I got a NW flight coming up soon. I bought a paper ticket through a consolidator.

I've never flown on such a ticket before (usually, I buy an eticket at nwa.com). I'd like to know if there is a way to have NW let me know about the status of the upgrade without calling them. If not, do I need to keep calling them until I am cleared and then ask them to assign me a seat over the phone?

Thanks.