Agency coverage & backstop terms
When you run a white-label portal on Remoto, your own interpreters are served first. The Remoto network stands behind them as a backstop that you switch on, narrow, or switch off. This page sets out how that works, what you control, how money flows, and what we do and do not promise about availability.
Who this is for
Language service providers and interpreting agencies that use a Remoto white-label portal to serve their own clients — with their own roster, with the Remoto network, or with both. If you buy interpreting directly for your organisation rather than reselling it, the standard pricing and Terms of Service apply and this page is background reading only.
How coverage works
Three layers, always in this order. Each later layer is reached only when the one before it cannot cover the request — and only if you have allowed it.
Your roster
When: Always first.Every request from your portal is offered to your own interpreters first — the people you have uploaded, invited, or approved into your roster for that language pair. If you run a roster-only portal, this is the only layer, and a request nobody on your roster can take goes unfilled.
Remoto network backstop
When: Only when your roster cannot cover the request, and only if you have turned it on.When nobody on your roster is available for the requested pair, the request is opened to interpreters in the Remoto network who meet the criteria you have set. Your roster is never re-ranked or bypassed: the network is reached because the roster had no coverage, not instead of it.
Scheduled requests open to the network
When: Only for scheduled calls your roster has not filled, and only if you allow it.Scheduled bookings follow the same order. If you enable it, a scheduled call that no roster interpreter has accepted can be offered to network interpreters ahead of the start time — again limited to your criteria — so a confirmed appointment does not go unstaffed.
What you control
Who may back you up
Restrict the network backstop to interpreters with a HIPAA agreement on file, to interpreters whose language pair has passed Remoto's ISO 18841 baseline screening, and/or to interpreters based in the countries you name. Leave a criterion blank and it is not enforced; set several and all must be met. When a criterion cannot be verified, the interpreter is excluded rather than assumed to qualify.
Whether scheduled calls can leave the roster
Opening unfilled scheduled calls to the network is a separate switch from the on-demand backstop. You can allow one, both, or neither.
On or off, any time
Coverage settings are yours to change from your portal, and take effect for the next request. Turning the backstop off returns you to roster-only service immediately.
Sourcing mode
Independently of the backstop, your portal can be configured as roster-only, network-only, or hybrid, which decides how interpreters are ranked when both are eligible. The backstop adds coverage; it does not change how your roster is presented.
Your rate cards
You set a client-facing rate per language pair, and can override it for individual clients with a per-client rate card. That is what your client is quoted and billed, whether the call was served from your roster or the network.
Rates and billing
| What your client sees | Your rate, under your brand. Network-served calls are billed at your rate card exactly like roster calls; the client is not shown a different price because the backstop was used. |
| What the interpreter is paid | Roster interpreters are paid according to your roster agreement with them. Network interpreters are paid at their own published rate, or the wholesale per-minute rate agreed in your partnership terms. |
| Remoto's service fee | Remoto's service fee applies to network-served calls, as on the public marketplace. Your commercial terms with Remoto (setup, wholesale rate, and revenue share) are agreed per partnership and are not published here. |
| Bill to agency or to the client's card | Per client, calls can settle against the client's own card on file, or be billed to your agency and passed on by you. Bill-to-agency calls appear on your portal statement. |
| Invoices and net terms | Your portal can issue branded invoices to your clients and generate period statements of portal activity. Agencies that procure on invoice can be placed on net payment terms on approval; ask when you set up. |
Standard marketplace pricing, including how the all-in per-minute rate is composed, is on the pricing page. Card payments are processed by ProZ.com, Remoto's operator.
Quality standards
- Network interpreters are approved per language pair after identity verification and a review of the pairs and credentials they claim; unapproved pairs are never offered to your clients.
- Every call can be rated. Ratings and complaints feed per-pair quality signals; a strong enough signal flags the pair for review and can suspend it from matching until an administrator clears it.
- You can raise the bar for your own backstop by requiring the ISO 18841 screening tier or a HIPAA agreement, and you can save network interpreters you like as favourites for next time.
- Your roster's quality remains under your control — who is on it, what they are paid, and whether they stay.
Availability and no-answer situations
- On-demand coverage depends on interpreters being online for the requested pair at that moment. Your roster plus the Remoto network gives you the widest possible pool, but we do not promise round-the-clock coverage for every language pair.
- When nobody is online, Remoto notifies recently active interpreters for the pair in waves and connects your client the moment one comes online, or emails them if they close the window. A miss can then become a short wait rather than a lost call, but it is not a guarantee.
- For guaranteed times, use scheduled bookings. A scheduled call is confirmed by a named interpreter in advance, and — if you allow it — can be opened to the network when your roster has not filled it.
- If a specific pair matters to your business, tell us; we can review roster and network supply for it with you before you commit to a client.
Cancellation and no-show
Cancellation and no-show handling for scheduled calls follows the Terms of Service. Agency and enterprise agreements can define their own cancellation fees and windows, and we confirm the policy that applies to your account when you set up.
Confidentiality
Your clients see your brand; interpreters never see your client pricing; your portal data is not visible to other agencies. Encryption, recording consent, sub-processors, and BAAs are covered on the security, privacy & HIPAA page.
How to enable
In your portal, open Interpreters → Coverage fallback to turn the network backstop on, set your criteria, and choose whether scheduled calls may open to the network. Sourcing mode and rate cards live under Settings. Prefer that we set it up? Email us.
Early agency partners
There is currently no additional platform fee for the white-label portal for early agency partners. Remoto's service fee on network-served calls and any wholesale terms are agreed in your partnership terms; we will give you notice before that changes.
Coverage and backstop FAQ
Will my clients ever be sent to a Remoto interpreter instead of my own?
Only when nobody on your roster can take the request, and only if you have switched the Remoto network backstop on. Your roster is always served first, and the network is reached because the roster had no coverage — never in preference to it.
Can I limit which network interpreters may serve my clients?
Yes. You can require a HIPAA agreement on file, ISO 18841 baseline screening for the requested pair, and/or a base in specific countries. Interpreters who do not meet every criterion you set are excluded.
Does my client pay a different rate when the network is used?
No. Your client is billed at your rate card under your brand regardless of who served the call. Interpreter payout and Remoto's service fee are settled on the other side of the transaction.
Do you guarantee an interpreter will always be available?
No. On-demand availability depends on who is online for that pair. Remoto reduces misses by notifying recently active interpreters and connecting your client when one comes online, and scheduled bookings give you a confirmed interpreter for a specific time. We are candid about supply for any pair you ask about.
What happens if a scheduled call is cancelled or the client does not show?
Cancellation and no-show handling follows the Remoto Terms of Service, and enterprise or agency agreements can define their own cancellation fees and windows. We confirm the policy that applies to your account when you set up.
Is there a fee for the white-label portal?
There is currently no additional platform fee for the white-label portal for early agency partners. Remoto's service fee on network-served calls and any wholesale terms are agreed in your partnership terms.
How do I turn the backstop on?
From your portal, open Interpreters and use the Coverage fallback panel to enable the network backstop, set your criteria, and choose whether scheduled calls may open to the network. If you would rather we configure it, email [email protected].
Talk to us about coverage for your clients
We will walk through your language pairs, roster, and criteria and configure the portal with you.
Keep reading
How much does an interpreter cost?
Live per-minute rates by language pair, plus typical industry prices.
VRI vs OPI vs on-site
Which interpreting mode fits your situation — a practical decision guide.
Compare interpreting services
How Remoto's marketplace model differs from traditional providers.
Remoto pricing
Pay-as-you-go, per-second billing, live rate explorer.
Security, privacy & HIPAA
Encryption, access control, recording consent, sub-processors, and BAAs on request.