Validate phone numbers and email addresses using reverse lookups in eCourtDate to improve message deliverability and verify contact information.

### Overview

Reverse lookups let you retrieve detailed information about any phone number or email address without sending a message or requiring interaction from the contact. This feature helps your agency validate contact lists, identify outdated or invalid entries, and optimize outbound notifications for maximum reach.

- **What it does:** Looks up a phone number or email address and returns carrier details, line type, validity status, and optionally social media profiles
- **Why it matters:** Validating contacts before sending messages prevents failed deliveries, reduces wasted resources, and improves your agency's communication effectiveness
- **Who uses it:** Agency administrators, clerks, officers, and staff responsible for managing client contact information
- **Expected outcome:** Detailed lookup data for each phone number or email, including line type, carrier, validity, and optional social media profile information

### Prerequisites

Before running reverse lookups, make sure you have:

- Access to the **Dashboard** and the **Lookups** tab in eCourtDate
- The phone number or email address you want to look up
- Admin access to **Settings** if you want to enable automatic lookups for new contacts

### How-To Steps

#### Step 1: Navigate to the Lookups Tab

1. Click **Dashboard** in the top navigation bar.
2. Click the **Lookups** tab.

#### Step 2: Add a New Lookup

1. Locate the **Create Lookup** form.
2. Enter the phone number or email address in the input field.
3. (Optional) Choose whether to enable or disable social media profile results.
4. Click the **Add** button.

![Add Lookup Form](https://ecdassets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/articles/add-lookup-form.png)

#### Step 3: Review Lookup Results

You will be redirected to the newly created lookup page. Any available data appears immediately.

- If no data is found or the lookup was invalid, you will see a "No Lookup Data" alert message.
- If you look up a phone number or email that was already looked up within the last 30 days, you will be redirected to the existing lookup instead of creating a new one.

![Lookup Data Example for Phone Number](https://ecdassets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/articles/lookup-data-phone-example.png)

**Phone Number Data:**

- Line type (mobile, landline, fixed, VoIP)
- Carrier
- Caller ID name
- Number portability
- Number validity
- Country code
- Area code location

**Email Address Data:**

- Email validity
- Email disposable status
- Email free or commercial status

**Social Media Profiles (if enabled):**

If the social media option was enabled, any found profiles will appear in the lookup data. Results may include Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter).

#### Step 4: Enable Automatic Lookups (Optional)

To automatically run lookups whenever new contacts are created:

1. Click **Admin** in the top navigation bar and select **Settings**.
2. Locate the **Automatically Run Lookups** toggle.
3. Enable the toggle.
4. Click **Save**.

![Automatically Run Lookups Button](https://ecdassets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/articles/auto-run-lookups-general-setting.png)

When automatic lookups are enabled:

- Any newly created contact triggers a lookup if an existing one is not found.
- Lookups are created whether the contact is added manually, uploaded, or created through the API.
- Inbound calls from unknown contacts also trigger a lookup.
- If a phone number is identified as incapable of receiving SMS (line type is fixed or landline), the contact channel is automatically updated to "voice" to prevent failed text messages.

#### Step 5: Run a Lookup from a Message or Contact

When viewing an individual message or contact record, a **Lookup Data** section is displayed. The most recent lookup for that phone number or email is shown.

1. If no lookup exists, click the **Run Lookup** button.

![Run Lookup Button](https://ecdassets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/articles/run-lookup-button.png)

2. A summary of results will appear. Click the **View Lookup** button to go to the full lookup page.

![Lookup Data after clicking Run Lookup example](https://ecdassets.s3.amazonaws.com/images/articles/lookup-data-card-example.png)

#### Step 6: Understand SS7 and LNP Data in Lookups

Phone number lookups may include data from SS7 (Signaling System 7) and LNP (Local Number Portability) databases.

- **SS7 Data:** Provides real-time carrier routing information, confirming which network currently handles the phone number. This is useful for identifying ported numbers that may have moved between carriers.
- **LNP Data:** Indicates whether a phone number has been ported from one carrier to another and identifies the current serving carrier.

This data helps your agency determine the most reliable delivery method for each contact. For example, a number that appears to be a mobile number but has been ported to a VoIP service may have different deliverability characteristics.

#### Step 7: Use Contact Enrichment

Lookups can enrich your contact records with additional data beyond basic validation.

1. Run a lookup for a phone number or email address.
2. Review the enrichment data in the lookup results, which may include:
   - Caller ID name associated with the phone number
   - Carrier and line type details
   - Geographic location based on area code or IP address
   - Social media profiles (if the social media option was enabled)
3. Use this enriched data to update client profiles, verify identity, and improve communication targeting.

When **Automatically Run Lookups** is enabled, new contacts are enriched automatically as they enter the system.

### What to Expect

After running a lookup, results are available immediately on the lookup page. Phone lookups show the carrier, line type, and validity. Email lookups show whether the address is valid, disposable, or commercial. If you enable automatic lookups, every new contact in your system is validated without any manual action. Lookups are cached for 30 days, so repeat lookups for the same number or email redirect to the existing result.

### Best Practices

- **Enable automatic lookups for new contacts.** This ensures every new contact is validated as soon as it enters the system, catching invalid entries early.
- **Run lookups before bulk messaging.** Validate your contact list before sending mass notifications to reduce failed deliveries and improve deliverability rates.
- **Check line type before sending texts.** If a phone number is a landline or fixed line, switch the contact channel to voice to avoid failed text messages.
- **Use lookups to verify self-enrollees.** When clients self-enroll through a portal, run a lookup to confirm their phone number or email is valid and active.
- **Review lookup data when troubleshooting delivery issues.** If a client is not receiving messages, check the lookup data for the contact to identify potential issues with the phone number or email address.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How often can I run a lookup for the same phone number or email?**
A: Lookups are cached for 30 days. If you look up a number or email that was already checked within the last 30 days, you will be redirected to the existing lookup. After 30 days, you can run a new lookup to get updated data.

**Q: Does running a lookup send a message or alert to the contact?**
A: No. Lookups are completely passive. The contact is not notified and no message is sent. The lookup retrieves publicly available data from carrier and provider databases.

**Q: What does it mean if the line type shows as "VoIP"?**
A: VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) means the phone number is internet-based rather than tied to a traditional carrier. VoIP numbers can typically receive text messages, but deliverability may vary depending on the provider.

**Q: Can I run lookups in bulk for multiple contacts at once?**
A: Enable the **Automatically Run Lookups** setting in **Admin** > **Settings** to automatically validate all new contacts as they are added. For existing contacts, you can run lookups individually from the contact or message view.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Lookup returns "No Lookup Data" for a phone number or email.
**Symptoms:** After adding a lookup, no carrier, validity, or other data is displayed.
**Solution:**

1. Verify the phone number or email address is entered correctly, including the country code for international numbers.
2. Try the lookup again after a few minutes, as temporary provider issues can cause empty results.
3. If the issue persists, the number or email may be too new or not yet registered in carrier databases.

**Issue:** Automatic lookups are not running for new contacts.
**Symptoms:** New contacts are created but no lookup data appears on their profiles.
**Solution:**

1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** and verify the **Automatically Run Lookups** toggle is enabled.
2. Click **Save** to confirm the setting is active.
3. Check that the new contact has a valid phone number or email address in their record.

> **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 Contacts](/how-to-manage-contacts)
- [Message Troubleshooting for Clients](/message-troubleshooting-for-clients)
- [How to Send a One-off Message](/how-to-send-a-one-off-message)
- [Troubleshooting Automated Messages](/troubleshooting-automated-messages)