Telephonist privacy

Business details

Business details and call synopses are shared with the Telephonist team.

When you enter a business website or complete the manual essentials form, we send the Telephonist team an email report containing the submitted business information. This can include your business name, website, services and published contact details.

Preview call reports

After a browser demo, an inbound demo call or a callback from your Telephonist, we use the conversation transcript to prepare a synopsis and email it to the Telephonist team. Reports can include what was discussed, requested follow-up, product feedback and call information such as its direction, duration and outcome.

The team uses these reports to operate and support the service, investigate issues and review the preview experience. A private preview is personalised to your business; it does not mean the conversation is visible only to you.

Phone interviews are recorded after a brief spoken notice, without a recording keypad choice. Browser interviews retain an unticked recording option. A written recap does not require audio recording. Voice and telephone providers process the audio needed to deliver the conversation. Avoid sharing sensitive customer details, passwords or payment-card information during a preview.

Setting up by telephone

You can call our public interview number to create a telephonist or resume a saved setup. We verify your email before revealing saved details. Your caller number alone does not grant access. Verified setup details and confirmed business information are saved for up to 30 days so you can return. Completed setups receive a private review link by email. A scheduled callback requires a separately verified mobile number and your confirmation.

The setup conversation uses live audio processing but is not recorded. If you continue into an interview on the same call, the telephonist gives its recording notice before recording starts. The interview recording and recap follow the delivery and retention arrangements below. Returning to a saved interview does not reset its shared interview allowance.

Public research during a demo

If you request public research or a calculation, Telephonist can send the necessary task details to OpenAI web search or an isolated OpenAI-hosted workspace. Do not include passwords, personal customer information or other sensitive details. This connection does not give the agent access to your accounts or permission to send emails, make bookings or make purchases. On activated business phone lines, public web search is off unless the business turns it on (healthcare providers cannot), and research tasks are never available.

We retain cloud-task details and checked results for up to 24 hours. We request deletion of the OpenAI session after completion or cancellation and retry if cleanup is pending. OpenAI’s Agents API currently processes and stores session data in the United States and is not eligible for Zero Data Retention. See OpenAI’s data controls for its retention policies.

Questions and requests

Read the full Benaiah privacy notice for the wider service’s privacy information. For questions about your business details or call reports, or to request access, correction or deletion, email privacy@telephonist.ai.

Interview recordings and audio emails

For phone interviews and browser interviews you choose to record, we email a playable audio attachment to your verified interview email and a separate copy to the Telephonist team through Resend. Phone audio is an MP3; browser audio is WebM, M4A or Ogg depending on your browser. The written synopsis is sent separately so it need not wait for audio processing. Browser recording captures your microphone and the telephonist’s playback; keep the page open after ending the interview while the audio uploads. No audio attachment is created for browser interviews where recording is not selected.

We use phone interview recordings to provide your replay and for internal staff training, quality monitoring, troubleshooting and service improvement. We rely on our legitimate interests in providing an accurate interview replay and evaluating the service. Internal training means human review of the service; we do not use these recordings to train or fine-tune AI models. Your selected live voice delivers the spoken notice. Recording starts after we check the generated notice audio and the phone provider confirms playback. Only the telephonist’s opening audio is held briefly in memory for this check; caller audio is not copied into it. You can end a phone interview before recording begins, use an unrecorded browser interview, or contact hello@telephonist.ai about an objection, access or deletion request. Requests are assessed under applicable data-protection rights.

We temporarily store consented browser audio privately and phone audio with authenticated Twilio access. We delete hosted interview audio after both email copies are accepted, or request deletion within 24 hours, retrying provider failures. Email delivery references are kept for up to 30 days. Emailed copies remain in recipients’ mailboxes until they delete them. Only share recordings where appropriate and avoid recording sensitive information.

Your connected teammates

If you enable human transfers during a phone interview, we store the teammates you add, their roles, verified mobile numbers and available hours with your private setup for up to 24 hours. Each number must be verified and the teammate must agree to receive calls. Before connecting a caller, we ring the selected teammate, play a brief introduction and require them to press 1. The caller is connected only after acceptance. Transfer legs are not recorded. Your phone provider processes the numbers, call routing and introduction needed to complete the call.

If a teammate cannot take the call, the caller can agree to save a message or callback request in your connected team inbox. This may include their name, preferred contact details and request. Messages and transfer outcomes are kept for up to 24 hours and removed on the next daily cleanup; access is through the same private setup. This does not send an email or text, guarantee a callback or activate a business phone line. Remove or disable a teammate to prevent new transfers. An already connected call may continue until someone ends it.

Your connected business mailbox

If you choose to connect a Google or Microsoft mailbox, we request sending permission and basic account identity, not permission to read your inbox. The connection is separate from Telephonist’s operator-reporting email service. During this limited test, a caller can ask the telephonist to prepare an email; the connected mailbox owner must review the recipient and message and choose Send before it is submitted to the provider.

We process the mailbox address and encrypted access credentials to maintain an interview connection for up to 30 days. For a permanent customer account, the connection remains until disconnected or access is revoked. Disconnecting removes our stored access credentials; you can also revoke the app in your Google or Microsoft account settings. Draft recipients, subjects, messages and send status are retained for up to seven days, with expired records removed on the next daily cleanup. Sent emails remain in your mailbox under your provider’s retention settings. The voice provider processes the conversation details needed to prepare the draft; mailbox credentials are never shared with the voice agent or cloud workspace.

Your connected booking calendar

Calendar access is optional and requires separate Google or Microsoft consent. We use the list of calendars to let you choose a booking calendar, read event times to check availability, and create or change appointments in that selected calendar. Other event titles and attendee details are not passed to the voice agent. You choose appointment length, hours and whether real actions are enabled. Changes through Telephonist require the caller’s private booking reference and are limited to appointments created through Telephonist. Calendar access does not grant inbox access. Calendar access alone does not send booking emails or texts. Optional booking texts on activated business lines are described below.

For interviews, account identity and encrypted access credentials are retained for up to 30 days. For permanent customer accounts they remain until disconnected or access is revoked. Booking references, provider event identifiers and action results are retained for up to 120 days; expired records are removed on daily cleanup. Uncertain action records are retained for investigation to prevent duplicate changes. Disconnecting removes our stored credentials; appointments already created remain in your calendar. You can also revoke access in your provider’s account settings. Calendar credentials are never sent to the voice agent or cloud workspace.

Voice setup on the homepage

If you choose voice setup, your microphone audio is streamed to OpenAI to hold the conversation. Your spoken business name and location may be used for a public web search to find your website. We ask you to confirm the proposed business before preparing your interview. We do not record the audio of this setup conversation. We use its conversation text to email a written synopsis to the Telephonist team, including if you stop before creating an interview, so we can review enquiries and improve setup. Verification codes are removed from reporting text. Pending summaries and their conversation text are retained for up to 24 hours, then deleted after the email provider accepts the report; delivery references remain for up to 30 days. A setup-only summary is not sent to you as an interview recap. Temporary setup identifiers and usage records expire within 24 hours. Business details you confirm then follow the private interview retention described above. During voice setup we collect your name, email address and chosen telephonist name, read them back for confirmation and send a verification code to that email. You can read the code aloud to verify it. If you choose a phone interview, we also collect your UK mobile number, read it back, and send an SMS verification code with your permission. You can read that code aloud too. We only request a callback after you confirm the verified number and the time; you can choose a browser interview without providing a number. Verified phone details follow your private interview’s retention. Founder testing uses a separate email-verified, revocable browser session lasting up to 30 days. Pending verification and the private handover expire after 10 minutes; verified details carry into your interview under the retention period described below. Temporary browser copies expire after 15 minutes. You can start or stop voice setup using either the orb or the composer button.

Activated business phone lines

For an activated business line, we keep the business profile, job description, chosen voice, account email and connected teammates to operate the service. We verify account ownership using the checkout email. Each business manages its own settings, callers and integration permissions. We do not reuse a private interview number as a customer's permanent number.

Callers are told they are speaking to an AI telephonist and that a written summary is shared with the business. Captured conversation text and call summaries are available privately to the account owner for up to 30 days. We email a synopsis to that business's verified account email through Resend. Call-routing and usage records are retained for up to 120 days; billing records follow the Benaiah privacy notice. The Telephonist team may access necessary information to support the service, investigate failures and prevent abuse. Automated transcripts and summaries can be incomplete or inaccurate.

Permanent-account teammates remain connected until removed or disabled. Each must consent and verify their number. A transferred caller is connected only after the teammate presses 1. Messages and callback requests in the permanent account remain for up to 30 days; transfer status records remain for up to 24 hours. Saving a callback request does not guarantee a callback time.

Setting up by email

Email hello@telephonist.ai to ask questions or prepare a private interview. Cloudflare receives and forwards incoming mail to the Telephonist team, OpenAI processes conversation text and approved document content, and Resend sends replies from our official address. We keep temporary email setup threads, attachments and processing records for up to 24 hours. Attachments are only read into business knowledge after you confirm. Supported formats are PDF, plain text, CSV, PNG, JPEG and WebP, up to six files and 4.5 MB total. Original files are deleted from temporary processing storage after extraction; confirmed business notes follow saved-setup retention. Copies in email inboxes remain subject to the mailbox owner’s retention.

We verify the recap email before preparing an interview. A callback additionally requires verification of the UK mobile number by SMS and confirmation of its number and time. An email address alone does not authorise access to an existing customer account, payment, phone routing, or calendar and mailbox connections. These use the existing owner verification flows. Email setup does not enrol you in marketing. Reply STOP to end setup replies and cancel a pending setup callback, or contact support@telephonist.ai.

Setting up by text

You can text our public UK onboarding number to describe your business, choose a telephonist and arrange a private interview. We process your messages, mobile number, business details, chosen names, verified email and delivery status using Twilio and OpenAI. Text setup progress and message processing records are retained for up to 24 hours so you can pause and continue. Verification codes expire after 10 minutes. Completed saved setups and emailed review links follow the saved-setup retention above. For a callback to the number you are texting from, we verify the incoming message with Twilio instead of sending a code back into the same conversation. A different callback number requires an SMS verification code. Email verification and your confirmation of the callback number and time are still required; texting us alone does not authorise a call. Reply STOP to stop texts and cancel a callback that has not started; START resumes texts. These service messages do not enrol you in marketing. Your mobile network may charge for messages you send.

Booking texts

When a business enables booking texts, callers can choose to receive a confirmation and one reminder 24 hours before an appointment. We send texts through Twilio only after a confirmed calendar action, subject to the business's message allowance. Bookings less than 24 hours ahead receive a confirmation only. We check for changes and cancellation before sending reminders. Delivery can fail, so a confirmed appointment does not guarantee a delivered text.

We process the recipient mobile number, appointment time, business name, booking reference and message delivery status. Reply STOP to stop booking messages from that business; reply START to resume. These are service messages, not marketing subscriptions. Delivery records and opt-out preferences are kept to operate the service and honour opt-outs. Contact us to request access or deletion.

Text conversations and connected tools

If a business turns on text replies, its Telephonist answers texts sent to the business’s Telephonist number. We use the customer’s mobile number and messages to reply, keep the conversation for 30 days and email it to the business. Replies come from an AI assistant and say so at the start of each conversation. Customers can reply STOP at any time, and we never use these texts for marketing.

A business can also connect Slack, HubSpot or a webhook of its choice. After each call we send that tool the call summary, the call’s time and length and the caller’s last four digits. HubSpot, and a webhook if the business chooses, also receive the caller’s full number so the business can follow up. The business chooses these tools and is responsible for its lawful basis and for telling its callers. Each tool keeps its copy under its own terms. Connection details are encrypted, and we delete them when the business disconnects.

Optional business call recordings

Audio recording is off by default. If an activated business enables it, the selected live telephonist voice gives a brief recording notice within its opening greeting, saying the call is recorded so the business has an accurate record, without a recording keypad choice. Recording begins after the notice and a beep. Recording stops before a transfer to a human; the human leg is not recorded and recording does not restart if the call returns to the AI.

Twilio stores the recording with authenticated access. The account owner can play or delete it through their private Telephonist account. They can also enable recording emails for future recorded calls, or request an email copy of an existing authorised recording. MP3 attachments go only to that business’s verified account email through Resend, separately from the written summary. Emailed copies remain in the recipient’s mailbox and are not removed when a hosted recording is deleted. We request provider deletion after 30 days and retry failures. A deletion request may take time to complete. Each business is responsible for its lawful basis, caller notices and handling recording objections or alternative contact arrangements. The business controls its recordings; this setting does not authorise Telephonist to reuse customer-business audio for AI model training. Do not share payment-card details, passwords or other sensitive information during a call.

Who processes data and where

We use these providers to run Telephonist. Each is bound by a data processing contract. We never use calls or messages to train AI models, and OpenAI does not train its models on data sent through its API.

• Cloudflare (hosting and storage; United States and global network): UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
• Twilio (phone numbers, calls, recordings and texts; United States): UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, with EU standard contractual clauses and the UK Addendum as a fallback.
• OpenAI (the live AI voice, transcripts, summaries, text replies, and web search if a business turns it on; United States): EU standard contractual clauses with the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.
• Resend (email delivery; United States): UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.
• Axiom (service monitoring, event metadata only; hosted in the European Union by a United States company): EU hosting, under the Axiom data processing addendum.
• Neon (one-day event log, hosted in London; for businesses trying Telephonist it also holds their name, website and published details and the summaries we email them after demo calls and set-up interviews; Neon is a United States company): EU standard contractual clauses with the UK Addendum.

Businesses that use Telephonist are covered by our data processing terms below, which list these sub-processors, their safeguards and how we tell you about changes.

Ask our Telephonist

Questions you type into Ask our Telephonist are sent to Anthropic, whose AI answers them, and to our team as a WhatsApp notification with your approximate location (city or country), so we can see what people ask. We keep answers to first questions for up to 7 days so the same question is answered quickly next time. We don’t link questions to who you are. Please don’t include personal details.

Business contacts we email

We sometimes email businesses we think Telephonist could help. We use the business name, website and contact email that the business publishes on its own website, together with public Companies House records. We rely on our legitimate interest in telling relevant businesses about our services. We send no more than three emails and stop as soon as you reply. To stop all contact, reply “no thanks” or email support@telephonist.ai: we’ll add your address to a do-not-contact list, which we keep only to make sure we never email you again. We delete details of businesses that haven’t replied after 12 months.

Introductions

If you introduce a business, we save your name and email, the business name and website, your confirmation to save, and an introduction reference. A business confirmation records its representative’s name, email and submission time. Our team uses these details to verify attribution, check payment and retention eligibility, resolve conflicts and administer rewards. Submitting a business does not authorise marketing contact. Introduction records and reward evidence are available only to authorised operators, with billing evidence retained as needed for programme administration, accounting and disputes. Do not submit bank or card details in the form or by voice. Contact hello@telephonist.ai to correct your details or ask about deletion, subject to records we must retain.

Our commitment to customers

Published 2 November 2026

Benaiah AI Ltd runs Telephonist. Whether you hire a Telephonist, call one or receive a call from one, this is what we promise.

• It says it’s an AI. Every Telephonist says it’s an AI at the start of the call.
• Every call we place is signed and checkable. Each call Telephonist places for someone carries a signed statement and a short reference. Ask the caller for its reference, then enter it with the number we called at telephonist.ai/check to see who stands behind the call.
• You can report a call. On the same page you can report a call or ask us not to call your number again. You can also choose which AI calls we place to your business number, free, at telephonist.ai/front-desk.
• A person on call, around the clock. When you hire Telephonist, one of our people is on call as backup, around the clock. Callers can ask for a person at any time; the call goes to the business’s team, or to our human backup.
• Your data is protected. We never use your calls or messages to train AI models, and we never sell your data or use it for advertising. This notice explains what we collect and why. Our data processing terms list who processes your data and where, and commit us to telling you within 24 hours of becoming aware of a breach affecting it.
• Accessibility. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. Our accessibility statement says where we fall short and how to report a problem or ask for another format. We reply within 5 working days.

Feedback and complaints

To give feedback or make a complaint, email support@telephonist.ai. Tell us what happened and when, and for a call, its reference or the number involved. We review every complaint, and where we’ve got something wrong, we put it right.

Accessibility

Read our accessibility statement for how we make the website and our phone service accessible, and how to tell us about a problem.

Data processing terms for businesses

Effective 17 October 2026

These terms apply when a business uses Telephonist to answer, make or follow up its calls and texts. They form part of the Benaiah AI terms and meet Article 28 of the UK GDPR. If they conflict with the main terms on personal data, these terms win.