Register your agency brand and messaging campaigns with U.S. telecom carriers on the Carriers tab of Agency Setup in eCourtDate.
Carrier registration is required to send and receive texts and calls through the platform, because U.S. telecom carriers need to know who your agency is and what you send. You complete it on the Carriers tab of Agency Setup.
Overview
The Carriers page opens on Carrier Registration Status. Registration happens in two parts. First you register your brand using your Employer Identification Number, then you create at least one campaign that describes the messages you send, your opt-in and opt-out wording, and where your policies live. Once both exist, the same page becomes your status board: it lists your brand details, every campaign, the phone numbers attached to each campaign, and what each mobile carrier reports back about your traffic.
Learn more about carrier registration on the eCourtDate website.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
- Access to Agency Setup, which is linked at the bottom of every page
- Your agency's nine digit EIN, which you enter without dashes
- The entity name, address, city, state, and zip that match that EIN
- A contact first name, last name, email address, and phone number
- A portal and message templates in your agency, so Auto Fill Form has links and samples to pull from
How-To Steps
Step 1: Open the Carriers page
- Click Agency Setup at the bottom of any page.
- Click the Carriers tab.
Step 2: Register your brand
- Enter your nine digit EIN in Employer Identification Number (EIN) without dashes. The rest of the entity fields appear as soon as this field has a value.
- Click Lookup EIN to search for entities registered to that EIN.
- Click Select Entity on the matching result to copy its name, city, state, and zip into the form.
- Confirm Entity Name is the same name associated with your EIN.
- Enter your agency's Website.
- Complete Address, Address 2, City, State, and Zip.
- Complete Contact First Name, Contact Last Name, Contact Email, and Contact Phone.
- Click Register Brand.
Website and Address 2 are the only optional fields on this form. Everything else is required.
Once the brand exists, the form is replaced by your registration details: Brand ID, Entity Name, Entity Type, Verification Status, and Government Entity. Verification Status shows a green badge for VERIFIED or VETTED VERIFIED and a red badge for any other value. If your brand is not flagged as a government entity, the page reads "Government Entity: Not a government entity".
Step 3: Register a campaign
- Click Create a Campaign under Campaigns.
- Read the classification and description of each option under Choose a Use Case.
- Click Choose Use Case on the option that matches the messages you send. eCourtDate opens Register Campaign and fills it with sample content for that use case.
- Click Auto Fill Form to refill Embedded Link, Privacy Policy, and Terms Conditions from your default portal, and Sample 1 through Sample 4 from your message templates.
- Review Description, Sub Usecases, Message Flow, Help Message, Optin Keywords, Optout Keywords, and Help Keywords.
- Edit Optin Message and Optout Message so both contain your entity name, and so Optin Message also contains "Reply HELP for help". Fields outline green when they pass these checks and red when they do not.
- Enter a Reseller ID only if a reseller submits on your behalf.
- Click Register Campaign.
Every field on this form is required, so fill in anything Auto Fill Form leaves empty before you submit.
Step 4: Update a registered campaign
- Click Edit Campaign on the campaign you want to change. The button appears on campaigns that list carrier results.
- Update Description, Message Flow, Help Message, Opt-In Message, Opt-Out Message, Message Sample 1 through Message Sample 5, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, or Embedded Link.
- Click Update Campaign.
- Click Close Edit Mode to return to the campaign list.
What to Expect
Brand verification typically completes within one hour, and campaign approval takes 5 to 15 business days depending on the use case. After that, each campaign on the Carriers page shows its Campaign ID, a Status badge that turns green when the status is ACTIVE, its use case with any sub use case badges, and its description.
Below that, Assigned Phone Numbers lists every number attached to the campaign and links to each one, or reads "No phone numbers assigned to this campaign." when none are attached. Gateway Status turns green when the status is ACCEPTED, and any explanation the gateway returns appears in a red banner underneath. Each mobile carrier then gets its own row with Qualified or Not Qualified, plus Message Class, Brand Tier, Messages/Min, and Daily Cap where the carrier reports them.
Best Practices
- Use Lookup EIN and Select Entity rather than typing the entity name, so the name you submit matches the one tied to your EIN.
- Create your portal and message templates before you register a campaign, so Auto Fill Form has real links and real message samples to pull in.
- Treat the green and red outlines on Optin Message and Optout Message as a checklist, because carriers reject campaigns whose opt-in wording is missing the required elements.
- Check Assigned Phone Numbers after you add a phone number, so you can confirm the number landed on the right campaign.
- Review Gateway Status and the per carrier badges after approval, since the red explanation banner tells you exactly what was rejected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where do I find carrier registration in eCourtDate?
A: Click Agency Setup at the bottom of any page, then click the Carriers tab. The page opens on Carrier Registration Status.
Q: Why do I only see the EIN field and no entity fields?
A: The entity fields are hidden until Employer Identification Number (EIN) has a value. Enter your EIN and the rest of the form appears below it.
Q: What if Lookup EIN does not return my entity?
A: Lookup EIN only searches, so nothing is lost. Enter Entity Name, the address fields, and the contact fields yourself, then click Register Brand.
Q: How do phone numbers get attached to a campaign?
A: When you add a local number on the Agency Phones page, the Carrier Campaign dropdown defaults to your first campaign and the number is submitted with it. Attaching an additional number to an already approved campaign takes up to 1 business day.
Q: Can I change my campaign wording after it is registered?
A: Yes. Click Edit Campaign, change the description, message flow, help message, opt-in and opt-out messages, message samples, or policy links, then click Update Campaign.
Troubleshooting
Issue: Lookup EIN rejects the number you entered.
Symptoms: A red alert reads "Please enter a valid EIN." and no results appear.
Solution: Enter exactly nine digits with no dashes, spaces, or other characters, then click Lookup EIN again.
Issue: Auto Fill Form leaves the link and sample fields empty.
Symptoms: A red alert reads "No portal found. Click Admin > Portals to create one or use your own domain." or "No auto messages found. Click Admin > Message Templates to create some or manually fill out the message fields."
Solution: Create a portal or message templates as the alert directs, return to the Carriers page, and click Auto Fill Form again. You can also type the links and samples in yourself, since every field on the form is required.
Issue: Submitting the campaign form does nothing.
Symptoms: An alert reads "Please register your brand first."
Solution: Complete brand registration in Step 2 and wait for Brand ID to appear on the page, then create the campaign again.
Important: If these steps do not resolve the problem, click the ? help button in the bottom right corner of the screen and click New support ticket.
Related Articles
Carrier registration is required to send and receive texts and calls through the platform, because U.S. telecom carriers need to know who your agency is and what you send. You complete it on the **Carriers** tab of **Agency Setup**.
### Overview
The **Carriers** page opens on **Carrier Registration Status**. Registration happens in two parts. First you register your brand using your Employer Identification Number, then you create at least one campaign that describes the messages you send, your opt-in and opt-out wording, and where your policies live. Once both exist, the same page becomes your status board: it lists your brand details, every campaign, the phone numbers attached to each campaign, and what each mobile carrier reports back about your traffic.
Learn more about [carrier registration on the eCourtDate website](https://ecourtdate.com/carrier-registration).
### Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
- Access to **Agency Setup**, which is linked at the bottom of every page
- Your agency's nine digit EIN, which you enter without dashes
- The entity name, address, city, state, and zip that match that EIN
- A contact first name, last name, email address, and phone number
- A portal and message templates in your agency, so **Auto Fill Form** has links and samples to pull from
### How-To Steps
#### Step 1: Open the Carriers page
1. Click **Agency Setup** at the bottom of any page.
2. Click the **Carriers** tab.
#### Step 2: Register your brand
1. Enter your nine digit EIN in **Employer Identification Number (EIN)** without dashes. The rest of the entity fields appear as soon as this field has a value.
2. Click **Lookup EIN** to search for entities registered to that EIN.
3. Click **Select Entity** on the matching result to copy its name, city, state, and zip into the form.
4. Confirm **Entity Name** is the same name associated with your EIN.
5. Enter your agency's **Website**.
6. Complete **Address**, **Address 2**, **City**, **State**, and **Zip**.
7. Complete **Contact First Name**, **Contact Last Name**, **Contact Email**, and **Contact Phone**.
8. Click **Register Brand**.
**Website** and **Address 2** are the only optional fields on this form. Everything else is required.
Once the brand exists, the form is replaced by your registration details: **Brand ID**, **Entity Name**, **Entity Type**, **Verification Status**, and **Government Entity**. **Verification Status** shows a green badge for **VERIFIED** or **VETTED VERIFIED** and a red badge for any other value. If your brand is not flagged as a government entity, the page reads "Government Entity: Not a government entity".
#### Step 3: Register a campaign
1. Click **Create a Campaign** under **Campaigns**.
2. Read the classification and description of each option under **Choose a Use Case**.
3. Click **Choose Use Case** on the option that matches the messages you send. eCourtDate opens **Register Campaign** and fills it with sample content for that use case.
4. Click **Auto Fill Form** to refill **Embedded Link**, **Privacy Policy**, and **Terms Conditions** from your default portal, and **Sample 1** through **Sample 4** from your message templates.
5. Review **Description**, **Sub Usecases**, **Message Flow**, **Help Message**, **Optin Keywords**, **Optout Keywords**, and **Help Keywords**.
6. Edit **Optin Message** and **Optout Message** so both contain your entity name, and so **Optin Message** also contains "Reply HELP for help". Fields outline green when they pass these checks and red when they do not.
7. Enter a **Reseller ID** only if a reseller submits on your behalf.
8. Click **Register Campaign**.
Every field on this form is required, so fill in anything **Auto Fill Form** leaves empty before you submit.
#### Step 4: Update a registered campaign
1. Click **Edit Campaign** on the campaign you want to change. The button appears on campaigns that list carrier results.
2. Update **Description**, **Message Flow**, **Help Message**, **Opt-In Message**, **Opt-Out Message**, **Message Sample 1** through **Message Sample 5**, **Privacy Policy**, **Terms and Conditions**, or **Embedded Link**.
3. Click **Update Campaign**.
4. Click **Close Edit Mode** to return to the campaign list.
### What to Expect
Brand verification typically completes within one hour, and campaign approval takes 5 to 15 business days depending on the use case. After that, each campaign on the **Carriers** page shows its **Campaign ID**, a **Status** badge that turns green when the status is **ACTIVE**, its use case with any sub use case badges, and its description.
Below that, **Assigned Phone Numbers** lists every number attached to the campaign and links to each one, or reads "No phone numbers assigned to this campaign." when none are attached. **Gateway Status** turns green when the status is **ACCEPTED**, and any explanation the gateway returns appears in a red banner underneath. Each mobile carrier then gets its own row with **Qualified** or **Not Qualified**, plus **Message Class**, **Brand Tier**, **Messages/Min**, and **Daily Cap** where the carrier reports them.
### Best Practices
- Use **Lookup EIN** and **Select Entity** rather than typing the entity name, so the name you submit matches the one tied to your EIN.
- Create your portal and message templates before you register a campaign, so **Auto Fill Form** has real links and real message samples to pull in.
- Treat the green and red outlines on **Optin Message** and **Optout Message** as a checklist, because carriers reject campaigns whose opt-in wording is missing the required elements.
- Check **Assigned Phone Numbers** after you add a phone number, so you can confirm the number landed on the right campaign.
- Review **Gateway Status** and the per carrier badges after approval, since the red explanation banner tells you exactly what was rejected.
### Frequently Asked Questions
**Q: Where do I find carrier registration in eCourtDate?**
A: Click **Agency Setup** at the bottom of any page, then click the **Carriers** tab. The page opens on **Carrier Registration Status**.
**Q: Why do I only see the EIN field and no entity fields?**
A: The entity fields are hidden until **Employer Identification Number (EIN)** has a value. Enter your EIN and the rest of the form appears below it.
**Q: What if Lookup EIN does not return my entity?**
A: **Lookup EIN** only searches, so nothing is lost. Enter **Entity Name**, the address fields, and the contact fields yourself, then click **Register Brand**.
**Q: How do phone numbers get attached to a campaign?**
A: When you add a local number on the **Agency Phones** page, the **Carrier Campaign** dropdown defaults to your first campaign and the number is submitted with it. Attaching an additional number to an already approved campaign takes up to 1 business day.
**Q: Can I change my campaign wording after it is registered?**
A: Yes. Click **Edit Campaign**, change the description, message flow, help message, opt-in and opt-out messages, message samples, or policy links, then click **Update Campaign**.
### Troubleshooting
**Issue:** Lookup EIN rejects the number you entered.
**Symptoms:** A red alert reads "Please enter a valid EIN." and no results appear.
**Solution:** Enter exactly nine digits with no dashes, spaces, or other characters, then click **Lookup EIN** again.
**Issue:** Auto Fill Form leaves the link and sample fields empty.
**Symptoms:** A red alert reads "No portal found. Click Admin > Portals to create one or use your own domain." or "No auto messages found. Click Admin > Message Templates to create some or manually fill out the message fields."
**Solution:** Create a portal or message templates as the alert directs, return to the **Carriers** page, and click **Auto Fill Form** again. You can also type the links and samples in yourself, since every field on the form is required.
**Issue:** Submitting the campaign form does nothing.
**Symptoms:** An alert reads "Please register your brand first."
**Solution:** Complete brand registration in Step 2 and wait for **Brand ID** to appear on the page, then create the campaign again.
> **Important:** If these steps do not resolve the problem, click the **?** help button in the bottom right corner of the screen and click **New support ticket**.
### Related Articles
- [Texting Campaign Best Practices](/texting-campaign-best-practices)
- [How to Manage Agency Phone Numbers](/how-to-manage-agency-phone-numbers)
- [How to Configure Inbound Voice and Text Settings](/how-to-configure-inbound-voice-and-text-settings)
- [How to Port In a Short Code](/how-to-port-in-a-short-code)
- [How to Set Up a New Agency](/how-to-set-up-a-new-agency)