How it works
From disagreement to signed agreement
Here's exactly what happens, start to finish — including the part everyone worries about: getting the other side to take part.
The full journey
Seven steps, start to finish
Most disputes never need to be complicated. Here is the whole path, with nothing hidden between the steps.
- 1
You tell your story, privately
You start alone. In your own private room, you explain what happened, what you want, and what you can live with — in plain language, at your own pace. Nothing here is shared with the other side. This is you getting your thoughts in order and telling Elerion what a fair outcome would look like to you.
- 2
The other side is invited to join
You give Elerion a way to reach the other person, and they receive a calm, neutral invitation to take part. They create their own account and their own private room. Both of you are now in the same mediation, but each with a space that is yours alone.
- 3
Two private rooms, one shared room
This is the heart of it. There are three spaces: your private room, their private room, and one shared joint room. A private room is called a caucus — a place to speak candidly. Elerion moves between all three and carries only what each side explicitly allows into the open. Your bottom line stays yours until you decide to reveal it.
- 4
Offers go back and forth
Elerion helps each side turn positions into concrete offers, then relays them — testing what would move things forward, narrowing the gap, and surfacing options neither of you had thought of. It never takes a side and never pushes. Proposals travel between the rooms until the shape of a deal appears.
- 5
Elerion drafts the agreement
Once you both accept the same terms, a separate drafting engine writes them up. The financial terms come verbatim from the offer you both formally accepted — not from the back-and-forth of the conversation, and never invented. You each get to read the full draft before anything is signed.
- 6
Everyone e-signs
Nothing is binding until both of you sign. When the draft reflects what you agreed, each side signs electronically. Until that moment, you can keep negotiating — or walk away. Mediation is voluntary from the first message to the last.
- 7
You get the signed PDF
You receive a clean, signed settlement agreement as a PDF — a written record of exactly what you both agreed to. A signed settlement is a contract. Enforceability varies by situation and place, so it is worth having a lawyer review it before you sign.
The biggest question
How do I get the other side to join?
This is what everyone asks first. Here is the honest answer, plus the exact words you can use.
What the invitation looks like
You do not have to convince anyone by yourself. Once you start, Elerion sends the other person a calm, neutral email. It is not a threat and it is not a summons. It simply explains that someone would like to resolve a disagreement through a private, voluntary mediation, describes what that involves, and invites them to take part on their own terms.
“You’ve been invited to resolve a disagreement through Elerion, a neutral online mediator. Taking part is voluntary and private, nothing is decided without your agreement, and you can stop at any time. When you’re ready, you’ll have your own private space to share your side.”
Why the other side has reason to say yes
Saying yes is usually in their interest too. It is worth pointing that out when you reach out.
It is dramatically cheaper
A single Elerion mediation is $9 — split or covered however you both prefer. A human mediator runs $100 to $500 an hour, and lawyers can reach $10,000 or more per side.
It is faster
No scheduling around a courtroom or a mediator’s calendar. You each take part on your own time, from wherever you are.
It is far less adversarial
No summons, no lawyers trading letters, no public court file. It is a private, structured conversation aimed at a fair result.
They keep control of the outcome
A judge imposes a decision. In mediation, nothing happens unless both sides agree to it — so the other person keeps a say in the result instead of gambling on a ruling.
A message you can send them
If you want to reach out first yourself, copy this, change the details, and send it by text or email:
“Hi [name] — I’d really like to sort out [the deposit / the invoice / our arrangement] without it turning into a fight or costing us both a fortune in lawyers. I’ve started using a neutral online mediator called Elerion. It’s private, it doesn’t take sides, and nothing is binding unless we both agree and sign. It costs about the price of lunch. Would you be open to trying it? You’ll get your own private space to share your side, and we each stay in control of the outcome.”
What if they refuse?
We will be straight with you: mediation is voluntary, and Elerion cannot force anyone to take part. If the other side says no, that door is not the only one. You can:
- Try again later — people often reconsider once tempers cool, or once the alternative (court, lawyers, time) starts to feel real.
- Consider small claims court for smaller money disputes — filing fees typically run $30 to $300, award caps vary by state, and you still have to collect on any judgment.
- Talk to a lawyer about your options. Attorneys are welcome in mediation too, and Elerion is not a substitute for legal advice when you need it.
What it feels like
Calm, turn-based, and genuinely private
This is not a gimmick chatbot racing you toward a deal. It is structured facilitation — closer to a patient mediator than an app.
Turn-based, not a race
You are never rushed. You answer when you are ready, in your own words, and Elerion listens before it responds. There is no timer and no pressure to accept anything.
Room-aware at all times
Elerion always knows which room you are in and what is private. In your caucus it speaks candidly with you; in the joint room it only shares what you have allowed.
Neutral, by design
It does not root for either side. Even-handedness is built in, and so is a firm line against giving legal advice — it stays a neutral mediator, not your lawyer.
Focused on a fair result
The goal is a workable agreement you both accept, not a winner and a loser. It keeps the conversation on what actually resolves things.
Guardrails
When Elerion says no
A neutral mediator is only trustworthy if it will refuse to do the wrong thing. Here is what Elerion will not do.
Run a court, mediation program, or organization? Talk to us about working together.
Ready to start?
Your first mediations are free — three of them, no credit card. After that it's $9 per dispute.