Policies and Procedures
We’re committed to keeping your data secure, your private information private, and being transparent about our practices as a business.
Cookie Policy
If your browser is configured to accept cookies, we may collect non-personally identifiable information passively using “cookies” and “page tags”.
Last revised on September 10, 2020, effective as of September 10, 2020
What’s a cookie?
“Cookies” are small text files that can be placed on your computer or mobile device in order to identify your Web browser and the activities of your computer on the Help Scout Service and other websites.
What’s a page tag?
“Page tags,” also known as web beacons or gif tags, are a web technology used to help track website or email usage information, such as how many times a specific page or email has been viewed. Page tags are invisible to you, and any portion of the Help Scout Service, including advertisements, or e-mail sent on our behalf, may contain page tags.
Does Help Scout use cookies, and why?
Yes. We use cookies to personalize your experience on the Help Scout websites (such as dynamically generating content on webpages specifically designed for you), to assist you in using the Help Scout Service (such as saving time by not having to reenter your name each time you use the Help Scout Service), to allow us to statistically monitor how you are using the Help Scout Service so that we can improve our offerings, and to target certain advertisements to your browser which may be of interest to you or to determine the popularity of certain content. By using cookies and page tags together, we are able to improve the Help Scout Service and measure the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing campaigns.
Please be aware that this cookie policy does not govern the use of third-party websites or services or providers of third-party services.
Do I have to accept them?
You do not have to accept cookies to use the Help Scout Service. If you reject cookies, certain features or resources of the Help Scout websites may not work properly or at all and you may have a degraded experience.
Although most browsers are initially set to accept cookies, you can change your browser settings to notify you when you receive a cookie or to reject cookies generally. To learn more about how to control privacy settings and cookie management, click the link for your browser below.
To learn more about cookies; how to control, disable or delete them, please visit http://www.aboutcookies.org. Some third party advertising networks, like Google, allow you to opt out of or customize preferences associated with your internet browsing. For more information on how Google lets you customize these preferences, see their documentation.
All cookies, on our website and everywhere else on the web, fall into one of four categories:
- Strictly Necessary
- Performance
- Functionality
- Targeting/Advertising
List of cookies Help Scout uses on our website
| Website Name | Cookie | Purpose | Storage Duration | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| secure.helpscout.net, www.helpscout.com | Doubleclick | Re-targeting, optimization, reporting and attribution of online advertising | 2 years | Targeting / Advertising |
| secure.helpscout.net | Facebook (tr, _fbp) | Advertising pixel for prospecting and retargeting | 180 days | Targeting / Advertising |
| secure.helpscout.net | Linkedin (_guid, bcookie) | Advertising pixel for prospecting and retargeting | 2 years | Targeting / Advertising |
| secure.helpscout.net | Metadata.io | Advertising pixel on third party advertising network for prospecting and retargeting | 2 years | Targeting / Advertising |
| secure.helpscout.net, www.helpscout.com | Hotjar (_hjid, _hj*) | Collects information about how visitors use our sites | 1 year | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com | Advertising pixel for prospecting and retargeting | 18 months | Targeting / Advertising | |
| All Websites | Google Analytics (_ga) | Collects information about how visitors use our sites | 2 years | Functionality |
| All Websites | Google Optimize (_gaexp) | Tracking for A/B testing | 3 months | Functionality |
| All Websites | Google Analytics (_gat) | Collects information about how visitors use our sites | 1 min | Functionality |
| All Websites | Google Analytics (_gid) | Collects information about how visitors use our sites | 24 hours | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com | Google Analytics (_utma) | Determines unique visitors and pageviews | 2 years | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com | Google Analytics (_utmb) | Establishes and continues a user session | 30 min | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com | Google Analytics (_utmz) | Stores the type of referral used by the visitor | 6 months | Functionality |
| All Websites | Help Scout (_A_FirstTouchURL, _A_LastTouchURL, _A_source, _A_visits, firstTouchGA, ref_id, hs_type) | Collects information about how visitors use our sites | 2 years | Functionality |
| secure.helpscout.net | Help Scout (2fa_) | Keeps track of your two-factor authentication status | 30 min | Strictly Neccessary |
| secure.helpscout.net | Help Scout (PHPSESSID) | Login session ID allows you to have multiple browser windows logged in to your account | Browser Closed | Strictly Neccessary |
| secure.helpscout.net | Help Scout (mhash) | Security token that allows us to ensure your session hasn't been tampered with | 30 days | Strictly Neccessary |
| secure.helpscout.net | Help Scout (folder_sort) | Allows us to remember what sorting options you have set, so when you return we can rebuild the same view(s) | 1 day | Strictly Neccessary |
| secure.helpscout.net, www.helpscout.com | Help Scout (hs_tvar) | Tracking for A/B testing | 1 years | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com, docs.helpscout.com | HubSpot (__hssc) | Email marketing and analytics tool | 30 min | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com, docs.helpscout.com | HubSpot (__hssrc) | Email marketing and analytics tool | none | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com, docs.helpscout.com | Hubspot (__hstc) | Email marketing and analytics tool | 2 years | Functionality |
| www.helpscout.com, docs.helpscout.com | Hubspot (hubspotutk) | Email marketing and analytics tool | 10 years | Functionality |
| secure.helpscout.net, www.helpscout.com | Mixpanel (\_mixpanel, mp\_*) | Event tracking to monitor behavior | 1 year | Functionality |
| All Websites | Wistia (__distillery) | Video Streaming | 1 year | Functionality |
Log files
We collect non-personal information through our Internet log files, which record data such as browser types, domain names, and other anonymous statistical data involving the use of the Help Scout services. This information may be used to analyze trends, to administer the Help Scout services, to monitor the use of the Help Scout services, and to gather general demographic information. We may link this information to personal information for these and other purposes such as personalizing your experience on the Help Scout services and evaluating the Help Scout services in general.