Follow this guide to troubleshoot message delivery issues on behalf of your clients, covering text messages, emails, and phone calls.

### Overview

When a message shows as delivered in eCourtDate but your client reports they never received it, the issue is typically on the client's device or email service. This article provides step-by-step troubleshooting instructions you can share directly with clients to help them resolve text, email, and call delivery problems.

- **What this guide covers:** Troubleshooting steps for text messages (SMS), emails, and voice calls that clients are not receiving
- **Why it matters:** Ensuring clients receive court reminders and agency communications reduces missed appointments and improves compliance
- **Who should use this:** Agency staff assisting clients with delivery issues, or clients themselves following the steps directly
- **Expected outcome:** Clients successfully receive messages after identifying and resolving the blocking issue on their device or email service

### Prerequisites

Before troubleshooting, confirm the following:

- The message shows a "delivered" status in eCourtDate
- You have the client's current phone number or email address on file
- The client's contact record in eCourtDate has the correct phone number or email
- The client has an active phone plan or email account

### How-To Steps

#### Text Message (SMS) Troubleshooting

Even if a message was successfully delivered to the carrier, the client's phone may still block or hide it.

#### Step 1: Check for Blocked Numbers

**iPhone (iOS):**

1. Open **Settings** > **Messages** > **Blocked Contacts**.
2. If the agency phone number appears in the list, swipe left and tap **Unblock**.

**Android:**

1. Open the **Messages** app.
2. Tap the three-dot menu > **Settings** > **Blocked numbers**.
3. Remove the agency phone number if it is listed.

#### Step 2: Confirm the Client Is Subscribed

If the client previously replied **STOP** to the agency number, their phone will no longer receive messages from that number.

1. Have the client reply **START** to the agency phone number.
2. Verify in eCourtDate that the client's opt-in status has been restored.

#### Step 3: Check Message Filters or Folders

Some devices automatically move messages from unknown senders into a separate folder.

**iPhone:**

1. Open **Messages**.
2. Tap **Filters** in the top-left corner (if visible).
3. Select **Unknown Senders** and look for messages from the agency number.

**Android (may vary by model):**

1. Open **Messages**.
2. Tap the three-line or three-dot menu > **Spam & Blocked**.
3. Look for messages from the agency number.

#### Step 4: Restart and Update the Phone

1. Restart the phone to refresh network connections.
2. Check for software updates:
   - **iPhone:** Open **Settings** > **General** > **Software Update**
   - **Android:** Open **Settings** > **System** > **System Update**

#### Step 5: Check Signal or Data Connection

Text messages may not arrive if the client has a weak signal or mobile data is turned off. Have the client move to an area with better reception and check whether the message arrives.

#### Email Troubleshooting

If the client is not seeing reminder emails from your agency, the messages may have been filtered into spam or other folders.

#### Step 6: Check All Email Folders

Direct the client to check the following folders based on their email provider:

| Email Provider | Folders to Check |
|---|---|
| Gmail | **Spam**, **Promotions**, or **All Mail** |
| Outlook / Hotmail | **Junk Email** |
| Yahoo | **Spam** |
| Apple Mail (iCloud) | **Junk** |

#### Step 7: Mark as "Not Spam"

If the client finds an agency email in a spam or junk folder:

1. Open the email.
2. Tap **Not Spam** or move it back to the inbox.

This tells the email service that messages from your agency are safe.

#### Step 8: Add the Agency as a Contact

Adding the agency email address to the client's contacts helps future messages go directly to the inbox.

| Email Provider | How to Add |
|---|---|
| Gmail | Open the email > tap the three-dot menu > **Add to Contacts list** |
| Outlook | Tap the sender name > **Add to Safe Senders** |
| Yahoo | Tap the sender name > **Add Contact** |
| Apple Mail | Tap the sender > **Add to VIPs** or **Add Contact** |

#### Step 9: Check with the Email Administrator

If the client uses a work or school email that blocks automated messages, they should ask their IT department to allow messages from the agency email address.

#### Step 10: Try a Different Email Address

If email delivery problems persist, recommend that the client add a personal email address to their eCourtDate profile as a backup.

#### Call Troubleshooting

If the client is not receiving reminder calls from your agency:

#### Step 11: Verify Phone Number and Settings

1. Confirm the client's phone number is correct and the phone plan is active.
2. Make sure **Do Not Disturb** is turned off on the client's device.
3. Check the client's recent calls list for the agency number. If it appears, have the client save it as a contact so future calls are not silenced.

If the client has **Silence Unknown Callers** enabled (iPhone) or **Spam Protection** enabled (Android), saving the agency number as a contact will allow calls to come through.

### What to Expect

After completing the relevant troubleshooting steps, the client should begin receiving messages from your agency on their device or in their email inbox. Text message opt-in changes take effect immediately. Email filtering changes may take a few minutes to apply. If the issue persists after following all steps, the problem may require further investigation on the carrier or email provider side.

### Best Practices

- **Share these steps directly with clients.** Provide the relevant section (text, email, or call) so clients can troubleshoot on their own.
- **Verify the contact record first.** Before troubleshooting the client's device, confirm the phone number or email address in eCourtDate is correct and up to date.
- **Run a reverse lookup.** Use the Lookups feature to validate whether a phone number is active and capable of receiving SMS before investigating further.
- **Document the resolution.** Add a note to the client's record or ticket indicating what fixed the issue, so your team can reference it if the problem recurs.
- **Recommend saving the agency number.** Encourage clients to save your agency phone number and email as a contact to prevent future filtering issues.

### Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: The message shows "delivered" in eCourtDate but the client says they never received it. What should I do?**
A: A "delivered" status means the message reached the carrier or email provider successfully. The issue is most likely on the client's device. Walk through the troubleshooting steps above for the relevant channel (text, email, or call).

**Q: What does it mean if a client replied "STOP" to the agency number?**
A: Replying **STOP** opts the client out of all text messages from that number. The client must reply **START** to the same number to opt back in and begin receiving messages again.

**Q: Can I resend a message that the client did not receive?**
A: Yes. Navigate to **Dashboard** > **Messages**, find the original message, and use the resend option. Make sure the client has resolved the delivery issue on their end first.

**Q: What if the client's phone number is a landline?**
A: Landlines cannot receive text messages. Run a reverse lookup to check the line type. If the number is a landline, update the client's contact channel to **voice** so they receive calls instead of texts.

### Troubleshooting

**Issue:** Client opted back in with "START" but still is not receiving texts.
**Symptoms:** The client replied **START** to the agency number, but new messages continue to show as undelivered or the client does not receive them.
**Solution:**

1. Verify the client's opt-in status in eCourtDate under their contact record.
2. Check whether the client's carrier is blocking messages from short codes or toll-free numbers.
3. Have the client contact their carrier to confirm there are no blocks on their account.

**Issue:** Agency emails consistently land in the client's spam folder despite marking as "Not Spam."
**Symptoms:** The client repeatedly finds agency emails in spam even after moving them to the inbox.
**Solution:**

1. Have the client add the agency email address to their contacts or safe senders list.
2. If the client uses a work or school email, ask their IT administrator to whitelist the agency email domain.
3. Recommend switching to a personal email provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) for more reliable delivery.

> **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

- [Troubleshooting Automated Messages](/troubleshooting-automated-messages)
- [How to Configure Opt-in and Opt-out Compliance](/how-to-configure-opt-in-and-opt-out-compliance)
- [How to Send a One-off Message](/how-to-send-a-one-off-message)
- [How to Manage Contacts](/how-to-manage-contacts)
- [How to Run Reverse Lookups](/how-to-run-reverse-lookups)