DND Settings Setup

Configure Do Not Disturb settings to manage communication preferences, ensure compliance with privacy regulations, and respect customer opt-out requests across all channels. This guide walks through enabling DND for individual contacts, setting channel-specific preferences, and automating DND management with workflows.

Prerequisites

Before configuring DND Settings, ensure you have:

Admin or user access to your GoHighLevel sub-account
A basic understanding of compliance requirements (TCPA, GDPR, CAN-SPAM)
Contact records to test DND settings
A workflow strategy for handling opt-outs (optional but recommended)

Enable DND for a Contact

Set Do Not Disturb for individual contacts to block outbound communications on specific channels, preventing unwanted messages and ensuring compliance.

Navigate to Contacts in the main navigation and search for the contact you want to update. Click the contact’s name to open their profile.

In the contact profile, scroll to the DND section in the left column at the bottom.

Toggle DND on or off for all channels by clicking the global DND switch, or select specific channels individually.

Channel options include:

Email: Blocks email campaigns and automated email workflows
SMS: Prevents SMS broadcasts and text message workflows
Calls: Stops outbound calls
Facebook Messenger: Controls messaging through connected Facebook pages
Google Business Profile: Manages communication via Google Business messaging
WhatsApp: Controls WhatsApp messaging for connected accounts

Changes are saved automatically. The contact is immediately excluded from all outbound communications on the affected channels.

Inbound DND Options: For Calls and SMS, you can also enable Inbound DND to block incoming communications from the contact.

Inbound Call DND: Directly blocks calls from the contact’s number. They will not reach your system.
Inbound SMS DND: Blocks incoming SMS at the system level. Charges may still apply as the message reaches your provider before being blocked.

Toggle Inbound DND settings as needed to manage spam or unwanted inbound communication.

Understand Automatic DND Activation

The system automatically enables DND in certain situations to protect you from compliance violations. Review these automatic triggers to understand when and why DND is applied.

For Email, DND is automatically enabled when:

Contact unsubscribes via an unsubscribe link
Contact marks your email as spam
Permanent delivery failures occur (hard bounces, invalid addresses)
Email suppression lists block the address

For SMS, DND is automatically enabled when:

Contact replies with opt-out keywords: STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT
Carrier error codes indicate permanent delivery failure (30003, 30004, 30005, 30006)
Contact files a spam complaint with their carrier

For Calls, DND is activated manually by users or workflows when:

Contact requests to be added to a Do Not Call list
Manual DND activation is triggered by users or workflows

These automatic triggers ensure you honor opt-out requests immediately and comply with regulatory requirements for timely opt-out processing.

When a contact opts back in after providing new consent, remove DND to restore communication on the appropriate channels.

Removing Email DND:

Navigate to the contact record and open the DND section.

Toggle off the Email DND checkbox.

Confirm the contact has provided consent to receive emails again. Document the opt-in source, date, and method in a custom field or note for compliance records.

Removing SMS DND:

SMS DND removal depends on whether the DND is temporary or permanent:

Temporary DND: Toggle off the SMS DND checkbox directly in the contact record.
Permanent DND: Requires the contact to send an opt-in keyword (like START or UNSTOP) or agency support must receive proof of opt-in consent before manual removal.

Important: Never remove permanent SMS DND without documented proof of re-consent. Carriers track opt-out compliance, and violations can result in number suspension or carrier penalties.

Proof of Opt-In Requirements:

When requesting manual DND removal from support, provide:

Screenshot or copy of the contact’s opt-in message
Date and time of the opt-in request
Context showing the contact initiated the re-subscription

This documentation protects your account and ensures compliance with carrier regulations.

Automate DND with Workflows

Use workflows to automatically manage DND settings based on contact behavior, making it easy to scale compliance and preference management across your entire contact database.

Navigate to Automations > Workflows and create a new workflow or edit an existing one.

Add the Contact DND trigger to fire when a contact’s DND status changes.

Configure the trigger filters:

Channel: Email, SMS, Calls, or All Channels
Direction: Inbound or Outbound
Status: Enabled or Disabled

These filters let you create targeted workflows that respond differently based on which channel the contact opted out of.

Add actions to respond to DND changes:

Internal Notification: Alert team members when high-value contacts opt out
Add Tag: Categorize opted-out contacts by channel for reporting
Remove from Workflow: Immediately stop the current workflow for opted-out contacts
Stop Campaign: Halt scheduled campaign sends
Update Contact Field: Log opt-out source, timestamp, or reason in custom fields

Example Workflow: Unsubscribe Link Handler

Trigger: Link Clicked (unsubscribe trigger link)
Action: DND Contact (enable Email DND, Outbound)
Action: Update Contact Field (set “Unsubscribe Date” to current date)
Action: Remove from Workflow (stop all active email workflows)
Action: Internal Notification (alert account owner)

This workflow ensures instant opt-out processing and maintains compliance with CAN-SPAM requirements for timely unsubscribe handling.

Using the DND Action:

Add the DND Contact action to any workflow to enable or disable DND programmatically. Configure the action with:

Channel: Choose global or per-channel DND
Direction: Inbound (blocks incoming) or Outbound (blocks outgoing)
Status: Enable or Disable

Use cases include:

Automatically set Email DND when a contact clicks an unsubscribe trigger link
Enable SMS DND when a contact replies with “STOP”
Disable DND when a contact re-subscribes via a form
Set Inbound Call DND for contacts who repeatedly call outside business hours

Export DND Contacts for Compliance Audits

Create a filtered list of DND contacts and export it to maintain compliance records or perform database cleanup.

Navigate to Contacts > Smart Lists and click + Create Smart List.

Name the list based on the DND channel you want to filter (for example, “Email DND Contacts” or “SMS DND Contacts”).

Add a filter to define the criteria. Use filters like:

Email DND is True
SMS DND is True
DND (all channels) is True

Combine multiple filters to narrow the segment if needed. For example, filter by “Email DND is True” AND “Tags contains Marketing” to find contacts who opted out of marketing emails.

Save the Smart List. It appears in your Smart Lists menu for quick access. The list updates dynamically as contacts meet or leave the criteria.

To export the list, click the checkbox beside the filter fields and select Select All Contacts. Then click More > Export.

Confirm your selection in the export modal and click Export. A success message will confirm the export has started.

Navigate to Contacts > Bulk Actions to download the completed export. This export is useful for compliance audits or database cleanup.

Test Your Setup

Verify your configuration by setting DND for a test contact, creating a workflow trigger, and confirming automatic DND activation works as expected.

Create a test contact by navigating to Contacts > Smart Lists > + Add Contact. Enter test data and save the contact.

Open the test contact record and navigate to the DND section. Toggle on Email DND and verify the change saves automatically.

Send a test email campaign to the test contact by creating a quick email campaign and selecting the contact. Verify the contact is excluded from the campaign due to Email DND status.

Test automatic DND by sending a test SMS to yourself or a team member with the keyword “STOP.” Verify the contact’s SMS DND is automatically enabled and the contact is excluded from future SMS campaigns.

Create a test workflow by navigating to Automations > Workflows and adding a Contact DND trigger. Configure the trigger to fire when Email DND is enabled. Add an internal notification action to alert yourself. Save and activate the workflow.

Toggle Email DND off on the test contact, then toggle it back on. Verify the workflow triggers and you receive the internal notification.

Test the DND Contact action by creating a workflow with a manual trigger (for example, “Tag Added”). Add the DND Contact action, configure it to enable SMS DND (Outbound), and save the workflow. Add the trigger tag to the test contact and verify SMS DND is enabled automatically.

Remove DND from the test contact by toggling off all DND channels. Verify the contact is no longer excluded from campaigns.

Next Steps

Now that DND Settings are configured, explore related features to build a complete compliance workflow:

Contact Manager to manage all contacts with detailed profiles and communication history
Workflow Builder to automate DND actions based on triggers or conditions
Email Campaigns to send bulk emails that automatically respect DND settings
SMS Broadcasts to send mass SMS that automatically excludes DND contacts
Smart Lists to create filtered views of DND contacts for reporting

For a complete overview of DND Settings features, capabilities, and best practices, read the DND Settings Guide.

DND Settings