How to Add Contact Information for a Client

Every message your agency sends goes to a contact, so a client record without a phone number or email address cannot be reached. The **Manage Contacts** card on the client record lets you add a contact in one field and then open it to set how it is used.

### Overview

- **What:** A contact is a single phone number or email address attached to a client record, with its own **Type**, **Channel**, opt-in state and message history
- **Why:** Messages are addressed to contacts, and the badges on each contact tell you at a glance whether that number or address can actually receive them
- **Who:** Staff who can open client records in the eCourtDate Agency Application
- **Expected outcomes:** The contact appears at the top of the **Manage Contacts** card immediately and is available for messaging as soon as it is valid and opted in

### Prerequisites

- An eCourtDate account with access to **Clients**
- An existing client record to attach the contact to
- The phone number or email address you want to add

### How-To Steps

#### Open the client record

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation bar.
2. Enter the client's name in the search field of the **Search Clients** card.
3. Click **Search**.
4. Click the **Edit** button in the client's row to open the client record.

#### Add the contact

1. Find the **Manage Contacts** card on the client record.
2. Enter the phone number or email address in the **Add phone or email** field.
3. Click **Create Contact**.

![Contacts card on a client record](https://s3.amazonaws.com/ecdassets/images/articles/add-contact-client.png)

#### Set how the contact is used

1. Click the new contact in the list to open its contact record.
2. Enter a **Name** if you want a label for the contact, such as the person who answers it.
3. Select a **Type**: mobile, home, work, school, fax or other.
4. Select the **Channel** the contact is used for.
5. Click **Save**.

### What to Expect

The contact is created straight away. It moves to the top of the list in the **Manage Contacts** card, the count in the corner of the card increases, and a **Contact added** confirmation appears. If the value cannot be saved, what you typed stays in the field and the reason appears in red underneath so you can correct it and submit again.

The card lists up to 100 contacts for the client. The **Manage Contacts** title is a link that opens the full **Contacts** list filtered to that client in a new tab.

#### Badges on each contact

Every row in the list carries badges that describe the contact. The same badges appear on the contact record, along with **OPTED-IN** and **PRIMARY**.

| Badge | Meaning | What to do |
|-------|---------|------------|
| **VALID** | The contact passed validation | Nothing, the contact can be messaged |
| **INVALID** | The contact failed validation | Correct the **Contact** value on the contact record, then use the **Run Lookup** card to check it |
| **OPTED-OUT** | The contact has opted out of messages | Review the opt entries on the contact record, then click **Opt In** once you have consent |
| **NOTIFY OFF** | Notifications are turned off for this contact | Open **Tools** on the contact record and click **Turn On Notifications** |
| mobile, home, work, school, fax, other | The **Type** you selected | Nothing, this is a label for your staff |
| **Voice**, **Text**, **Email** | The **Channel** the contact is used for | Change **Channel** on the contact record if it is wrong |

The contact record is a full record of its own. It holds the inbound and outbound messages sent to and from that number or address, a **Run Lookup** card that reports carrier and caller details, and a **Send a Message** card that appears only while the contact is both valid and opted in. See [How to Manage Contacts](/how-to-manage-contacts) for working with contacts in bulk and [How to Run Reverse Lookups](/how-to-run-reverse-lookups) for what a lookup returns.

### Best Practices

- Add both a phone number and an email address so a message has more than one way to reach the client.
- Set **Type** and **Channel** right after you create a contact, because the list shows both as badges and they are how your staff tell one number from another.
- Enter a **Name** on shared or household numbers so the list shows whose phone it is above the number.
- Check for the **VALID** badge before you rely on a new number, and run a lookup from the contact record when it is missing.
- Look at the badges before you troubleshoot a delivery problem, because **INVALID** and **OPTED-OUT** both hide the **Send a Message** card on the contact record.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Can I add more than one phone number or email address to a client?**

A: Yes. The **Manage Contacts** card lists every contact on the client, up to 100, and shows how many of the total it is displaying.

**Q: Where do I set whether a number is a mobile, home or work number?**

A: Click the contact in the list to open its record, select a **Type**, then click **Save**. The choices are mobile, home, work, school, fax and other.

**Q: Why is there no Send a Message card on a contact record?**

A: That card appears only when the contact is valid and opted in. Clear the **INVALID** or **OPTED-OUT** badge first.

**Q: Can I add a contact from anywhere other than the client record?**

A: Yes. The same **Manage Contacts** card appears on event, case, citation, payment and sent file records, and the **Contacts** page has a **Create Contact** card with **Name** and **Phone or Email** fields.

**Q: What does the Manage Contacts link at the top of the card do?**

A: It opens the **Contacts** list in a new tab, filtered to that client, where you can search and sort every contact on the record.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** The contact does not save when you click **Create Contact**

**Symptoms:** The value stays in the **Add phone or email** field and red text appears below the field.

**Solution:**

1. Read the red text, which repeats the reason the contact was rejected.
2. Correct the phone number or email address in the field.
3. Click **Create Contact** again.

**Issue:** A new contact shows an INVALID badge

**Symptoms:** The row shows a red **INVALID** badge, the same badge appears on the contact record, and the **Send a Message** card is missing.

**Solution:**

1. Click the contact to open its record.
2. Check the **Contact** field for a typo or a missing area code, then click **Save**.
3. Click **Run Lookup** on the **Run Lookup** card to check the number against the carrier.
4. Click **View Lookup** to see the full result if one has already run.

**Issue:** A contact shows an OPTED-OUT badge

**Symptoms:** The row shows a red **OPTED-OUT** badge and no **Send a Message** card appears on the contact record.

**Solution:**

1. Click the contact to open its record.
2. Review the opt entries listed on the record, which show the reason and date of each opt.
3. Click **Opt In** once the client has given consent to be contacted again.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Contacts](/how-to-manage-contacts)
- [How to Run Reverse Lookups](/how-to-run-reverse-lookups)
- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to Configure Opt-in and Opt-out Compliance](/how-to-configure-opt-in-and-opt-out-compliance)
- [Message Troubleshooting for Clients](/message-troubleshooting-for-clients)