Terms of Service

1) Service Description

Echo (formerly “AI Receptionist”) is an AI-powered receptionist platform available at echoassistant.org. Echo answers inbound phone calls and website chats for service businesses (e.g., salons and spas), handles common questions, and books, reschedules, or cancels appointments using your connected calendar. Echo can also send transactional SMS such as confirmations, reminders, and cancellations.

Echo uses trusted providers to deliver the service:

• Twilio for voice calls, phone numbers, and SMS delivery;
• Google Calendar (and other calendars you connect) for availability and booking;
• OpenAI for language understanding and response generation;
• Deepgram for speech recognition; and
• ElevenLabs for voice synthesis.

Echo is a multi-tenant SaaS platform—each business has its own account, configuration, phone number(s), services, staff, and data separation.

Not a phone carrier & no emergency calling. Echo is an application service that uses underlying carriers. It is not a replacement for your phone service and must not be used for 911 or other emergency calls.

2) User Accounts & Responsibilities

Business owners (and their authorized staff) create an account to configure Echo. You are responsible for:

• Providing accurate business information (hours, services, pricing, policies, staff, and deposit/no-show rules);
• Connecting your own calendar(s) and granting Echo the minimum required permissions;
• Setting and honoring your own booking and cancellation policies communicated by Echo;
• Maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials; enabling MFA is strongly recommended;
• All activity under your account, including AI responses sent on your behalf to your customers; and
• Complying with all laws that apply to your business and communications.

Your customers. You remain the controller of your customer relationships. You are responsible for obtaining any consents needed for Echo to answer calls, record/transcribe where legally required, and send transactional SMS on your behalf.

3) Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to misuse the service. Prohibited uses include:

• Spam, marketing blasts, or lead farming without proper opt-in;
• Illegal, harmful, or deceptive activity (including impersonation or fraud);
• Harassment or abusive content;
• Collecting or processing prohibited sensitive data unless we expressly agree in writing (e.g., Echo is not a HIPAA-compliant medical service unless a separate BAA is executed and a HIPAA configuration is enabled);
• Reverse engineering, scraping, or abusing rate limits; and
• Attempting to access data belonging to another tenant or to bypass security controls.

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate this policy.

4) Service Availability & Limitations

We aim for high availability and responsive performance, but Echo is provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis. Uptime can be affected by maintenance windows, internet and carrier issues, and the availability of our providers (Twilio, Google, OpenAI, Deepgram, ElevenLabs). We do not guarantee uninterrupted service, error-free operation, or specific outcomes. Features may evolve over time.

From time to time we may apply updates that temporarily affect service. We try to schedule maintenance during low-traffic hours and provide advance notice when practical.

5) Intellectual Property

Echo owns the platform and all related software, user interface, designs, and content we provide (excluding your content and third-party trademarks). You receive a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the service while your subscription is active.

Your data remains yours. You retain ownership of your business data, including services, staff, appointments, customer information, and uploaded materials. You grant Echo the rights necessary to operate the service (e.g., to process and transmit your data and to send communications on your behalf).

6) Data & Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and choices you have. By using Echo, you also agree to the Privacy Policy.

Recordings & transcripts. If you enable call recording or transcription, you are responsible for playing required consent prompts and complying with one-party/two-party consent laws in your jurisdiction. You can configure data retention settings in your dashboard, or request deletion by contacting support.

7) SMS/Telephony Terms

• Transactional messaging only. Echo sends confirmations, reminders, reschedules, and cancellations—messages related to an existing or requested appointment. Marketing/promotional SMS requires your separate opt-in program and is not included.
• Consent & disclosures. You must obtain appropriate consent from your customers to receive texts/calls. Standard message and data rates may apply.
• Opt-out/Help. Echo automatically supports industry keywords. End users can reply STOP to opt out and HELP for assistance. You agree not to send further messages to numbers that have opted out.
• Compliance. You agree to follow applicable laws and carrier rules (including, where applicable, A2P 10DLC registration requirements). We may throttle, filter, or block messages that violate policies or risk deliverability.
• No emergency services. Echo cannot be used to contact 911 or similar emergency numbers.

8) Payment Terms (Preview)

Echo will be offered as a subscription service for businesses (monthly or annual). Pricing tiers may include after-hours only, 24/7 coverage, and advanced features. Payments will be processed by a third-party provider (e.g., Stripe). Taxes may apply. When subscription billing launches, we will publish the full Payment Terms and provide notice before charges begin. If you are on a pilot or trial, we may end or convert the pilot to a paid plan with prior notice.

9) Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Echo and its affiliates, officers, employees, and suppliers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities, arising out of or related to your use of the service, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability for any claims under these Terms is limited to the greater of (a) the amounts you paid to Echo for the service in the three (3) months prior to the event giving rise to liability, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars (US$100) if you are on a free plan or pilot.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, willful misconduct, or where a limitation is prohibited by law.

10) Termination

You may terminate your account at any time from the dashboard or by contacting support. We may suspend or terminate your access for material breach (including violations of the Acceptable Use Policy) or for non-payment once paid plans are active. We will provide notice when reasonable.

Data retention. Upon termination, we will deactivate your account and phone numbers. You may request export of your appointments, customers, and transcripts within 30 days of termination; after that, we may delete or archive your data according to our retention policy unless the law requires longer retention.

Phone numbers. Numbers provisioned by Echo are typically owned by our provider accounts. If you wish to port out a number, contact support—porting may be available subject to provider rules and your account standing.

11) Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect new features or legal requirements. If changes are material, we’ll provide reasonable notice (for example by email or in-app). The updated Terms will be effective when posted. Your continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

12) Contact Information

Questions about these Terms? Need a data export or deletion? Email us at support@echoassistant.org.