How to Configure Opt-in and Opt-out Compliance

Opt-in and opt-out compliance keeps your agency's text messaging within carrier rules. You control it in three places: the campaign registered with carriers, the **Opt out and Blocklist** settings, and the auto responses on each agency phone number.

### Overview

eCourtDate reads every inbound text for opt-out and enroll keywords, records the result on the contact, and can reply automatically. The keyword lists live in **Admin** > **Settings**, the replies live on each phone number, and the opt-in and opt-out messages that carriers review live on your registered campaign under **Agency Setup** > **Carriers**. This article is written for the person who administers messaging for your agency.

To learn more about carrier requirements, visit the [Carrier Registration](https://ecourtdate.com/carrier-registration) and [Opt-In Compliance](https://ecourtdate.com/opt-in-compliance) pages.

### Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

- A role with the update_settings permission, which is required to save **Admin** > **Settings** and to update a campaign
- A role with the update_agency_phones permission, which is required to edit an agency phone number
- A completed carrier registration with a brand and at least one campaign
- At least one agency phone number that sends and receives texts

### How-To Steps

#### Review your carrier registration

1. Sign in to your [eCourtDate agency](https://app.ecourtdate.com).
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click **Agency Setup**.
3. Click the **Carriers** tab.
4. Review **Carrier Registration Status** for your **Brand ID**, **Entity Name**, **Entity Type**, **Verification Status** and **Government Entity**.
5. Review each entry under **Campaigns** for its status, use case, **Assigned Phone Numbers** and **Gateway Status**.

If your agency is a verified government entity and you believe a carrier exemption applies to your campaign, [contact the help team](/get-help) with your campaign ID.

For short codes, your opt-in and opt-out language is part of the program brief you submit rather than a campaign on this page. Refer to [How to Port In a Short Code](/how-to-port-in-a-short-code) for more information.

#### Edit the registered opt-in and opt-out messages

1. Go to **Agency Setup** > **Carriers**.
2. Click **Edit Campaign** under the campaign you want to change.
3. Update **Opt-In Message** with the confirmation you send when someone joins your messaging program.
4. Update **Opt-Out Message** with the confirmation you send when someone opts out.
5. Update **Help Message** with the response you send to a help request.
6. Click **Update Campaign**.

The same form also holds **Description**, **Message Flow**, **Message Sample 1** through **Message Sample 5**, **Privacy Policy**, **Terms and Conditions** and **Embedded Link**. Click **Close Edit Mode** to leave the form without saving.

#### Add your own opt-out keywords

1. Click **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Opt out and Blocklist** in the settings menu, or type opt-out into **Search Settings**.
3. Enter a comma separated list in **Opt-out Keywords**.
4. Click **Save**.

Matching is case insensitive. The defaults shown under the field are stop, unsubscribe, cancel, quit and wrong number, and any keyword you add is recognized alongside them.

![Opt-out Keywords Settings](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/general-settings-opt-out-keywords.png)

#### Turn off keyword opt-outs

1. Click **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Opt out and Blocklist** in the settings menu.
3. Check **Disable Opt-out by Keywords**.
4. Click **Save**.

Checking the box hides the **Opt-out Keywords** field and stops eCourtDate from acting on inbound opt-out keywords. Carriers can still act on STOP at the network level, so keep processing opt-outs in your primary system of record if you turn this off.

#### Add your own enroll keywords

1. Click **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Opt out and Blocklist** in the settings menu.
3. Enter a comma separated list in **Enroll Keywords**.
4. Click **Save**.

Matching is case insensitive. The defaults shown under the field are enroll, activate, sign up, join, subscribe and register.

![Enroll Keywords Settings](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/general-settings-enroll-keywords.png)

#### Turn off keyword enrollment

1. Click **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Click **Opt out and Blocklist** in the settings menu.
3. Check **Disable Enroll by Keywords**.
4. Click **Save**.

Checking the box hides the **Enroll Keywords** field and stops eCourtDate from enrolling anyone from an inbound text.

#### Set the auto responses on a phone number

1. Click **Admin** > **Settings** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Agency Phones** tab.
3. Click **Edit** next to the phone number you want to change.
4. Enter your reply in **Enrollment Auto Response** under **Inbound Settings**.
5. Enter your reply in **Opt-Out Auto Response**.
6. Click **Save**.

Leave either field empty and eCourtDate sends no reply for that event.

![Enroll Message Auto Response](https://assets.ecourtdate.com/images/articles/agency-phones-enrollment-auto-response.png)

#### Review who has opted out

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation.
2. Click the **Contacts** tab.
3. Check **Opted out** to list contacts who have opted out, or **Opted in** to list contacts who are opted in.
4. Select one or more contacts, click **Opt Out** or **Opt In**, then click **Confirm** to change a status by hand.

### What to Expect

Keyword and auto response changes save when you click **Save** and apply to the next inbound text. A contact opts out only when the entire inbound message matches an opt-out keyword, while an enroll keyword matches anywhere inside the message. A reply goes out only when the matching auto response on that phone number has text in it. When you click **Update Campaign**, eCourtDate sends the change to the Campaign Registry and emails a confirmation to you and to the eCourtDate help team.

### Best Practices

- Leave the default opt-out keywords in place and add to them rather than trying to replace them.
- Keep **Enroll Keywords** specific. Enroll matching is a partial match, so a short or common word can catch ordinary replies.
- Write an **Opt-Out Auto Response** that confirms the opt-out, so recipients know the request was received.
- Keep **Opt-In Message** and **Opt-Out Message** on your campaign matching the messages you actually send.
- Filter **Contacts** by **Opted out** before a large send so you know who is excluded.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What happens when a recipient texts STOP to our number?**

A: eCourtDate records the opt-out against the contact so it stops receiving messages, and sends your **Opt-Out Auto Response** if that field has text.

**Q: Do the keywords I enter replace the defaults?**

A: No. Keywords you enter in **Opt-out Keywords** or **Enroll Keywords** are recognized alongside the defaults listed under each field.

**Q: Can I change the opt-in and opt-out messages registered with carriers myself?**

A: Yes. Go to **Agency Setup** > **Carriers**, click **Edit Campaign**, update **Opt-In Message** and **Opt-Out Message**, then click **Update Campaign**.

**Q: Are keyword matches case sensitive?**

A: No. Both **Opt-out Keywords** and **Enroll Keywords** state that matching is case insensitive.

**Q: Why did a reply such as "please stop texting me" not opt someone out?**

A: An opt-out registers only when the whole message matches a keyword, so extra words prevent a match. Opt that contact out by hand from **Clients** > **Contacts**.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Opt-out keywords are not recognized.

**Symptoms:** A recipient replies with an opt-out keyword and keeps receiving messages.

**Solution:**

1. Click **Admin** > **Settings**, then click **Opt out and Blocklist**.
2. Confirm **Disable Opt-out by Keywords** is unchecked.
3. Check that the reply contained the keyword and nothing else.
4. Opt the contact out by hand from **Clients** > **Contacts** if the reply carried extra words.

**Issue:** Ordinary replies are treated as enrollments.

**Symptoms:** Inbound texts that are not enrollment requests opt contacts in and trigger the enrollment reply.

**Solution:**

1. Remove short or common words from **Enroll Keywords**, since enroll keywords match anywhere inside a message.
2. Click **Save**.
3. Check **Disable Enroll by Keywords** and click **Save** to stop keyword enrollment completely.

**Issue:** The **Edit Campaign** button is missing.

**Symptoms:** A campaign is listed on the **Carriers** page, but no **Edit Campaign** button appears under it.

**Solution:**

1. Confirm the campaign lists carriers, because the button renders with the carrier list.
2. Review the campaign status and **Gateway Status** on the same page.
3. [Contact the help team](/get-help) with your campaign ID if the campaign stays without carriers.

### Related Articles

- [How to Complete Carrier Registration](/how-to-complete-carrier-registration)
- [Texting Campaign Best Practices](/texting-campaign-best-practices)
- [How to Manage Agency Phone Numbers](/how-to-manage-agency-phone-numbers)
- [Message Troubleshooting for Clients](/message-troubleshooting-for-clients)
- [How to Send a Message From the Dashboard](/how-to-send-a-message-from-the-dashboard)