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How to Run Reverse Lookups

ContactsUpdated 8 min read

Reverse lookups return carrier, validity, and caller detail for a phone number or email address without sending a message to your client.

Overview​

The Lookups page holds four lookup tools in one place, and every lookup you run is saved as a record you can search, review, and export later.

  • What it does: Looks up a phone number, an email address, a person by name and location, or an IP address, and stores the returned data on a lookup record
  • Why it matters: Checking a number or address before you send saves failed deliveries, and the saved record gives you carrier, line type, and caller name detail when you investigate a contact
  • Who uses it: Agency staff who manage client contact information and hold the create lookups permission
  • Expected outcome: A lookup record marked VALID or INVALID, with a Lookup Data card listing whatever the provider returned

Prerequisites​

Before you run a lookup, make sure you have:

  • Access to Dashboard > Lookups
  • The create lookups permission on your role, which controls whether the Create Lookup and Person Lookup cards appear (super admins always see them)
  • The phone number, email address, name and location, or IP address you want to check
  • Access to Admin > Settings if you want to turn on Auto Run Lookups

How-To Steps​

Step 1: Open the Lookups page​

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

Step 2: Create a phone or email lookup​

  1. Enter the value in the Lookup field of the Create Lookup card, which accepts a phone number or an email address.
  2. Clear the Social Media checkbox if you do not want social profile data with an email lookup. It is selected by default.
  3. Click Create.

Step 3: Review the lookup record​

eCourtDate opens the new lookup record as soon as it is created.

  1. Check the VALID or INVALID badge next to the value at the top of the page.
  2. Read the Lookup Data card, which lists the returned fields such as Carrier, Line Type, Caller Name, Country Code, National Format, Phone Number, Fraud, Portability Location, and Portability OSN for a phone, and Disposable Email, Is Free Email, and ISP for an email address.
  3. Click the LinkedIn, X (Twitter), or Facebook buttons in the Lookup Data card to open any social profile the lookup matched.
  4. Review the Area Code card, which appears for a phone lookup with a recognized area code and shows the Code, City, State, and Country on a map.
  5. Click Inbound Messages or Outbound Messages to see the messages recorded for that value.
  6. Add context in the Internal Notes field of the Edit Lookup card and click Save.

If the provider returns nothing, the Lookup Data card shows a No data found alert.

Step 4: Create a Person Lookup​

Use this card when you are looking for a person rather than validating a number or address.

  1. Enter a first and last name in the Name field of the Person Lookup card.
  2. Enter a city and/or state in the Location field.
  3. Click Create.

The record is saved with the type person, and anything returned appears in the Lookup Data card.

Step 5: Geolocate an IP address​

  1. Enter the address in the IP Address field of the IP Address Lookup card.
  2. Click Geolocate.

eCourtDate opens the IP Lookup page for that address, listing values such as LOCATION, COUNTRY, TIME ZONE, CONNECTION TYPE, ISP, and ASN ORG next to a map.

Step 6: Run a lookup from a contact record​

  1. Click Clients in the top navigation bar.
  2. Click the Contacts tab.
  3. Click the Edit button on the contact you want to check.
  4. Find the Run Lookup card in the middle column.
  5. Click Run Lookup if no lookup exists yet for that phone number or email address.
  6. Click View Lookup to open the full lookup record in a new tab.

The card shows the most recent lookup for that contact, with a VALID or INVALID badge and a short list covering Status, Created, Type, Name, and Caller Name.

Step 7: Search and export your lookups​

  1. Enter a value in the Search field of the Search Lookups card.
  2. Select Phone, Email, or Person in the Type dropdown.
  3. Select the Valid, Invalid, Archived, or Trashed checkboxes to narrow the list.
  4. Click Search.
  5. Click PDF or CSV above the results table to download the list.

Step 8: Turn on Auto Run Lookups​

  1. Click Admin in the top navigation bar and select Settings.
  2. Click Automation in the settings navigation, or type Auto Run Lookups in Search Settings.
  3. Select the Auto Run Lookups checkbox.
  4. Click Save.

With Auto Run Lookups on, an inbound call from a phone number with no matching contact triggers a phone lookup, and the result is saved as a lookup record for your agency. If a lookup already exists for that number, eCourtDate reuses it instead of running a new one.

What to Expect​

Lookup results are available on the record as soon as it is created, so a phone lookup shows carrier and line type right away and an email lookup shows whether the address is disposable or free. Results are cached for about 30 days, so if you look up the same value again in that window you land on the existing record instead of a new one. Social profile data applies to email lookups only, so a phone lookup never returns LinkedIn, X (Twitter), or Facebook links.

Best Practices​

  • Check the line type before you text a number. A landline in the Line Type field of the Lookup Data card explains why text messages to that contact fail.
  • Search by Type and Invalid together. This gives you a working list of the phone numbers or email addresses in your agency that need to be corrected.
  • Record what you found in Internal Notes. The note stays on the lookup record, so the next person who opens it sees why the number was flagged.
  • Leave Social Media selected for email lookups. It is the only lookup type that returns profile links, and clearing it gives you less to work with.
  • Download the CSV before a bulk send. Exporting the list lets you compare validity across many contacts at once rather than opening each record.

Frequently Asked Questions​

How often can I run a lookup for the same phone number or email address?

Results are cached for about 30 days. Creating a lookup for a value that was already checked in that window opens the existing record instead of creating a new one.

Does running a lookup notify the person?

No. A lookup queries carrier and provider data only. No message is sent and nothing appears to your client.

Why does my phone lookup have no social profile links?

Social profile data is retrieved for email lookups only. The Social Media checkbox has no effect on a phone lookup.

Why can I only see the IP Address Lookup and Search Lookups cards?

The Create Lookup and Person Lookup cards require the create lookups permission on your role. Ask your agency administrator to add it.

What does Auto Run Lookups actually run?

It runs a phone lookup when an inbound call arrives from a number that does not match any contact in your agency, and saves the result as a lookup record.

Troubleshooting​

The lookup record shows No data found.

Symptoms: The Lookup Data card displays a No data found alert and the record is badged INVALID.

Solution:

  1. Confirm the value you entered, including the country code for an international number.
  2. Create a new lookup with the corrected value, since editing the Lookup field on an existing record does not run the lookup again.
  3. Expect an INVALID badge for an email address whose domain has no mail server, since eCourtDate checks the mail records for the domain as part of the lookup.
Creating a lookup opens a record your agency already has.

Symptoms: After you click Create, the record that opens is an earlier lookup for the same value rather than a new one.

Solution:

  1. Check the Created column for that value on the Lookups list.
  2. Wait for the roughly 30 day cache window to pass if you need fresh data for that number or email address.
  3. Use the data on the existing record in the meantime, since it is the last result your agency retrieved for that value.

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.