Privacy Policy

Essential Trades Software, Inc. ("Essential," "we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share information when you use our web application and our mobile application (collectively, the "Services").

By using our Services, you agree to the collection and use of information as described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of information when you use our Services:

a. Contact Information

• Information such as name, email address, phone number, and employer details when you create or use an account.

b. User Content

• Content you upload or create within the Services, including inspection reports, images, and documents, and business records such as your employer's customers' names, contact details, service addresses, building and alarm-system details, signatures, quotes, invoices and payment records.
• If you use the mobile app, we may access your camera and photo library with your permission in order to capture and upload job-related images.

c. Usage Data

• Log information about how you interact with the Services, such as pages or screens viewed, features used, timestamps, and other diagnostic information.
• In the mobile app, usage data may include device type, operating system, and error/crash logs.

d. Diagnostics

• Technical data collected through third-party monitoring services (e.g., crash reports, performance metrics, and error logs).

e. Calendar Integration Data

• If you choose to connect a Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook Calendar account, we collect and store the authorization credentials (OAuth tokens) that allow us to connect to your calendar, along with the connected calendar account identifier (such as the associated email address).
• We use this connection to create and update calendar events that reflect the jobs scheduled for you in the Services, including details such as job title, scheduled date and time, location, and related job information.

Location information: If your employer turns on Technician GPS, you have not been opted out, and you allow the mobile app to use your location, the app sends your location regularly while you are using it and are clocked in or on your way to a job. It also sends your location once when you tap "On My Way" or look for open jobs near you. Your employer can see your location on the scheduling map. We save the "On My Way" location with the job's records and use it to estimate your arrival time and to let the customer know you are on the way. The app does not ask for background location access. You can turn off location access at any time in your device settings; this stops new location collection but does not delete locations already saved. Our mobile app does not collect advertising identifiers.

2. How We Collect Information

• Directly from you: When you create an account, submit data, or interact with features.
• Automatically: Through cookies, analytics, and SDKs when you use the web or mobile apps.
• With permission: When you grant the app access to your camera, photo library or location, or when you authorize a connection to your Google or Outlook calendar.

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide and operate our Services.
• Improve performance, functionality, and user experience.
• Sync job and scheduling information to your connected Google or Outlook calendar so that technician jobs appear on your calendar.
• Send push notifications for reminders related to workflow and productivity (never for marketing or promotional purposes).
• Monitor and analyze usage, trends, and activities for business intelligence.
• Diagnose and fix technical issues.
• Communicate with you about account activity, security updates, and changes to our Services or policies.

4. Third-Party Services

We use third-party service providers to operate the Services, including:

• Intercom – customer support and in-app messaging
• Sentry – monitoring and error tracking
• Mixpanel – analytics and product usage tracking
• Google Analytics – analytics for web usage

We also use Amazon Web Services for hosting, databases, file storage and backups; Stripe for payments; Twilio and Postmark for text messages and email; Google for maps, calendar sync, real-time features and AI features; Microsoft for Outlook calendar sync, if you connect it; and Intuit QuickBooks for accounting sync, if your employer connects it. Card and bank details are entered directly with Stripe; we store Stripe identifiers and limited card details (such as the last four digits), but not full card numbers. To provide AI features such as document extraction and the in-app assistant, we send the relevant content to AI model providers, including Google, Anthropic, OpenAI, Groq, Cerebras and Baseten. We also use Sumo Logic for application logs, Retool for internal support tools (which use a copy of our production database), and Expo for mobile app updates and push notifications. These providers may store and process information in the United States and other countries, as described in their own privacy policies.

5. Calendar Integrations

Our Services offer optional integrations that let you connect a Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook Calendar account. When you connect a calendar, you authorize Essential to access that account for the limited purpose of creating and updating calendar events that reflect the jobs scheduled for you in the Services. We establish this connection through the provider's secure authorization (OAuth) process and store the resulting access credentials so the connection can be maintained. You can disconnect a calendar at any time from within the Services or by revoking access in your Google or Microsoft account settings.

Essential'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. We do not use data obtained through the calendar integration for advertising, and we do not sell it or share it with third parties except as needed to provide the integration you requested.

Use of the Microsoft Outlook Calendar integration is similarly limited to the purpose described above and is also subject to Microsoft's applicable terms and privacy practices.

6. Data Retention

We keep account information and content stored in the Services (such as jobs, inspection reports, customer records, photos, timecards and location records) while your employer's account is active. We do not delete it automatically when an account closes; we delete it when the account owner asks us to, unless the law requires us to keep it. Usage, analytics and diagnostic data are kept according to the retention settings of the service providers that hold them. We also keep encrypted backups of our database and uploaded files so we can recover from outages or data loss. Information deleted from the Services may remain in these backups, which we do not currently delete on a fixed schedule.

Calendar authorization credentials are kept while the calendar integration is connected and are deleted when you disconnect the calendar in the Services. If you revoke access from your Google or Microsoft account instead, the stored credentials no longer work.

7. Your Rights and Controls

You may have the following rights depending on your jurisdiction:

• Access and Correction: You may request access to or correction of your personal information.
• Deletion: If you leave your employer or otherwise stop using the Services, you may request deletion of your account and associated data.
• Permissions: You can control camera, photo library and location access in your device settings.
• Calendar Connections: You can disconnect a linked Google or Outlook calendar at any time within the Services, or by revoking access in your Google or Microsoft account settings.
• Push Notifications: You can disable notifications at any time in your device settings.

Requests may be submitted by contacting us at support@withessential.com.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Services are intended for professional, business use and are not directed to children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

9. Security

We implement technical and organizational measures to protect your information. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by:

• In-app notice,
• Posting updates in the app changelog, and/or
• Updating the "Last Updated" date above.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Essential Trades Software, Inc.Email: support@withessential.comAddress: 4436 Technology Drive, Fremont, CA 94538

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