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SMS stop words and blocked words: the full Welco list

SMS stop words are the replies staff can text to any Welco number, such as STOP, HELP, START or YES. Each one does a fixed job. Welco also holds outgoing alerts that contain blocked words or phrases, such as sales lines or phishing bait. Here is every word, and what each one does.

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How a person joins: Your Company invites them by email and no text is sent. They open their own join page, enter their own phone and tick an unchecked box. Their phone gets the text “Welco: You asked to get Your Company system alerts at this number. Reply YES to confirm. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.” They reply YES, get “Welco: You're confirmed for Your Company alerts. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.” and show as Joined.

Animation: a staff member opens their join page, ticks the consent box, replies YES to one text, and starts getting alerts.

Alerts only, so no spam and no marketing

Welco texts carry system alarms to the staff who asked for them. We never send spam, sales texts or marketing, and we never text the public.

The keyword list and the blocked phrase list both protect that promise. The full rules sit in our acceptable use policy.

Keywords staff can text back

Each keyword works on every Welco number. The last column shows the exact text Welco sends in return. The keywords are English only: Welco does not handle the French words ARRET or AIDE today.

STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, REVOKE, OPTOUT

What it does
Ends every Welco text to that phone, for every business on Welco.
Welco replies
Welco: You're unsubscribed and will get no more texts from Welco. Reply START to rejoin.

HELP, INFO

What it does
Sends a short help text with our support email.
Welco replies
Welco Alerts: system alert texts for your team. Help: hello@welco.ai. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

START, UNSTOP

What it does
Turns texts back on for a phone that sent an opt-out word.
Welco replies
Welco: You're subscribed again. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

YES

What it does
Confirms a new join request, so alerts can begin.
Welco replies
Welco: You're confirmed for [Company] alerts. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help.

Let your team join on their own phones

Invite staff by email or link. Each person confirms with YES before the first alert.

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How Welco reads an opt-out word

Capital letters don't matter, so stop, Stop and STOP all work. A period or other mark after the word is fine too.

After an opt-out word, Welco sends one last reply and then goes quiet. That phone gets nothing more from any Welco business until the person texts START or UNSTOP.

Staff who would rather not text can email hello@welco.ai and ask to be removed. We keep consent and opt-out records for 4 years.

If someone replies ARRET or AIDE

Short-code programs in Canada must answer the French words ARRET and AIDE. Welco doesn't use short codes and doesn't handle those words today. Tell staff in Quebec to reply STOP to opt out and HELP for help.

Who can turn texts back on

Only the owner of the phone can. An admin can send a fresh invite, but the person must join again from their own join page.

Why each alert starts with Welco and ends with the STOP line

Welco adds Welco: to the front of every outgoing text and Reply STOP to opt out. to the end. Mobile carriers expect every business text to name the sender and show how to leave.

You can't switch these lines off or change their wording, and they stay in English. Their characters count toward the message credits each alert uses. Our page on carrier rules for alert texts covers the US rules and the Canadian picture.

Words and phrases Welco blocks in outgoing alerts

Welco looks for phrases, not lone common words. The word free by itself is fine, since 1% free disk space is a real alarm.

Marketing and sales

Examples Welco holds
limited time, buy now, promo code, discount code, free gift, act now, special offer, click here to claim

Sexual or adult content

Examples Welco holds
Any sexual or adult material

Hate or threats

Examples Welco holds
Hateful words or threats aimed at a person or group

Age-limited products

Examples Welco holds
Selling alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, cannabis or CBD, or firearms

Illegal drugs

Examples Welco holds
Any offer or mention of buying illegal drugs

Gambling and sweepstakes

Examples Welco holds
you've won, claim your prize

Money offers

Examples Welco holds
Loan offers, debt relief, credit repair, crypto deals, get-rich schemes

Phishing

Examples Welco holds
verify your account, confirm your password, gift card

Public link shorteners

Examples Welco holds
bit.ly, tinyurl

Private data

Examples Welco holds
Full card numbers, passwords, bank account numbers, government ID numbers

What happens to a held alert

A held alert stops at Welco before it ever reaches a mobile network.

  • It is not sent. No phone receives it.
  • The feed shows why. Your alert feed names the reason the text was held.
  • It uses no credits. Held texts never touch your message credit balance.

If an alert is held by mistake

Real alarms sometimes contain an unlucky phrase. Here is how to sort it out.

  1. Check the reason in the feed

    Open the held alert in your feed and note the phrase or category Welco flagged.

  2. Fix the source if you can

    If the phrase comes from your system's email template or footer, edit that template. Swap a short link for the full web address.

  3. Ask us to review it

    The account owner can email hello@welco.ai with the date and the held alert. We will look at it and reply.

Repeated blocked texts lead to warnings

Trying again and again to send blocked content counts as a breach of our rules. Each breach earns a written warning, emailed to the account owner.

The third written warning closes the account automatically. Fraud, phishing, illegal content, or an order from a carrier or regulator can suspend an account at once, with no warnings first.

No refunds are given when an account is warned, paused or closed this way. Plan fees, leftover credits and unused credit packs all stay with Welco. The SMS terms set out the details.

Frequently asked questions

Does "Stop." with a period still opt a phone out?

Yes. Welco ignores capital letters and extra marks around the keyword, so "Stop.", "stop" and "STOP" all work. The phone gets one final reply from Welco and then no more texts from any Welco business. Texting START or UNSTOP turns alerts back on.

Why did Welco hold my alert?

The text contained a word or phrase on Welco's blocked list, such as a sales line, a short link or a phishing phrase. Your feed shows the exact reason. A held alert is not sent and uses no message credits. If it was a real alarm, the account owner can ask us to review it.

Can a Welco alert include a link to our dashboard?

Yes, a full web address is fine, such as a link to your monitoring dashboard. Public link shorteners like bit.ly and tinyurl are blocked, because they hide where a link really goes. Use the full address and the alert will pass this check.

Can staff leave Welco texts without texting STOP?

Yes. A staff member can email hello@welco.ai and ask us to remove their phone. Replying with any opt-out word, such as STOP or QUIT, also works right away from the phone itself. Either way, only that person can opt the phone back in later.

Does a single held alert count as a warning?

No. A single held alert is a safety check, not a breach. Trying again and again to send blocked content does count, and each breach earns a written warning by email. The third warning closes the account.

Will a low disk space alarm that says "free" be held?

No. Welco looks for blocked phrases, not lone words, so "free" on its own passes. An alert like C: drive 3% free goes through as normal. Phrases such as "free gift" are the ones held.

Send clean alerts to staff who opted in

Sign up, verify your business and invite your team to join on their own phones.

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