Contacts are the phone numbers and email addresses associated with your clients. Learn how to create, search, update, opt out, archive, restore, and message contacts within eCourtDate.

### Overview

Every client in eCourtDate communicates through contacts, which are the phone numbers and email addresses linked to their profile. Accurate contact management is essential because all messages (SMS, email, voice, and MMS) are delivered to contacts, not directly to clients. Each client can have an unlimited number of contacts, and each contact has its own opt-in status, channel type, and delivery history.

This article covers the full lifecycle of a contact: creating, searching, updating, opting out and in, archiving, trashing, restoring, and sending messages. Administrators, officers, and staff members with contact management permissions typically handle these tasks.

### Prerequisites

Before managing contacts, ensure you have the following:

- A user role with permissions to manage contacts (`create_contacts`, `update_contacts`)
- Access to the eCourtDate platform with valid login credentials
- At least one client already created in the system (see [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients))
- The phone number or email address you want to add for the client

### How-To Steps

#### Create a Contact

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation bar.
2. (Optional) Use the **Search Clients** form to locate the client.
3. Click the **Edit** button next to the client.
4. In the top-right **Contacts** list, enter a phone number or email address.
5. Click the **Create Contact** button.

You should see the new contact appear in the list. If the contact is invalid, an **Invalid** badge will display next to it. To receive notifications, a contact must not have an **Invalid** or **Opted-Out** badge.

#### Search for a Contact

There are two ways to find a contact.

**Quick Search**

1. Click the search icon in the top left of the navigation bar.
2. Enter the contact phone number or email address.
3. Click on a result to go to the client screen.
4. Click the contact phone or email in the contact list to open the contact detail screen.

**Contacts Page**

If the quick search does not return results, follow these steps:

1. Click **Clients** in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the **Contacts** tab.
3. In the **Search Contacts** form, enter the phone or email in the **Search** field.
4. Fill in any additional search filters as needed.
5. Click the **Search** button.

> **Tip:** If the contact is archived or trashed, select the **Archived** or **Trashed** checkbox before searching.

#### Update a Contact

1. Search for the contact using the steps above.
2. On the contact screen, update any of the following fields:
   - **Contact Name** (optional) - Use this if the contact name differs from the client name.
   - **Contact Type** - Select from mobile, home, work, school, fax, or other.
   - **Contact Channel** - Select from text, voice, email, or fax.
3. Click the **Save** button to apply your changes.

#### Opt Out a Contact

1. Search for the contact you want to opt out.
2. Click the **Tools** button on the contact screen.
3. Click the **Opt Out** button.

What to expect after opting out:

- An **OPTED-OUT** badge appears on the contact.
- Any scheduled messages for this contact are immediately deleted.
- No further messages will be sent to this contact.

#### Opt In a Contact

1. Search for the contact you want to opt back in.
2. Confirm the **OPTED-OUT** badge is displayed.
3. Click the **Opt In** button.

What to expect after opting in:

- An **OPTED-IN** badge replaces the opted-out badge.
- New automated messages will be created for this contact going forward.

#### Archive a Contact

1. Search for the contact you want to archive.
2. Click the **Tools** button on the contact screen.
3. Click the **Archive** button.

What to expect after archiving:

- A confirmation alert appears.
- The contact is no longer visible on the client profile.
- The contact does not appear in **Quick Search** results.
- The contact only appears on the **Contacts** page if you select the **Archived** checkbox.
- No new outbound messages will be created for this contact.
- Any existing scheduled messages are deleted.
- Based on the **Auto Trash Archived Data** setting in **Admin** > **Settings**, the contact may be automatically trashed after a configured period.

#### Trash a Contact

1. Search for the contact you want to trash.
2. Click the **Tools** button on the contact screen.
3. Click the **Trash** button.

What to expect after trashing:

- A confirmation alert appears.
- The contact is no longer visible on the client profile.
- The contact does not appear in **Quick Search** results.
- The contact only appears on the **Contacts** page if you select the **Trashed** checkbox.
- No new outbound messages will be created for this contact.
- Based on the **Auto Delete Trashed Data** setting in **Admin** > **Settings**, the contact may be permanently purged after a configured period (30 days by default).

#### Restore a Contact

1. Search for the contact you want to restore (remember to select the **Archived** or **Trashed** checkbox).
2. Click the **Tools** button on the contact screen.
3. Click the **Restore** button.

What to expect after restoring:

- The archived or trashed alert is removed.
- If the contact was attached to a client, it is re-attached to that client.
- The contact becomes searchable through **Quick Search** and the **Contacts** page.
- New outbound messages will be created for this contact.
- Only newly created or updated records may trigger automated messages.

To re-sync all automated messages for the client:

1. Click the **View Client** button.
2. Click the **Tools** button.
3. Click the **Sync Messages** button.

Automated messages will resync with the restored contact within 1 to 2 minutes.

#### Send a Message to a Contact

1. Search for the contact you want to message.
2. Locate the **Send a Message** form on the right side of the contact screen.
3. The **From Phone** field auto-populates based on the contact channel.
4. (Optional) Click the **Auto Messages** button and select a template to pre-populate the message field.
5. Enter the message you want to send.
6. (Optional) Set a **Send Date** and **Send Time** to schedule the message for later.
7. Click the **Send Message** button.

A one-off message will be scheduled for the contact and appear in the message feed.

#### Link Social Profiles to a Contact

Associate social media profiles with a contact for additional identity verification.

1. Search for the contact you want to update.
2. On the contact screen, scroll to the **Social Profiles** section.
3. Add links to the contact's social media profiles (for example, Facebook, LinkedIn, or X).
4. Click **Save** to apply your changes.

Social profile links help your agency verify client identity and can supplement reverse lookup results.

#### Run a Social Profile Lookup

Discover social media profiles associated with a phone number or email address.

1. Navigate to **Dashboard** > **Lookups**.
2. Enter the phone number or email address in the **Create Lookup** form.
3. Enable the **Social Media Profiles** option.
4. Click the **Add** button.
5. Review any social media profiles found in the lookup results.

Social lookups search public databases and return any associated profiles from platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter). See [How to Run Reverse Lookups](/how-to-run-reverse-lookups) for details.

### What to Expect

After following these steps, your client's contact records will be up to date and ready for communication. New contacts begin receiving automated messages immediately (unless your agency is in **Simulate Mode**). Changes to opt-in/opt-out status and archived/trashed state take effect right away, and any affected scheduled messages are updated accordingly.

### Best Practices

- Verify that each client has at least one valid, opted-in contact before relying on automated messaging.
- Use the **Contact Channel** field to ensure messages are routed through the correct delivery method (text, voice, or email).
- Regularly review contacts for **Invalid** or **Opted-Out** badges and follow up with clients to update outdated information.
- Archive contacts instead of trashing them when you may need to restore them later. Trashed contacts may be permanently purged.
- When restoring a contact, always use **Sync Messages** on the client to ensure all automated message flows are re-created.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How many contacts can a single client have?**
A: There is no limit. Each client can have an unlimited number of phone numbers and email addresses as contacts.

**Q: What is the difference between archiving and trashing a contact?**
A: Archiving hides the contact and stops messaging, but the contact remains in the system indefinitely unless the **Auto Trash Archived Data** setting moves it to trash. Trashing also hides the contact and stops messaging, but trashed contacts may be permanently deleted after 30 days (by default) based on the **Auto Delete Trashed Data** setting.

**Q: Can a client opt themselves back in after being opted out?**
A: Yes. Clients can typically opt back in by sending a keyword (such as "START") to your agency phone number. You can also manually opt a contact back in from the contact screen using the **Opt In** button.

**Q: What happens to scheduled messages when I opt out or archive a contact?**
A: All scheduled messages for that contact are immediately deleted. No further messages will be sent until the contact is opted back in or restored.

**Q: Can I change a contact's phone number or email address?**
A: You cannot edit the actual phone number or email value of an existing contact. Instead, create a new contact with the correct information and archive or trash the old one.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** A newly created contact shows an **Invalid** badge.
**Symptoms:** The contact appears in the list but is marked as **Invalid** and does not receive messages.
**Solution:**

1. Verify that the phone number or email address was entered correctly with no typos.
2. For phone numbers, confirm the number is a valid U.S. mobile number (10 digits) if sending SMS.
3. For email addresses, confirm the address follows the correct format (for example, name@domain.com).
4. If the contact information is correct but still shows as invalid, the number or email may have been deactivated or is unreachable. Contact the client to confirm their information.

**Issue:** Messages are not being delivered to a contact.
**Symptoms:** Messages appear in the feed with a failed or simulated status.
**Solution:**

1. Check that the contact does not have an **Opted-Out** or **Invalid** badge.
2. Confirm your agency is in **Live Mode** (not **Simulate Mode**) under **Admin** > **Settings**.
3. Verify that your **Agency Phone** or **Agency Email** is properly configured and carrier registration is completed.
4. Review the message status in the message feed for specific error details.

> **Important:** If you continue to experience issues after following these troubleshooting steps, sign in to eCourtDate and create a ticket by clicking the ticket button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

### Related Articles

- [How to Manage Clients](/how-to-manage-clients)
- [How to Allow Clients to Login to a Portal](/how-to-allow-clients-to-login-to-a-portal)
- [How to Manage Events](/how-to-manage-events)
- [Glossary of Terms](/glossary-of-terms)
- [Platform Architecture](/platform-architecture)