Privacy Policy
How we handle your information.
Last updated:
Who we are
SMB Pilot is an Irish technology company building a missed-call recovery service for trades and local service businesses. We are not yet incorporated; this policy is issued by SMB Pilot as a trading entity. Our contact address for all privacy matters is [email protected].
This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what rights you have under Irish and EU data protection law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts 1988–2018.
Who this policy covers
This policy applies to three groups of people:
- Callers — people who call a business using SMB Pilot and receive an automated SMS as part of the missed-call recovery service.
- Pilot applicants — trades and service business owners who submit an application to join the SMB Pilot programme through this website.
- Website visitors — people who browse smbpilot.ie without submitting any form.
Information collected from callers
What we collect
When a call to a participating business goes unanswered and is forwarded to SMB Pilot, we send the caller an SMS and conduct a short automated conversation. Through that conversation we may collect: the caller's name, a description of the job or service they need, their location or area, their preferred timing, and an indication of urgency. We also process the caller's phone number, which is provided automatically by the telephony network.
Why we collect it and our legal basis
We collect this information to prepare a structured lead summary and deliver it to the business that missed the call. Our legal basis for processing caller data is legitimate interests — specifically, the legitimate interest of the participating business in receiving details of genuine customer enquiries it was unable to answer. We have assessed that this interest is not overridden by the rights and interests of callers, given that: the processing is limited to information the caller chooses to provide; the purpose is directly connected to the reason the caller contacted the business; and callers are informed of the service and can opt out at any time by replying STOP.
How long we keep it
Caller details, SMS conversation records and lead summaries are retained for 12 months from the date of last activity on the enquiry, after which they are deleted. Opt-out records (records of callers who have replied STOP) are retained for as long as necessary to ensure those callers are not contacted again.
Information collected from pilot applicants
What we collect
When you submit a pilot application through this website, we collect: your name, business name, trade or service type, phone number, email address, county or area, an estimate of missed calls per week, and any additional information you choose to include in the optional message field.
Why we collect it and our legal basis
We use this information to assess whether your business is a suitable fit for the pilot programme, to contact you about your application, and — if accepted — to onboard you as a pilot participant. Our legal basis is legitimate interests: the mutual interest of SMB Pilot and the applicant in assessing suitability and establishing a working relationship.
How long we keep it
If your application is unsuccessful, we retain your application details for 6 months after the decision, then delete them. If you are accepted as a pilot participant, we retain your information for the duration of the business relationship and for as long as reasonably required afterwards for legal, accounting or dispute purposes. Shorter retention periods may apply to technical and security logs.
Website visitors
We do not use tracking cookies or behavioural analytics on this website. Standard server logs may record IP addresses and page requests for security and operational purposes. These logs are not used to identify individual visitors and are retained only for as long as operationally necessary.
Who we share information with
We do not sell personal information or share it with third parties for marketing purposes. We use the following third-party providers who process personal data on our behalf as part of operating the service:
- GoDaddy / Airo — website hosting, domain services and processing of pilot application form submissions.
- Make — workflow automation used in the processing of missed-call enquiry data.
- OpenAI — AI-assisted processing of SMS conversations and preparation of structured lead information.
The SMS and telephony provider and any additional email, monitoring or data-storage providers are still being finalised. This policy will be updated before the pilot goes live to reflect those providers.
All providers are required to handle personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law. Where providers are based outside the European Economic Area, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
Your rights
Under GDPR and Irish data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- Right of access — you can ask us what information we hold about you.
- Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate information.
- Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances.
- Right to restriction — you can ask us to limit how we use your information.
- Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Right to data portability — you can ask for your information in a portable format where applicable.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within one month. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (DPC) at dataprotection.ie.
Opting out of SMS messages
If you receive an SMS from SMB Pilot and do not wish to receive further messages, reply STOP at any time. Your opt-out will be recorded and respected immediately. You will not receive further automated messages in connection with that business.
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss or disclosure. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. If you have concerns about the security of your information, contact us at [email protected].
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, particularly as the service develops and additional providers are confirmed. The date at the top of this page will reflect when the policy was last updated. We encourage you to review it periodically. If we make material changes that affect how we process your data, we will take reasonable steps to notify affected individuals.
Contact us
For any questions about this policy, to exercise your data protection rights, or to raise a concern about how we handle your information, contact us at [email protected].
Questions about this policy?
[email protected]