Five questions to ask your hotline contract (and a prompt that answers them)

Most compliance teams can tell you exactly how their hotline vendor's software falls short. Far fewer can tell you when the contract renews, how much notice it takes to leave, or what it costs to get their own case data out. The answers are all in the contract, spread across the master agreement, order forms, exhibits and amendments.

Or you could just ask your contract. Paste the prompt below into your AI tool, attach your hotline agreement, and get plain-English answers in minutes: Does it auto-renew, and when? When does the notice window close? What will it cost to export your case history? Better to know now than after the deadline.

A note on data: contracts are confidential documents. Use the AI tool your organization has sanctioned for sensitive material, not a personal account, and check your own policy on uploading vendor agreements before you do this.

The prompt

Copy everything in the box below, paste it into your AI tool, and attach your contract (including any order forms, amendments, and exhibits):

I'm attaching my organization's contract with our ethics hotline / case management vendor. Read the full agreement, including any order forms, amendments, exhibits, and terms incorporated by reference, and answer the questions below. For every answer, quote the exact clause and give its section number so I can verify it. If the contract doesn't address something, say "not addressed" rather than guessing.

Term and renewal. What is the current term end date? Does the contract auto-renew, and for how long each time? What exactly happens if I do nothing?

Notice window. If I want to end the agreement at the end of the current term, by what date must I give notice, in what form (written, email, certified mail), and to whom? Put that date on a single line at the top of your response.

Price changes. Can the vendor raise prices at renewal? Is there a cap, a formula, or a right to increase at their discretion?

My data. What does it cost, and how long does it take, to export my full case history and reporter records if I leave? Is export a right or a paid service? How long does the vendor keep my data after termination, and what format do I receive it in?

Add-ons and support. Are translations, additional languages, form or workflow changes, extra admin seats, or configuration changes included, or billed separately? What response times does the support SLA actually commit to?

Finish with a short summary: the three things in this contract I should be most aware of, and the one date I should put on my calendar today.

If the answers surprise you

You're in good company. When we went back through 1,560 conversations with compliance, ethics, and HR leaders at roughly 900 companies, the contract came up nearly as often as the software: auto-renewal windows nobody tracked, export fees for their own data, quotes for every new language. Here's what they told us.

And if the date on your calendar is months away, you don't have to wait for it. Switch now and your invoices start when your existing term ends. Your case history comes with you. Terms and conditions apply.