GHL SMS Delivery Troubleshooting — Texts Not Reaching Clients

When GHL shows a message as "sent" but the client never receives it, use this guide to diagnose and resolve the issue. This is a high-priority problem — if clients do not receive your texts, they may think you are a scam when you call.

Symptoms

GHL shows message status as "sent" or "delivered" but client says they never got it
Client does not respond to any texts but answers calls
Client accuses you of being a scam because they have no text history from you
Contact is NOT on DND in GHL but still not receiving messages

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Step 1: Verify in GHL

Go to the contact record → Conversations tab
Confirm the message shows as "Delivered" (not just "Sent" or "Failed")
Check if the contact has DND enabled — toggle it off if so
Verify the phone number is correct and includes the country code
Check if the number is a landline (landlines cannot receive SMS)

Step 2: Check for Carrier Spam Filtering

This is the #1 cause of undelivered texts. Mobile carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon) aggressively filter business SMS.

Common reasons carriers block texts:
• Message contains spam trigger words (see SMS Guidelines page for blocked words list)
• Too many messages sent to the same number in a short period
• Client previously marked your number as spam
• A]2P (Application-to-Person) filtering flagged the message pattern
• Your sending number has a low trust score with the carrier

Step 3: Ask the Client to Check

When you get the client on a call, ask them to:

Check their spam/junk folder — some phones auto-filter unknown numbers
Search for your number manually in their Messages app
Check if they blocked the number accidentally
Check their carrier settings — some carriers have spam filtering that can be adjusted

💡 Pro Tip: Have the client text YOU first from their phone. This establishes a two-way conversation and significantly reduces the chance of future messages being flagged as spam.

Step 4: Workarounds

Have the client save your number as a contact — this dramatically reduces spam filtering
Send a shorter, simpler first message — avoid links, emojis, and marketing language in the first text
Try calling first, then text — once a call is established, texts are less likely to be filtered
Use email as backup — if SMS is consistently blocked, switch to email + phone calls

Step 5: Escalate if Persistent

If the issue affects multiple clients or persists after the steps above:

Report in #improvement-requests with: client name, phone number, what you tried, screenshots
Tag @Sam — he can check the GHL sending reputation and A2P registration status
Include whether this is a one-off or affecting multiple contacts

Prevention Tips

Always introduce yourself and the company in the first message
Avoid spam trigger words (see SMS Guidelines → Compliance section)
Do not send rapid-fire multiple messages — compose one clear message
Encourage clients to save your number during onboarding calls
If a client is not responding to texts at all, switch to phone calls immediately — do not keep texting into the void

Script — When Client Thinks You Are a Scam

"Hi [Name], I completely understand your concern — I want to assure you that I am [Your Name] from Crowned Credit. You signed up with us on [date] for credit repair services. I have been sending you updates via text but it seems they may not have come through on your end. I can verify your account details right now if you would like. You can also check our website at getcrownedcredit.com or call our main line at 336-310-0090 to confirm. We are absolutely legitimate and here to help you."

Page created: April 17, 2026 — triggered by team report in #improvement-requests (Reggie: clients not receiving GHL texts, thinking team is a scam)

Client-Side Fixes (When Sends Show Delivered But Client Says Nothing Received)

Added 2026-04-20 from #improvement-requests thread (Reggie + Orlie). Use these when GHL shows the message as sent/delivered but the client swears they never got it and accuses us of being a scam.

Have the client manually search for our number in their Messages app. On iPhone and Android, carrier spam filtering will often silently drop our texts into a hidden/filtered folder instead of the main inbox. The message is on their phone — they just cant see it in the normal thread. Ask them to save our number as a contact (e.g., "Crowned Credit – 336-310-0090" and the closers direct line). Once saved, their carrier is far less likely to flag future messages as spam, and the messages will land in the main inbox instead of the filtered folder. If they still cant find anything after steps 1–2, it is almost certainly their carrier blocking at the network level. Switch to calling from the main company line (336-310-0090) first, introduce yourself on the phone, then ask them to text Start to that number to re-enable delivery on their side.

Common symptoms this fixes: "Your texts keep going to my spam," "I thought you were a scam," "I never got any message from you," and "Your number shows as spam even though I have it saved" (this last one almost always means the number was saved after the carrier had already flagged it — have them delete and re-add).