Structure your carrier campaigns so each one covers a single kind of message, and keep every phone number attached to the right campaign.
Carrier registration gets your agency approved to send text messages, and the way you split those messages into campaigns decides which numbers, samples, and opt-out wording stay attached to which traffic. This article covers the choices you make on the Carriers tab of Agency Setup once you know how registration works.
Overview
- What it is: Guidance for structuring the campaigns listed under Campaigns on the Carriers page and for keeping each phone number pointed at the campaign that matches what it sends.
- Why it matters: Carrier registration is required to send and receive texts and calls through the platform, and a campaign's use case cannot be changed after you register it, so the split you choose is the one you keep.
- Who uses it: Anyone at your agency responsible for messaging compliance and for activating phone numbers.
- Expected outcomes: Campaigns whose descriptions and samples match your live traffic, phone numbers attached to the correct campaign, and a status board you can read when a carrier pushes back.
For the click by click registration process, see How to Complete Carrier Registration. This article assumes you have already read it or are about to register.
Prerequisites
- Access to Agency Setup, which is linked at the bottom of every page
- A registered brand, so Brand ID appears under Carrier Registration Status
- A portal and message templates in your agency, so Auto Fill Form has links and samples to pull in
- Access to the Agency Phones tab under Admin > Settings, where numbers are attached to a campaign
- A list of every kind of message your agency sends and the number it sends from
How-To Steps
Step 1: Review the campaigns you already have
- Click Agency Setup at the bottom of any page.
- Click the Carriers tab.
- Read the use case and the description shown for each campaign under Campaigns.
- Check Assigned Phone Numbers on each campaign to see which numbers send that traffic.
Step 2: Split your traffic before you register
- Click Create a Campaign under Campaigns.
- Compare the classification and description of each option under Choose a Use Case against the messages your agency actually sends.
- Click Choose Use Case on the option that covers one kind of message rather than several.
- Click Close Campaign Builder to leave the list without registering if no option matches.
eCourtDate hides the Campaign Registry options that do not apply to an agency, so this list is shorter than the registry's full catalog. Pick with care, because the Edit Campaign form has no use case field. Sending a genuinely different kind of message later means registering a second campaign, not editing this one.
Step 3: Make the description and samples match what you send
- Click Auto Fill Form to fill Embedded Link, Privacy Policy, and Terms Conditions from your default portal and Sample 1 through Sample 4 from your message templates.
- Rewrite any sample that is not something your agency would actually send.
- Write Description so it names your agency, names who you message, and states why.
- Confirm Optin Message and Optout Message both contain your entity name.
- Confirm Optin Message also contains "Reply HELP for help".
- Complete every remaining field, since the form requires all of them.
- Click Register Campaign.
Fields outline green when they pass those checks and red when they do not. Auto Fill Form also replaces the [AgencyName] tag with the entity name on your brand and the [AgencyWebsite] tag with your portal link wherever those tags appear on the form.
Step 4: Point each phone number at the right campaign
- Go to Admin > Settings and click the Agency Phones tab.
- Select Local under Phone Number Type.
- Click Search to list available numbers.
- Select the campaign you want in Carrier Campaign before you click ACTIVATE, since the dropdown preselects your first campaign.
- Change Carrier Campaign under Gateway Settings on an existing number, then click Save, to move that number to another campaign.
- Return to the Carriers page and confirm the number now appears under Assigned Phone Numbers on that campaign.
Carrier Campaign appears on the activation form only when Phone Number Type is Local, and Assigned Phone Numbers on the Carriers page lists local numbers. Each option in the dropdown shows a campaign ID next to its use case, so read the use case rather than the ID when you choose.
Step 5: Read the campaign status board after approval
- Check the status badge on each campaign, which turns green when it reads ACTIVE.
- Check Gateway Status, which turns green when it reads ACCEPTED.
- Read the red banner under Gateway Status for the explanation returned with a rejection.
- Review each carrier row for Qualified or Not Qualified, plus Message Class, Brand Tier, Messages/Min, and Daily Cap.
- Click Edit Campaign to correct wording, click Update Campaign, then click Close Edit Mode.
What to Expect
Brand verification typically completes within one hour, and campaign approval takes 5 to 15 business days depending on the use case. Attaching an additional number to an already approved campaign takes up to 1 business day.
You do not choose your entity type or your government status anywhere on the registration form. Entity Type, Verification Status, and Government Entity come back from the Campaign Registry after you click Register Brand and then appear under Carrier Registration Status. Verification Status shows a green badge for VERIFIED or VETTED VERIFIED and a red badge for any other value, and the page reads "Government Entity: Not a government entity" when your brand is not flagged as one.
Throughput is reported to you rather than configured by you. Once carriers respond, each carrier row on the campaign shows the Messages/Min and Daily Cap that carrier applies, alongside Message Class and Brand Tier. Edit Campaign appears on a campaign only once those carrier results come back.
Best Practices
- Keep one kind of message per campaign, because Edit Campaign cannot change a use case and a different kind of message means a second registration.
- Check Carrier Campaign every time you activate a number, since the dropdown preselects your first campaign and that is the campaign the number is submitted under.
- Rewrite the samples Auto Fill Form pulls in so carriers review the wording your clients actually receive rather than an unedited template.
- Treat the green and red outlines as a checklist, since Optin Message and Optout Message both need your entity name and Optin Message also needs "Reply HELP for help".
- Reopen the Carriers page after every change, because that is where a number on the wrong campaign and a gateway rejection explanation both show up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can one campaign cover more than one phone number?
A: Yes. Assigned Phone Numbers lists every local number attached to a campaign, and the Carrier Campaign dropdown on the Agency Phones page controls which campaign each number uses.
Q: Can we change a campaign's use case after registering it?
A: No. Edit Campaign covers Description, Message Flow, Help Message, Opt-In Message, Opt-Out Message, Message Sample 1 through Message Sample 5, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, and Embedded Link. Register a second campaign for a different kind of message.
Q: How do we register as a government entity?
A: There is no entity type to select on the form. Register your brand with your EIN and the entity name tied to it, then check Carrier Registration Status, where Entity Type, Verification Status, and Government Entity appear once the Campaign Registry responds.
Q: How many messages per minute can we send?
A: Each carrier sets that. On an approved campaign, every carrier row reports its own Messages/Min and Daily Cap next to Qualified or Not Qualified.
Q: Why is our toll-free number missing from Assigned Phone Numbers?
A: That list is built from local numbers, and Carrier Campaign appears on the activation form only when Phone Number Type is Local.
Q: Do we still need a campaign if we send only a few texts?
A: Yes. Carrier registration is required to send and receive texts and calls through the platform, and the Agency Phones page shows a red alert reading "A carrier campaign has not been found." until at least one campaign exists.
Troubleshooting
Issue: A campaign has no phone numbers attached.
Symptoms: The campaign reads "No phone numbers assigned to this campaign." under Assigned Phone Numbers.
Solution: Go to Admin > Settings, click the Agency Phones tab, open the number, select the campaign in Carrier Campaign under Gateway Settings, click Save, then reload the Carriers page.
Issue: Gateway Status is not accepted.
Symptoms: The Gateway Status badge is red and a red banner underneath shows the explanation returned by the gateway.
Solution: Read the explanation, click Edit Campaign on that campaign, correct the wording it names, then click Update Campaign.
Issue: The opt-in or opt-out wording will not validate.
Symptoms: Optin Message or Optout Message stays outlined red on the Register Campaign form.
Solution: Include your entity name in both fields, and include "Reply HELP for help" in Optin Message.
Issue: A campaign has no Edit Campaign button.
Symptoms: The campaign shows its status, use case, and description, but no Edit Campaign button appears below them.
Solution: Wait for carrier results, since the button renders with the carrier list on the campaign.
Important: If these steps do not resolve the problem, click the ? help button in the bottom right corner of the screen and click New support ticket.
Related Articles
Carrier registration gets your agency approved to send text messages, and the way you split those messages into campaigns decides which numbers, samples, and opt-out wording stay attached to which traffic. This article covers the choices you make on the **Carriers** tab of **Agency Setup** once you know how registration works.
### Overview
- **What it is:** Guidance for structuring the campaigns listed under **Campaigns** on the **Carriers** page and for keeping each phone number pointed at the campaign that matches what it sends.
- **Why it matters:** Carrier registration is required to send and receive texts and calls through the platform, and a campaign's use case cannot be changed after you register it, so the split you choose is the one you keep.
- **Who uses it:** Anyone at your agency responsible for messaging compliance and for activating phone numbers.
- **Expected outcomes:** Campaigns whose descriptions and samples match your live traffic, phone numbers attached to the correct campaign, and a status board you can read when a carrier pushes back.
For the click by click registration process, see [How to Complete Carrier Registration](/how-to-complete-carrier-registration). This article assumes you have already read it or are about to register.
### Prerequisites
- Access to **Agency Setup**, which is linked at the bottom of every page
- A registered brand, so **Brand ID** appears under **Carrier Registration Status**
- A portal and message templates in your agency, so **Auto Fill Form** has links and samples to pull in
- Access to the **Agency Phones** tab under **Admin** > **Settings**, where numbers are attached to a campaign
- A list of every kind of message your agency sends and the number it sends from
### How-To Steps
#### Step 1: Review the campaigns you already have
1. Click **Agency Setup** at the bottom of any page.
2. Click the **Carriers** tab.
3. Read the use case and the description shown for each campaign under **Campaigns**.
4. Check **Assigned Phone Numbers** on each campaign to see which numbers send that traffic.
#### Step 2: Split your traffic before you register
1. Click **Create a Campaign** under **Campaigns**.
2. Compare the classification and description of each option under **Choose a Use Case** against the messages your agency actually sends.
3. Click **Choose Use Case** on the option that covers one kind of message rather than several.
4. Click **Close Campaign Builder** to leave the list without registering if no option matches.
eCourtDate hides the Campaign Registry options that do not apply to an agency, so this list is shorter than the registry's full catalog. Pick with care, because the **Edit Campaign** form has no use case field. Sending a genuinely different kind of message later means registering a second campaign, not editing this one.
#### Step 3: Make the description and samples match what you send
1. Click **Auto Fill Form** to fill **Embedded Link**, **Privacy Policy**, and **Terms Conditions** from your default portal and **Sample 1** through **Sample 4** from your message templates.
2. Rewrite any sample that is not something your agency would actually send.
3. Write **Description** so it names your agency, names who you message, and states why.
4. Confirm **Optin Message** and **Optout Message** both contain your entity name.
5. Confirm **Optin Message** also contains "Reply HELP for help".
6. Complete every remaining field, since the form requires all of them.
7. Click **Register Campaign**.
Fields outline green when they pass those checks and red when they do not. **Auto Fill Form** also replaces the [AgencyName] tag with the entity name on your brand and the [AgencyWebsite] tag with your portal link wherever those tags appear on the form.
#### Step 4: Point each phone number at the right campaign
1. Go to **Admin** > **Settings** and click the **Agency Phones** tab.
2. Select **Local** under **Phone Number Type**.
3. Click **Search** to list available numbers.
4. Select the campaign you want in **Carrier Campaign** before you click **ACTIVATE**, since the dropdown preselects your first campaign.
5. Change **Carrier Campaign** under **Gateway Settings** on an existing number, then click **Save**, to move that number to another campaign.
6. Return to the **Carriers** page and confirm the number now appears under **Assigned Phone Numbers** on that campaign.
**Carrier Campaign** appears on the activation form only when **Phone Number Type** is **Local**, and **Assigned Phone Numbers** on the **Carriers** page lists local numbers. Each option in the dropdown shows a campaign ID next to its use case, so read the use case rather than the ID when you choose.
#### Step 5: Read the campaign status board after approval
1. Check the status badge on each campaign, which turns green when it reads **ACTIVE**.
2. Check **Gateway Status**, which turns green when it reads **ACCEPTED**.
3. Read the red banner under **Gateway Status** for the explanation returned with a rejection.
4. Review each carrier row for **Qualified** or **Not Qualified**, plus **Message Class**, **Brand Tier**, **Messages/Min**, and **Daily Cap**.
5. Click **Edit Campaign** to correct wording, click **Update Campaign**, then click **Close Edit Mode**.
### What to Expect
Brand verification typically completes within one hour, and campaign approval takes 5 to 15 business days depending on the use case. Attaching an additional number to an already approved campaign takes up to 1 business day.
You do not choose your entity type or your government status anywhere on the registration form. **Entity Type**, **Verification Status**, and **Government Entity** come back from the Campaign Registry after you click **Register Brand** and then appear under **Carrier Registration Status**. **Verification Status** shows a green badge for **VERIFIED** or **VETTED VERIFIED** and a red badge for any other value, and the page reads "Government Entity: Not a government entity" when your brand is not flagged as one.
Throughput is reported to you rather than configured by you. Once carriers respond, each carrier row on the campaign shows the **Messages/Min** and **Daily Cap** that carrier applies, alongside **Message Class** and **Brand Tier**. **Edit Campaign** appears on a campaign only once those carrier results come back.
### Best Practices
- **Keep one kind of message per campaign**, because **Edit Campaign** cannot change a use case and a different kind of message means a second registration.
- **Check Carrier Campaign every time you activate a number**, since the dropdown preselects your first campaign and that is the campaign the number is submitted under.
- **Rewrite the samples Auto Fill Form pulls in** so carriers review the wording your clients actually receive rather than an unedited template.
- **Treat the green and red outlines as a checklist**, since **Optin Message** and **Optout Message** both need your entity name and **Optin Message** also needs "Reply HELP for help".
- **Reopen the Carriers page after every change**, because that is where a number on the wrong campaign and a gateway rejection explanation both show up.
### Frequently Asked Questions
**Q: Can one campaign cover more than one phone number?**
A: Yes. **Assigned Phone Numbers** lists every local number attached to a campaign, and the **Carrier Campaign** dropdown on the **Agency Phones** page controls which campaign each number uses.
**Q: Can we change a campaign's use case after registering it?**
A: No. **Edit Campaign** covers **Description**, **Message Flow**, **Help Message**, **Opt-In Message**, **Opt-Out Message**, **Message Sample 1** through **Message Sample 5**, **Privacy Policy**, **Terms and Conditions**, and **Embedded Link**. Register a second campaign for a different kind of message.
**Q: How do we register as a government entity?**
A: There is no entity type to select on the form. Register your brand with your EIN and the entity name tied to it, then check **Carrier Registration Status**, where **Entity Type**, **Verification Status**, and **Government Entity** appear once the Campaign Registry responds.
**Q: How many messages per minute can we send?**
A: Each carrier sets that. On an approved campaign, every carrier row reports its own **Messages/Min** and **Daily Cap** next to **Qualified** or **Not Qualified**.
**Q: Why is our toll-free number missing from Assigned Phone Numbers?**
A: That list is built from local numbers, and **Carrier Campaign** appears on the activation form only when **Phone Number Type** is **Local**.
**Q: Do we still need a campaign if we send only a few texts?**
A: Yes. Carrier registration is required to send and receive texts and calls through the platform, and the **Agency Phones** page shows a red alert reading "A carrier campaign has not been found." until at least one campaign exists.
### Troubleshooting
**Issue:** A campaign has no phone numbers attached.
**Symptoms:** The campaign reads "No phone numbers assigned to this campaign." under **Assigned Phone Numbers**.
**Solution:** Go to **Admin** > **Settings**, click the **Agency Phones** tab, open the number, select the campaign in **Carrier Campaign** under **Gateway Settings**, click **Save**, then reload the **Carriers** page.
**Issue:** Gateway Status is not accepted.
**Symptoms:** The **Gateway Status** badge is red and a red banner underneath shows the explanation returned by the gateway.
**Solution:** Read the explanation, click **Edit Campaign** on that campaign, correct the wording it names, then click **Update Campaign**.
**Issue:** The opt-in or opt-out wording will not validate.
**Symptoms:** **Optin Message** or **Optout Message** stays outlined red on the **Register Campaign** form.
**Solution:** Include your entity name in both fields, and include "Reply HELP for help" in **Optin Message**.
**Issue:** A campaign has no Edit Campaign button.
**Symptoms:** The campaign shows its status, use case, and description, but no **Edit Campaign** button appears below them.
**Solution:** Wait for carrier results, since the button renders with the carrier list on the campaign.
> **Important:** If these steps do not resolve the problem, click the **?** help button in the bottom right corner of the screen and click **New support ticket**.
### Related Articles
- [How to Complete Carrier Registration](/how-to-complete-carrier-registration)
- [How to Manage Agency Phone Numbers](/how-to-manage-agency-phone-numbers)
- [How to Configure Opt-in and Opt-out Compliance](/how-to-configure-opt-in-and-opt-out-compliance)
- [How to Port In a Short Code](/how-to-port-in-a-short-code)
- [Message Troubleshooting for Clients](/message-troubleshooting-for-clients)