange financing, to protect customer information and oversee service providers that handle it. It is why dealers are careful about outside apps.
Sources
Selling cars in Canada? Relay Solo for Canada has Canadian numbers and prices in CAD.