Yes. When you chat or text with Beside, you are talking to an AI agent run by Beside. When someone calls your business and your Receptionist picks up, they are talking to an AI Receptionist. Neither one is a person typing or speaking.
This article explains who is behind each conversation, when people at Beside can see or join one, how your Receptionist introduces itself to callers, and what we can and cannot say about health information.
The agent in chat and text
Replies in your chat with Beside at agent.beside.com, and texts you exchange with Beside about your business, are written by an AI agent. It reads what you have connected and what you have told it, works out what to do, and answers you. Nobody at Beside is typing those replies.
If you ask the agent whether it is an AI, the true answer is always yes, however the question is worded.
When people at Beside are involved
Reading conversations: the Beside team reviews conversations with the agent to check the quality of its answers and fix mistakes.
Opening your workspace: when you ask Support for help, a team member can open your workspace to see what you see. That access is read-only by default.
Writing in your chat: with wider access, a team member can also send a message in your chat. Beside records it as coming from Beside staff, separately from the messages you write.
The Support chat in the app is a different conversation: there, an AI assistant or a person on the Support team can answer. 📖 Contact Beside support
How your Receptionist presents itself to callers
The first thing a caller hears is your Welcome Greeting. Beside's standard greeting introduces your Receptionist as the AI Receptionist for your business, and you can change it to anything you like.
Whatever your greeting says, your Receptionist is built to never say or suggest that it is a person. If a caller asks, it tells them it is the AI receptionist for your business.
💡 Editing your greeting: Removing the self-introduction from your greeting changes how the call opens, not how honest the answer is. A caller who asks still hears that they are speaking with an AI.
Telling callers that a call is recorded is a separate setting, with its own notice at the start of the call. 📖 Recording consent and caller notifications
What the AI can see
Your agent sees only three things: what is already public about your business, the tools you connect, and what you tell it. It never reads the address book, photos or personal messages on your phone. Your Receptionist answers from the knowledge you give it for your line.
Health information and healthcare practices
Callers sometimes share health details on the phone: symptoms, treatments, the reason for a visit. When your Receptionist answers or a call is recorded, what the caller says ends up in the transcript and the call summary on your line, like any other call.
⚠️ No HIPAA claim:
Beside does not state that Beside, Beside Phone or the Receptionist is HIPAA compliant, and nothing in this Help Center should be read that way.
If your practice has to meet HIPAA or a similar rule, contact Support before using Beside for patient calls, and ask about your exact requirements, including any agreement you need.
Two things you can do either way:
Set up your Receptionist so it does not ask callers for medical details it does not need to take a message or book a visit.
If you connect Jane, Beside reads appointments and patients but never imports clinical notes or payment details. 📖 Connect Beside with Jane
FAQ
Is there a person behind the chat?
Is there a person behind the chat?
No. Replies from your Beside agent are written by AI. The Beside team can review conversations and, with the right access, send a message that Beside records as coming from staff, but the agent's own replies are never typed by a person.
Will my callers know they are talking to an AI?
Will my callers know they are talking to an AI?
Beside's standard greeting tells them. If you change the greeting, callers who ask are still told the truth: your Receptionist never claims to be a person.
How do I reach a real person at Beside?
How do I reach a real person at Beside?
Use the Support chat in the app or email [email protected]. People on the Beside Support team read and answer those conversations.
Is Beside HIPAA compliant?
Is Beside HIPAA compliant?
Beside does not make that claim. If your practice needs HIPAA compliance, contact Support before using Beside for patient calls and describe what you need.
Can someone at Beside change my settings?
Can someone at Beside change my settings?
When a team member opens your workspace to help you, their access is read-only by default, so they can look but not change anything. With wider access they can act in your workspace, and anything they send in your chat is recorded as coming from Beside staff.