Privacy Policy

01Data Protection, Controller and Scope

We respect the privacy of our customers and other interested persons and comply with the applicable laws for the protection of your privacy. These laws include in particular the UK General Data Protection Regulation (“UK GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Notice covers the helloanser.com website and the Anser application (the “Anser app”), including the AI receptionist service and any Google Account integrations you choose to enable. It applies to visitors to our website, to businesses that subscribe to Anser, and to callers whose calls are answered by Anser on a subscriber's behalf.

The Controller for the processing of your personal data within the scope of this Privacy Notice is: TheABOOD Ltd, trading as Anser, London, United Kingdom. Contact: contact@helloanser.com.

02Website Hosting

Our website is hosted using Framer, Inc. Framer uses Content Delivery Network (CDN) providers to deliver website content quickly and securely to website visitors. Data collected and processed may include technical information such as the IP address, device information, user behaviour relevant for error analysis, data on the website visit, browser information, log data and cookies. Legal basis: legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR and consent of the data subject under Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR.

The Anser application is hosted on Railway. Application data, including account details and any data received from Google APIs, is held in our production database and is encrypted in transit and at rest.

03Testing the AI Receptionist

We offer a function on our website to test our AI receptionist. After providing the necessary data, you will receive a call or interaction from our AI assistant. The test interaction may be recorded for quality improvement purposes. Data transfers outside the UK may occur when using this service. We ask you not to transmit any special category personal data when using the AI receptionist test service. You can avoid the collection of your data by not using the test service.

04Calls Answered by Anser

When a business subscribes to Anser, our AI receptionist answers calls made to that business's number. This section explains how we handle the personal data of those callers.

Roles.

For calls answered on a subscriber's behalf, the subscriber is the controller of the caller's personal data and we act as their processor, handling it on their instructions. For calls made to our own line, we are the controller.

What we collect.

The caller's telephone number, the date, time and length of the call, an audio recording where recording is switched on, a written transcript and summary of the call, and any details the caller provides during it, such as their name, address, the work they need and any appointment they book.

What callers are told.

At the start of every call, callers are told they are speaking to an AI assistant and that the call may be recorded.

What we use it for.

Answering the call, taking bookings and enquiries, and sending the subscriber a summary, transcript and recording of the call. We do not use call data for advertising, and we configure our providers so that call data is not used to train their models.

Who processes it.

Calls are handled using Retell AI, which converts speech to text and generates the receptionist's replies. Call data is stored in the United States and is encrypted in transit and at rest. Transfers outside the United Kingdom are covered by the safeguards described under International Data Transfers below.

How long we keep it.

Recordings and transcripts are kept for 30 days, then deleted automatically. Audio recording can be switched off at any time, in which case transcripts and summaries are kept but no audio is stored. Call data is deleted when a subscriber closes their account, and can be deleted sooner on request.

Sensitive information.

We ask subscribers not to configure Anser to collect special category data, such as health information, and callers should not share such information during a call.

Callers' rights.

A caller who wishes to access or delete their call data should contact the business they called, as the controller of that data. We will assist that business in responding to the request.

05Contact via Email

We publish a contact email address on our website through which you can contact us, for example to receive more information about our services or to give us feedback. Data collected and processed may include your email address and information that you transmit to us by email. Legal basis: legitimate interest under Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR. We ask you not to transmit any special category personal data when contacting us.

06Online Appointment / Demo Scheduling

You can book a demo or appointment with us on our website. For this purpose, we use a third-party scheduling tool: Cal.com — appointment scheduling. Receives the caller's name, phone number, email address where given, and the appointment details, for the purpose of creating and managing the booking. Data may be transferred outside the UK when using this function. Data collected and processed may include identification data, contact details, company data, information on business or telephone usage, free-text information you provide, technical information and cookies. Legal basis: consent of the data subject under Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR.

07Connecting Your Google Account and Google Calendar

Anser lets you connect your Google Account so that the Anser AI receptionist can check your availability and book jobs directly into your calendar when a caller confirms an appointment. This connection is entirely optional. Anser can be used without it, and you can disconnect at any time.

How access is requested.

We use Google OAuth 2.0. Before any access is granted, Google shows you a consent screen setting out exactly what Anser is asking for, and you choose whether to allow it. Anser never asks for, sees or stores your Google Account password.

The permissions (scopes) we request, and why.

• openidhttps://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.emailhttps://www.googleapis.com/auth/userinfo.profile

  So we can identify which Google Account you have connected and display it in your Anser dashboard.

• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.calendarlist.readonly

  So we can show you the calendars in your account and let you choose which one Anser should use.

• https://www.googleapis.com/auth/calendar.events

  So we can read existing events on the calendar you select in order to work out when you are busy, and create, update and cancel the booking events that Anser makes on your behalf.

We request only the permissions needed for these features and do not request access to Gmail, Google Drive, Google Contacts or any other Google service.

What Google user data we access.

From your Google Account: your name, email address, profile picture and Google Account identifier. From the calendar or calendars you select: the calendar name and identifier, and the start times, end times, titles, descriptions, locations, attendees and busy/free status of events on that calendar. We do not access calendars you have not selected.

How we use it.

We use Google user data only to provide features that are visible to you in the Anser app and in the receptionist service you have bought:

• working out which appointment slots are genuinely free so the AI receptionist can offer them to a caller;
• creating a calendar event when a caller books a job, and updating or cancelling that event if the booking changes;
• showing your upcoming and past jobs in your Anser dashboard.

We do not use Google user data for any other purpose.

How we store it and for how long.

OAuth access and refresh tokens are stored encrypted at rest and are used only to make requests to Google APIs on your behalf. Calendar information is retrieved from Google at the time it is needed. We retain only the minimum needed to keep bookings synchronised and to show your job history, such as the event identifier, the start and end time and the booking reference. Google user data is deleted when you disconnect the integration or close your account, as described below.

Human access to Google user data.

Our staff and contractors do not read your Google Calendar data, except in the following limited circumstances: where you have given us your specific agreement to look at particular data (for example, you ask us to investigate a booking that went wrong); where it is necessary for security purposes, such as investigating a bug, an outage or suspected abuse; where it is necessary to comply with applicable law; or where the data has been aggregated and de-identified and is used for internal operations in line with applicable legal requirements.

AI and machine learning.

Anser uses third-party AI models to run the voice receptionist. Where availability information from your calendar is needed to answer a caller (for example, to say that Tuesday at 10am is free), it is sent to that model only for the purpose of handling that call. We do not use Google user data to develop, improve or train generalised or non-personalised artificial intelligence or machine learning models, and we configure our AI providers so that data we send them is not used to train their models.

Sharing.

We do not sell Google user data. We do not transfer it to advertising platforms, data brokers or information resellers, and we do not use it for advertising, retargeting, credit assessment or lending. We share it only with the service providers that host and operate Anser under contract and on our instructions, where disclosure is required by law, or where you have asked us to share it.

Disconnecting and deleting Google user data.

You can disconnect Google Calendar at any time from Settings → Integrations in your Anser dashboard. You can also revoke Anser's access directly in your Google Account at https://myaccount.google.com/permissions. When you disconnect, or when you close your Anser account, we delete your stored OAuth tokens immediately and delete any cached Google Calendar data within 30 days, other than where we are required to retain records by law. Events that Anser has already created remain in your Google Calendar and are yours to keep or delete. You can also request deletion at any time by emailing contact@helloanser.com.

08Limited Use of Google User Data

Anser's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs to any other app will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

In particular:

• We limit our use of Google user data to providing and improving user-facing features that are prominent in the Anser interface, as described in the section above.
• We do not transfer Google user data, except: to provide or improve those user-facing features, and only with your consent; for security purposes, such as investigating abuse; to comply with applicable law; or as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, and then only after obtaining your explicit prior consent.
• We do not allow humans to read Google user data, except: where we have first obtained your affirmative agreement to view specific data; where it is necessary for security purposes, such as investigating a bug or abuse; where it is necessary to comply with applicable law; or where the data, including any derivations of it, is aggregated and used for internal operations in line with applicable privacy and other legal requirements.
• We do not transfer or sell Google user data to third parties such as advertising platforms, data brokers or information resellers; we do not use it for serving advertising, including retargeting, personalised or interest-based advertising; and we do not use it to determine credit-worthiness or for lending purposes.
• We require our employees, agents, contractors and successors to comply with the Google API Services User Data Policy.

09International Data Transfers

Some of our processors are located outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States, and Google user data may be processed outside the UK by those processors. Where we transfer personal data outside the UK, we ensure an adequate level of protection through one or more of the following safeguards: an adequacy regulation made by the UK Secretary of State; the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA); or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), together with a transfer risk assessment.

10Cookies and Local Storage

This website stores personal data and information in cookies, session storage and local storage. You can control how your browser handles cookies and local storage in your browser settings. Where required by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), we obtain your consent via a cookie banner before setting non-essential cookies.

11Storage Duration, Data Disclosure and Protection

We store your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes described above, or for as long as contractual or statutory retention periods require. We only pass on your personal data to third parties if this is legally required, necessary for the provision of our services, or if you have consented to the transfer. We will never sell your data to third parties without your express consent. We protect personal data through appropriate technical and organisational measures in line with current industry practice, including, where possible, pseudonymisation and encryption of personal data during transmission and storage. Retention periods for call recordings and transcripts are set out under “Calls Answered by Anser” above.

12Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right of access, rectification, data portability, restriction of processing, erasure, objection and the right to lodge a complaint. If you believe we are not processing your personal data lawfully, you can contact us directly. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's supervisory authority: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF, ico.org.uk, Helpline: 0303 123 1113. All rights can be exercised by contacting us using the details at the beginning of this Privacy Notice.

13Changes to this Privacy Notice

We will update this Privacy Notice from time to time. Changes will be published on this page with an updated date. If we change the way Anser uses Google user data, we will notify affected users and ask them to consent to the updated Privacy Notice before the data is used in the new way.