How it works
From the application you already submitted, to an account, to being told which of your applications has been ignored longest. Every step, in order.
You add what you applied for
Everything starts with something you already did. You applied for a job, an apartment, a program, a permit — something with a decision on the other end. Add it in about fifteen seconds: where you applied, what for, the date, and the confirmation number if you have one. Or forward us the confirmation email and we pull those details out of it for you.
Nothing is in your account unless you put it there.
You create a free eHelpLab account
You give us your name and an email address. A mobile number is optional, and only worth giving if you want text alerts as well — everything the account does works over email alone. There is no fee and nothing to install. You are not required to create an account to complete or continue any application you submitted.
You can use the account, and get every alert, without ever giving us a phone number.
We verify how we reach you
We email you a confirmation link so we know the address is yours. If you also gave us a mobile number, we send a single text with a one-time code to confirm that too. What you've applied for is personal, and we won't send it anywhere we haven't confirmed. That code is the only message we send before you turn updates on, and if you never enter it, we stop there.
One message per channel. If you don't confirm, you hear nothing further.
You choose your channel
Alerts can come by email, by text, or both — and within each channel, account alerts and marketing are separate choices. That is four independent switches, and every one of them starts off. Account Notifications cover applications you submitted. Marketing Messages are occasional offers and news from eHelpLab. Pick any combination, including none, and change it whenever you like.
Nothing is on by default. Declining any of them changes nothing about your application.
We start counting
This is the part that does the work. Each application counts up against the follow-up window for its own category, because five days of silence means something very different for a rental than it does for a scholarship. You see the day count on every row, and the list sorts so the most neglected application is at the top.
Per-category windows, all of them editable per application.
We tell you when one stalls — and what to send
When an application passes its window, we flag it and hand you a follow-up written for that exact situation, with your dates and confirmation number filled in. You copy it, edit whatever you like, and send it yourself. If you turned on Account Notifications, you get an email or a text pointing you at it — whichever you chose. A text tells you there's something to look at and never the details themselves; an email can carry the follow-up draft itself, since your inbox is already behind a password.
Every message is tied to an application you added. No applications, no messages.
You stop whenever you want
Reply STOP to any text and the messages end. Reply HELP and you get our contact information. For email, every one carries an unsubscribe link, and your notification settings turn any channel off directly. You can export your whole list to CSV at any time, email us to change your settings, or ask us to delete your account entirely, which removes your information from our system.
Stopping texts never affects an application you've submitted.
Two ways to add an application
Type it in
Company or agency, what you applied for, the date, and the category. The confirmation number and fee are optional but worth adding — they are what makes a follow-up land.
Forward the confirmation email
Send it from a verified address on your account and we read the company, date, and reference number out of it, then show you what we found before saving. Forward several at once to backfill. Your forwarding address comes with your account.
Automatic update detection — a mail filter we generate from your own list so replies reach us without you forwarding them — is in development and is not available yet. Today we only see an email you deliberately send us.
Email, text, or neither
The same alerts, delivered however you prefer. Email is the default channel and needs nothing beyond the address you signed up with. Text is available on top, if you want it.
Email alerts
- No phone number required
- Can include the follow-up draft itself, ready to send
- Room for the full list of what stalled and when
- Unsubscribe link in every message
- No carrier charges, ever
Text alerts
- Needs a mobile number, verified by one-time code
- Hard to ignore, which is the whole point
- Never contains your details — only a link
- Reply STOP to end them instantly
- Message and data rates may apply
Turning on both means an alert reaches you twice — some people want exactly that for a stalled application, and it is why they are separate switches rather than a single preference.
The text messages you would get
These are the four kinds of Account Notification we send by text. Every one identifies us by name, every one is about an application you added yourself, and none of them contain your details — only a link back to your verified account. The email versions carry the same information, plus the follow-up draft where there is one.
helpLab: Hey {name}. Your application has been reviewed and it's been accepted! Tap now to complete: {link}
Hey! Bob with EhelpLab here, there's a new update on your application. Tap to see: {link}
Hey Sarah with Ehelplab here, your application has been accepted! Tap to complete : {link}
Message frequency varies based on activity on your account. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help.
That's the whole thing
An account takes about a minute. If you want the detail on any one part first, the features page goes deeper, and the guides explain where the follow-up windows come from.