These are the terms we work under. They're deliberately short and readable — if a term here would embarrass us to explain on the phone, it shouldn't be in here.
1. Who these are between
"We" and "us" means First.Reply, a trading name of [YOUR FULL LEGAL NAME], [sole trader / company no. XXXXXXX], of [ADDRESS FOR SERVICE]. "You" means the business named on the order or invoice. These terms apply from the date you pay the setup fee or we begin work, whichever is first.
2. What we provide
An automated response system for calls you don't answer. When a call to your line goes unanswered, is busy, or comes in out of hours, it is forwarded to a number we provide, and the caller receives a text message within seconds. That conversation asks what the job is and where they are, and the details are sent to you.
We will configure this to your business, in wording you approve, and test it on your own number before it goes live.
3. What you provide
- A completed setup form — the information we need to write the messages in your words.
- Authority and access to set conditional call forwarding on your line, or to have your provider do it.
- Approval of the message wording before we go live. If we don't hear back within 5 working days we'll go live with the last version we sent you.
- A mobile number we can send captured enquiries to.
Our timescales run from the date we receive all of the above, not from the date you pay.
4. Fees and payment
| What | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | £1,500 | Once, before work starts |
| Monthly service | £300–£500 | First payment on day 31, monthly thereafter |
The monthly amount is fixed at the start based on your expected call volume and confirmed in writing before you commit. It does not change during a contract year unless your volume changes substantially and we agree a new figure with you in writing first. There are no per-message charges and no charges for changes to your wording.
All figures exclude VAT. [Add VAT number here once registered, or delete this sentence.] Invoices are due on receipt. If an invoice is more than 14 days late we may suspend the service after giving you 7 days' written notice; we would always ring you first.
5. Getting it live
We aim to have you live within 7 working days of receiving everything in section 3. Where a delay is outside our control — a network provider, a regulatory check on a phone number — we'll tell you as soon as we know and keep you updated. Timescales are a commitment we take seriously but they are not a contractual guarantee.
6. The 30-day guarantee
If, in the first 30 days after going live, the service does not capture a single genuine enquiry, we will refund the setup fee in full on request. You keep every transcript and every enquiry record.
A "genuine enquiry" means a real person asking about work you do. It doesn't include calls from us, from you, or from anyone testing the system. The guarantee assumes call forwarding was live and working for the period — if forwarding was switched off, there was nothing for us to catch.
7. Ending it
There's no minimum term and no lock-in. Either of us can end the monthly service with 30 days' written notice, taking effect at the end of your next billing period. We don't charge an exit fee and we won't make you ring three times to cancel — an email is enough.
When the service ends we'll remove call forwarding with you, give you an export of your enquiry records, and delete your data as set out in our privacy notice. If you want to keep the phone number we set up, tell us and we'll help you port it to your own provider; otherwise it is released.
We may end the agreement immediately if the service is being used unlawfully, or to send messages to people who haven't contacted you.
8. Data protection
For the messages your customers send, you are the data controller and we are your processor. This section is our agreement under Article 28 of the UK GDPR.
- We process that information only on your documented instructions, which these terms and your setup form constitute.
- We keep it secure and make sure anyone with access is under a duty of confidentiality.
- We use the suppliers listed in our privacy notice as sub-processors. We'll give you 30 days' notice before adding or changing one, and you may object.
- We help you respond to requests from your customers about their data, and tell you without undue delay if there's a breach.
- We never use your customers' information for our own purposes, never sell it, and never use it to train an AI model.
- On termination we delete or return it, at your choice.
You confirm you have a lawful basis for us to process this information on your behalf, and that your own privacy notice tells your customers that an automated service may reply to them.
9. What we're responsible for
We'll provide the service with reasonable skill and care. We can't promise the service will be uninterrupted — it depends on mobile networks and third-party platforms we don't control — and we can't promise any particular number of enquiries, bookings or revenue. The only outcome we guarantee is the one in section 6.
Neither of us is liable for loss of profit, loss of business or indirect loss. Our total liability in any 12-month period is limited to the fees you paid us in that period. Nothing here limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law doesn't allow us to limit.
10. General
Neither of us is liable for failures caused by events outside our reasonable control. If part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands. These terms and any order form are the whole agreement between us. Changes need to be in writing. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
11. Complaints
Email hello@firstreply.co.uk and we'll acknowledge within 2 working days and give you an answer within 10. We'd much rather fix a problem than lose you over one.