Frequently asked questions

Setting up#

How long does setup take?#

The wizard itself takes about fifteen minutes if you have your services and hours to hand. One thing then runs on its own clock: text messaging registration is reviewed by the carriers and usually takes a few days. Calls work as soon as you finish. See Getting started.

Do I need to be technical?#

No. Everything is a form. The one part worth reading carefully is text messaging registration, because the details have to match your public business records.

Can I try it before paying?#

Pay Per Appointment has no monthly fee, so you can set everything up and only pay when the AI actually books someone. There is also a 14 day money-back guarantee on any plan.

Calls and the AI#

Will callers know they are talking to an AI?#

Some will and some will not. It speaks rather than reads, pauses where a person would, and stops when it is interrupted, which is what most people are reacting to when they can tell. It does not claim to be human, and on outbound calls it says up front that it is an assistant.

What happens if the AI cannot answer something?#

It transfers to the fallback number on that location, takes a message, or gives the caller another way to reach you. Which of those it does depends on your settings and whether you are open.

Can it handle accents?#

It handles a wide range of accents and speaking speeds. Where it struggles is a bad line, the same as anyone.

How many languages?#

58. Detection is automatic and it switches the moment the caller does. Dates and times spoken in any of them are normalised before they reach the calendar, so "le 13 avril à 15h" books the same slot as "April 13th at 3pm".

Can I make outbound calls?#

Yes, from the Dialer in your browser. You can hand a live call to the AI with Give to AI and take it back with Take Back.

Messages and SMS#

Can I text customers from Asisto?#

Yes, from Messages. Both the AI and your team can send, and every message is labelled with who sent it.

Does it do picture messages?#

Yes. Images, documents and other media send and receive, and previews appear in the thread. The AI can read an image a customer sends and act on what is in it.

What happens when a customer replies STOP?#

They are opted out immediately and nothing further is sent to that number. START opts them back in. This is a legal requirement under the TCPA, not a preference, and it cannot be overridden.

Why can I not send texts yet?#

Text messaging registration has not cleared. Carriers require it before any business can send application-to-person SMS in the US. See Text messaging registration.

Dialer#

What do I need to make a call?#

A modern browser and a microphone. Your browser asks for microphone permission the first time.

Can I pick which number shows as caller ID?#

Yes, choose from your provisioned numbers before dialling. You can also register your business name so it shows alongside the number. See Caller ID.

Appointments#

Where do I see my appointments?#

On the Appointments card on the dashboard home page. It filters by customer, status and date range. See Appointments.

What happens when I cancel one?#

The status changes to Cancelled and the event is removed from the connected calendar.

How does calendar booking work?#

Each staff member connects their own Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar. The AI reads real free and busy time from it and only offers slots when somebody who can do the job is free. A staff member who has not connected a calendar can be double-booked, because the AI cannot see their other commitments.

Can I control which times are bookable?#

Yes, through your business hours per location. The AI does not offer times outside them.

Can the AI reschedule and cancel?#

Yes, and it updates the calendar when it does.

Do customers get a confirmation?#

Yes, by SMS, and by email as well if they gave one.

Phone numbers#

Do I get a new number?#

You can take a new local, mobile, national or toll-free number in any of 30 countries, or keep the number you already use and forward it to your Asisto number.

Can I keep my existing number?#

Yes, by forwarding it to your Asisto number. Porting a number in is not supported, and forwarding is usually what you want anyway: it takes minutes rather than business days, and the number on your van and your website never changes. The How calls work guide on your home page has the steps.

What about multiple locations?#

Each location can have its own number, its own hours and its own routing.

Billing#

When am I charged?#

• Pay Per Appointment: when an appointment is booked.
• Unlimited: monthly, on the anniversary of your signup.
• Enterprise: on the terms in your agreement.

Can I change plan?#

Yes, from Settings → Billing. It takes effect immediately.

Is there a limit I can go over?#

No. Minutes, SMS and locations are unlimited on every plan. On Pay Per Appointment you pay per booking; on Unlimited you do not.

Is there a contract?#

No. Month to month, cancel whenever.

Security and privacy#

How is my data protected?#

Encrypted in transit with TLS and at rest with AES-256. Passwords are hashed with bcrypt, and the OAuth tokens for your calendar connections are encrypted at rest. Access is scoped to your organization, so no other customer can reach your calls, recordings or contacts.

Do you support two-factor authentication?#

Yes. Turn it on from Settings → Account → Security with any authenticator app. Save the recovery codes somewhere safe, because they are how you get back in if you lose the app.

Who can hear my call recordings?#

You and the people you have invited to your organization. We do not sell your data or share it with anyone else.

Is Asisto HIPAA compliant?#

We are HIPAA-ready, which is not the same thing. We will sign a Business Associate Agreement and we provide the configuration for it, but compliance also depends on how you set it up and use it. Email hello@asisto.one to request a BAA before you send any PHI through the service.

Who owns my data?#

You do. The calls, recordings, transcripts and contacts are yours, and you can export them.

When something is wrong#

The AI is not answering calls#

1. Check the number is active on the Phone numbers card.
2. Check the business hours on that location are what you think they are.
3. If you are forwarding an existing number, check the forwarding is still in place on your old carrier.

I cannot hear anything in the Dialer#

1. Grant microphone permission when the browser asks. If you dismissed it, re-enable it in the site settings for this page.
2. Check the microphone is not muted at the operating system level.
3. Reload the page and dial again.

Appointments are not reaching my calendar#

1. Check the calendar is still connected on the Calendar card. Tokens do expire.
2. Check the staff member has connected their own calendar, not just the organization.
3. Check you are looking at the calendar you actually connected.

Callers say the line sounds bad#

Call quality depends on both ends. If it is only some callers, it is their connection. If it is every caller, contact us and quote a call ID from the call list so we can look at that specific one.

Still stuck#

• Email: hello@asisto.one
• Contact form: /contact

Include your organization name and, if it is about one call, its ID from the call list.