Privacy Policy

The short version: we collect what we need to run your account, we store the leads and clients your business captures on your behalf, we never sell data, and you can export or delete your data at any time.

1. Who we are

HoundBell is a product of Business All In One Marketing Solutions LLC, a Vermont limited liability company (“we”, “us”). We provide a customer relationship management service at app.houndbell.com, a free WordPress plugin, and an embeddable form script that connect websites to that service. This policy explains what information we collect, why, and the choices you have. Questions? Email support@houndbell.com.

2. Information we collect

Account information. When you create an account we collect your email address and password (stored in hashed form; we never see your password), or, if you sign in with Google, the name and email address Google shares with us. You may add your name, phone number, business name, logo, and business details to your profile.

Client and lead information you collect through the service. When a person submits a HoundBell form on your website, requests a booking on your booking page, or when you add, import, or receive a client through the service, the details you collect (such as name, email address, phone number, address, selected services, answers to your form questions, and messages) are delivered to your workspace and stored there. This information belongs to you. We store and process it only to provide the service to you. You are responsible for telling your own website visitors and clients how you collect and use their information.

Imported data. When you import a client list from a spreadsheet or another product, we store the columns you map and keep unmapped columns as details on each client record, on your behalf.

Workspace content. Forms, pipelines, notes, tags, deal values, quotes, contracts, invoices, bookings, texts you send and receive as the business, settings, and team memberships.

Team and crew member information. For the people you invite: email address, name, and, for field crew, a mobile number they enter at first sign-in so the business can reach them. Crew members also see which jobs are assigned to them.

Communications we send on your behalf. Records of the emails and text messages the service sends for you (recipient, timestamp, delivery status, and message content), so you can see what was sent and so we can honor opt-outs.

Payment information. If you subscribe, or if your clients pay you by card, payment details are handled by Stripe. We receive only what we need to run billing and record a payment, such as the last four digits of a card, the amount, and the status. We never store full card numbers.

Technical information. Standard server logs (IP address, browser type, timestamps) used for security and troubleshooting, and delivery records from our email and messaging providers.

Cookies and local storage. Used only to keep you signed in and to remember preferences such as dark mode, your selected workspace, and minimized panels. We do not use advertising cookies and we do not sell data to ad networks.

3. How we use information

To operate the service: authenticating you, storing and displaying your clients and pipelines, sending service emails and texts at your direction, sending you your own notifications (new leads, the Daily Brief, approvals, team invitations, password resets), preventing abuse (rate limiting, spam filtering), billing, and improving the product. We do not sell personal information. We do not use your clients’ information for our own marketing.

4. How information is shared

Only with the providers that help us run HoundBell, each for one job, and only as needed to do that job. They act on our instructions and may not use your information for anything else:

• Application hosting: Vercel
• Database and sign-in: Supabase
• Email delivery (confirmations, quotes, invoices, reminders): Resend
• Text messages and phone calls (when a business turns on texting or the receptionist): Twilio
• Card payments and payouts: Stripe; Square or Helcim when a business connects its own account
• Written drafts (a reply to a new lead, a quote spoken on site, a lead’s form answers summarized): Anthropic. Drafts are produced from the text you or your client provide and are not used to train models.
• Addresses and drive times: OpenStreetMap’s Nominatim, address text only
• Calendars and accounting (only when a business connects them): Google Calendar, QuickBooks, Xero, Zoom
• Public web listening (HoundSignal add-on only): Brave Search and Reddit’s public posts
• Push notifications: your browser’s push service (Apple, Google, or Mozilla)
• Sign-in with Google: only if you use it
• Support email: GoDaddy, for messages you send to our support address

Data is stored on servers in the United States. We may also disclose information if required by law, or as part of a business transfer such as a merger or acquisition, in which case this policy continues to apply to previously collected data.

5. The WordPress plugin and the embed script

The plugin sends data to our service only after a site administrator explicitly connects the site. It transmits a one-time pairing exchange, form definitions published from the app, and form submissions made by visitors. The embed script loads a form definition and sends submissions for that form only. Neither tracks visitors, sets analytics cookies, or sends anything for visitors who do not submit a form.

6. Data retention and deletion

Your data is retained while your account is active. Deleting a client, a workspace, or your account permanently deletes the associated data from our production systems; routine backups used for disaster recovery are overwritten on a rolling basis. You can export your clients to CSV at any time. To request account deletion or a copy of your data, email support@houndbell.com and we will respond within 30 days.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal information, and to object to certain processing. You can exercise most of these in the app (profile settings, CSV export, deletion controls) or by emailing support@houndbell.com. If you are a client or visitor of a business that uses HoundBell, that business controls your data; contact them directly, and we will assist them in honoring your request.

8. Security

Connections use HTTPS. Website connections use one-time authorization with revocable application passwords, and ongoing traffic between websites and the service is cryptographically signed. Access to data is restricted by row-level security in our database, so accounts, team members, and crew members see only what they are granted. Crew logins see only jobs assigned to them. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we protect your information using industry practices.

9. Who the service is for

HoundBell is a business tool for adults operating or working in a business. It is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 (or the minimum age required where you live). If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact support@houndbell.com and we will delete it.

10. Messages we send on a business’s behalf

Businesses using HoundBell send communications to their own customers and prospective customers through the service: quotes, contracts, invoices, receipts, booking confirmations, reminders, and reschedules, review requests, service-related follow-ups, and short courtesy messages from field crew (for example, “on my way”). These communications are sent at the direction of the business and in the business’s name. HoundBell is the software platform that facilitates delivery.

To deliver them we may process the recipient’s name, email address, mobile phone number, message content, and related service information. Email is processed through our email delivery provider; text messages are processed through telecommunications and messaging providers.

We do not use customer or lead contact information for our own marketing, and we do not sell it. Mobile phone numbers and mobile information will not be sold or shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text messaging originator opt-in data and consent will not be shared with any third parties. We share information with service providers solely as necessary to operate and deliver the messaging service on behalf of the applicable business.

11. Text messaging

Businesses using HoundBell may send transactional and service-related text messages to their own customers and prospective customers who have provided a mobile phone number and affirmatively agreed to receive SMS communications from that business.

Consent may be obtained through the business’s website form, HoundBell booking page, or another compliant method. When consent is collected online, the recipient must actively opt in through a separate SMS consent control, such as an unchecked checkbox. SMS consent is voluntary and is not a condition of purchasing goods or services, submitting a request, booking an appointment, or otherwise doing business with the applicable business.

Messages may include appointment confirmations and reminders, booking updates, quote notifications and follow-ups, invoice and payment notifications, service-request follow-ups, review requests, courtesy messages from the crew assigned to a job, and other communications directly related to the recipient’s request, appointment, transaction, or existing customer relationship.

Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Recipients may opt out at any time by replying STOP, and may reply HELP for assistance. Messages are not sent between 9 PM and 7 AM in the business’s time zone except reminders tied to an appointment the recipient chose.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. HoundBell may use telecommunications carriers, messaging providers, hosting providers, and other service providers solely as necessary to transmit messages and operate the messaging service.

Businesses using HoundBell are responsible for obtaining valid consent and for complying with applicable laws, carrier requirements, and messaging-industry rules governing the messages they send.

12. Electronic signatures

When a client signs an agreement through HoundBell, we record the signer’s name, email address, IP address, and the time of signature, and we keep a copy of the signed document with that record. This audit trail is kept for the business that sent the agreement and is provided to both parties on request.

13. Connected Google accounts

A business can connect its Google Business Profile so HoundBell can show its Google reviews and post replies. When you connect, Google asks you to grant HoundBell permission to manage your business listings, which is the only permission Google offers for reviews. HoundBell uses that access for two things only: reading the reviews on the location you choose, and posting a reply you wrote or approved. HoundBell never edits, creates, transfers, or removes a listing, never changes business information on Google, and never reads or uses data from any other location on your Google account. The refresh token Google issues is stored encrypted and is used only to keep that one connection working. You can disconnect at any time from Settings, which deletes the stored token and revokes HoundBell’s access with Google. HoundBell’s use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. HoundBell does not sell Google user data, does not use it for advertising, and does not let humans read it except to provide support you ask for or as the law requires.

14. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes, we will update the date above and notify account holders by email or an in-app notice. Continued use after changes take effect means you accept the updated policy.

15. Contact

HoundBell, a product of Business All In One Marketing Solutions LLC Vermont, United States Email: support@houndbell.com