30 April 2018
Watch the GDPR Webinar from Salon iQ Software
GDPR stands for General Data Protection which is replacing the Data Protection act from 1998 (DPA) You may have already seen a few of our posts on GDPR outlining the changes Salon iQ have made to ensure your salon software helps your Salon business as much as possible to comply with GDPR.
If you were not able to tune into a webinar we have it recorded for you so you can watch it at any time. We went through some key points that you will need to ensure you have implemented before 25th May 2018. GDPR for most Salon Owners seems like a big mine field but it really is something you can not ignore. There are a few points we have noted below that are included in the webinar. Firstly you need to ensure you have registered with the ICO which is the Information Commissioners Office and costs £35 per year. You can register with the ICO online and receive your registration certificate via email. If you do not comply with GDPR your salon business may face financial penalties, so make sure your salon stays within the law.
It will really benefit your salon by cleansing the data you currently have on your salon software. This is for a number of reasons.
1. Currently you may hold data from clients that have not been to your salon for a number of years. Are they likely to return if you have not seen them for some time? Probably not, it is likely that they have moved away or have another regular hair or beauty salon that they now go to.
2. Reduce your marketing costs. This is a great time to remove any clients you have on your database that you have not seen for 18 to 24 months. Why? Think of the costs…ask your self, are they likely to return to you after this length of time?
3. Keep your data tidy. If you make it best practice to keep your data up to date and remove any clients you have not seen for some time, you know that any clients you are sending SMS or E-mails to are more likely to respond. Therefore you will get a better return.
Personal data is anything from the clients Name, Address, Date of Birth, Photos, Phone Numbers, Email Address to any medical records (such as skin testing) The above lists just a few of the details you may hold for your clients.
Yes. You certainly can, you just have to alter slightly on how you get your clients’ data. Before you may have had a system where you automatically opt-in your clients to receive emails and SMS and then give them the option to opt-out of marketing if they choose not to receive any. However now you are not aloud to do this. You must give the client clear instructions to opt-in. If they have not chosen to opt-in then you can not market to them or add them to your mailing list automatically even if you give them the options to opt-out afterwards. In a nutshell you must have your clients’ consent and give them the option to opt-in and receive marketing information from you to send any marketing material to them.
Salon iQ have made some changes to how the client profile looks and works for your salon business. Some salons will ask their clients to complete a form (on paper) for them to enter all their personal details onto, to which the salon receptionist will then fill everything out on the Salon iQ which is saved to the client’s personal profile. Now however, you can give an iPad or tablet to your client with their profile in ‘Client Mode’ and let them complete their details directly on the salon software. Part of the profile that they complete is the consent section, allowing you to market to them. This also requires a signature, showing the changes that have been made and authorised by the client themselves.
When you send an email out to your clients you MUST make sure you have an option for them to unsubscribe, many salons have this already in place, however moving forward with GDPR you will need to have this clearly displayed within every single email you sound out. It is also an option but not a necessity for you to add a keyword at the end of any texts you send out, allowing your client to opt-out if they wish. A simple word like ‘STOP’ could be replied to from a client which will advise you to take action and opt-out that particular client from receiving any more SMS from you.
Any details you get from your clients must be kept for 5 years under lock and key. Paper based forms – must now be kept for 5 years, this shows that you have asked for consent and have followed the new GDPR guidelines correctly when collecting client data with a date and time shown. If you are using Salon iQ to store your client data, the software will now automatically create a time stamp when any of the details have been changed within their profile. The time stamp is key as it keeps a record of when the changes were made to their marketing and is proof that you have asked for consent.
View the GDPR changes on Salon iQ software here
I don’t know about you, but remembering to ask every client for consent can be very difficult when you are at reception in your salon and doing 10 things at once. To make life easy for you Salon iQ have created a pop up window which is displayed when you click checkout on a client. When this window pops up you will have 3 options to choose from Yes, No and Edit. Yes – By clicking ‘Yes’ you are saying that you have asked the client for consent and any changes that need to be made have been done. No – Clicking ‘No’ will allow you to continue to take your client’s bill. However the consent remedies window will continue to pop every time you checkout this particular client until you actually asked the client for consent and pick Yes on the computer Edit – Allows you to make changes to the client profile and consent to market to them.
Currently if a client asks to be removed from your database you would archive them and think no more of it. Now however if a client requests to be deleted you must actually delete them completely from your system. You will now not be able to keep any details on them at all. Salon IQ has created a new function which allows you to completely delete their details from your salon database. You do have the option to still archive them if you wish also. How To Video on How to Use the NEW GDPR functions on the Salon iQ Hub
Employee data is obviously needed for various reasons such as pay, emergencies and contracts etc. It’s important to get organised. You should only be keeping employee details that you need and will use. Any details you do hold must be kept securely and remember to keep it for only a long as you need it.
Any CV’s that you are given whether it be by email, handed in or by a third party cannot be kept without consent. You may in the past have kept CV’s for a later date if the applicant was not successful, you can still do this but you must ask for the person’s permission to do this and most importantly keep their details in a safe place.
The hair and beauty salon falls under a special category due to skin testing and is classed as medical record. Within the clients profile we have created a completely separate tick box which gives you consent to keep medical records, keeping it nice and clear for you the salon owner and the client.
Here you will see a case study that we did on GDPR with our own salons – we highly recommend you hold regular team meetings with each of your team members explaning how GDPR works and what this means for them and the salon.
It is best practice to have your privacy policy displayed in your salon and on your website and outline the following; – Why you are holding the data – How you will use the data – Where it will be stored – Who it will be shared with (if anyone) – When it will be deleted – Why it will be deleted
Template of New Guest Details Form
Guide to Data Protection on Salon iQ
How to use GDPR on the Salon iQ Hub
Example of Salon iQ’s Privacy Policy
Call a member of our team today on 01892 280 123
