AI Calling & Consent Policy

1. Purpose and scope

This policy explains how calls and messages made by franchie AI agents work, and what our customers (franchise brands) must do to use them lawfully. It forms part of our Terms of Service and applies to every call, SMS and messaging conversation started through franchie, including our own demo calls on franchie.ai.

2. How AI calling works

When a lead applies to a brand (for example through a website form or a lead ad), franchie can call or message them within seconds to answer questions, qualify their interest and book a meeting with the brand's team. The AI voice is generated by software and may be a voice cloned for the brand with the speaker's consent. Outside Turkiye, calls and SMS are carried by Twilio.

Under US federal rules, calls using AI-generated voices count as calls using an "artificial or prerecorded voice" under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). That is why consent is required before any such call.

3. Consent requirements

Before franchie calls or texts a lead, the brand must have obtained consent that meets the law where the lead is located. At a minimum:

• United States: prior express consent for informational calls and texts, and prior express written consent for marketing calls and texts, as required by the TCPA and state "mini-TCPA" laws. The consent must clearly authorise calls and texts from the brand using AI or automated technology to the number provided, and must not be a condition of purchase.
• United Kingdom: consent or another valid basis under PECR and the UK GDPR, and screening against the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) where it applies.
• EU and other countries: consent and do-not-call rules under the ePrivacy rules and national telemarketing laws.

Sample consent wording for a lead form:

By submitting this form, I agree that [Brand] and its AI assistant may call and text me at the number above about my franchise inquiry, including with automated technology and AI-generated voices. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

The brand must keep records of each consent (time, source, wording shown, IP or form ID) for at least the period required by law, and provide them to us on request. Leads imported from lists without such consent must not be called or texted with franchie.

4. AI disclosure

At the start of every call, the agent says that it is an AI assistant calling on behalf of the named brand and why it is calling. In written channels, the first message says the same. Customers cannot switch off this disclosure. If a person asks whether they are talking to a human, the agent always answers truthfully and offers to have a person from the brand follow up.

5. Opt-out and do-not-contact

• Leads can opt out at any time by saying so on a call (for example "don't call me again") or replying STOP, or in other reasonable ways.
• franchie detects opt-out requests, ends further outreach and adds the number and email to the brand's do-not-contact registry. The registry blocks future calls and messages from that brand.
• Brands must also honor opt-outs received through their own channels, add them to franchie, and screen against applicable national and internal do-not-call lists.

6. Calling hours and frequency

Calls are only placed within permitted hours in the lead's local time (in the United States, between 8 am and 9 pm, or narrower where state law requires). Brands can set narrower calling windows, limit retries and set quiet days. Brands are responsible for configuring these settings to match the laws that apply to their leads.

7. Call recording

Calls may be recorded and transcribed so the brand can review conversations and so the agent can produce a summary. Where the law requires all parties to agree to recording (for example in some US states), the agent announces the recording at the start of the call. Recordings are kept according to the brand's retention settings and our Privacy Policy.

8. Customer responsibilities

The brand, not franchie, decides whom to contact and is the party initiating the call or message. The brand is responsible for:

• obtaining and documenting valid consent before any AI call or text,
• honoring opt-outs, do-not-call lists and calling-hour limits,
• registering its sender numbers and campaigns where required (for example A2P 10DLC for US text messaging),
• making sure the agent's knowledge and scripts are accurate and do not make misleading claims about the franchise opportunity,
• complying with franchise disclosure rules that apply to it.

We may suspend calling for an account if we receive complaints, see unusual opt-out or complaint rates, or have reason to believe consent is missing.

9. Demo calls on franchie.ai

When you ask our AI agent to call you on franchie.ai, you give us consent to call that number once for the demo using an AI voice, and we record your consent with the policy version. We do not add demo numbers to marketing lists. Say "stop" at any time to end the call.

10. Reporting misuse

If you received a call or message from a franchie agent that you did not agree to, email hi@franchie.ai with the number and approximate time. We will block further contact, investigate with the brand and take action under our Acceptable Use Policy.

Version history

• October 18, 2026 · First draft (TCPA, AI disclosure, opt-out).