Privacy Policy

Garner Virtual Solutions (“I”, “we,” “us,” “our”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website or engage our services. By using our services or visiting our website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

Who we are

Our website address is: http://garnervirtualsolutions.com.

Email: sarah@garnervirtualsolutions.com

What information we collect, use, and why

We collect or use the following information to provide services and goods, including delivery:

Personal Identification Information: Name, email address, phone number, and other contact details.
Business Information: Company name, job title, and other business-related information.
Usage Data: Information about how you use our website and services, including your IP address, browser type, and browsing history.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: Data collected through cookies and similar technologies (please take a look at our Cookie Policy for more details).
Purchase or account history
Records of meetings and decisions
Information relating to compliments or complaints

Lawful bases

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to provide services and goods are:

Consent
Contract
Legal obligation
Legitimate interest:
Vital interests
Public task

How We Use our Information

As a virtual assistant business, our legitimate interest in collecting and using personal information is to effectively provide and enhance our services, ensuring a high standard of support tailored to each client’s unique needs. We are committed to maintaining a balance between our business needs and the privacy rights of our clients. Here’s an explanation of our legitimate interests:

Provision of Services:

Benefit: Collecting personal information is essential to understanding our clients’ requirements and preferences. This enables us to deliver customised and efficient virtual assistance services, such as administrative support, spreadsheet management, and web development.

Risk Mitigation: We ensure that only necessary information is collected and that it is used solely to provide the agreed-upon services. We implement stringent security measures to protect this information from unauthorized access.

Communication & Coordination

Benefit: Personal information, such as contact details, allows for seamless communication and coordination with clients. This ensures timely updates, efficient task management, and prompt resolution of any issues or queries.

Risk Mitigation: We use secure communication channels and limit access to personal information to authorised personnel only, ensuring client information remains confidential.

Service Improvement & Customisation:

Benefit: By analysing collected data, we can identify areas for improvement in our services, develop new offerings, and tailor our approach to better meet client needs. This enhances overall client satisfaction and the effectiveness of our services.

Risk Mitigation: Data analysis is conducted in an aggregated and anonymised manner wherever possible to protect individual identities and personal information.

Compliance & Legal Obligations:

Benefit: Collecting and retaining certain personal information is necessary for compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax records and contracts.

Risk Mitigation: We adhere to data retention policies that ensure information is kept only for as long as necessary to fulfil legal obligations and is securely disposed of thereafter.

Client Relationship Management:

Benefit: Maintaining records of client interactions and preferences helps in fostering strong, long-term relationships. It allows us to provide personalised support and recognise client needs more accurately.

Risk Mitigation: We ensure that data used for relationship management is handled with the utmost confidentiality and used exclusively for enhancing client experience.

Our approach to data collection and usage is designed to ensure that the benefits to our clients and business operations outweigh any potential risks or impacts on their privacy. We are committed to transparency, data minimisation, and robust security practices to safeguard personal information and respect the privacy rights of our clients.

No Sale and Exchange of Data

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal data to outside parties. We only share your data with third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential and secure.

Data Location and Platforms

We use mainstream software and cloud service providers to store and process your data. These platforms may have servers located outside the UK and Europe. While these locations may not have data protection laws equivalent to those in your home jurisdiction, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Social Media Presence

We maintain an active presence on social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Please be aware that any information you share on these platforms may be visible to other users and is subject to the privacy policies of the respective platforms.

Security Measures

We use various security measures to protect your personal information, including:

Password Software: We utilize password management software to securely store and manage passwords.
Data Encryption: Data transmitted between your device and our servers is encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols.
Access Controls: Access to your personal data is restricted to authorized personnel only.

Downloads, Newsletters, and Services

When you download materials, subscribe to our newsletters, or use our services, we may collect personal information such as your name and email address. We use this information to:

Send you requested materials and updates.
Provide you with information about our services.
Ensure you receive relevant content and offers.

Sources of Information

The information we collect comes from the following sources:

Directly from You: Information you provide directly to us when you fill out forms, contact us via email, subscribe to our newsletter, or use our services.
Automatically: Information collected automatically when you interact with our website, such as usage data and cookies.
Third Parties: Information we receive from third parties, such as social media platforms, partners, and service providers, if you interact with us through those channels.

How long we keep information

For information on how long we keep personal information, see our retention schedule below.

Data Category	Retention Period	Purpose
Client Contact Information	Until end of service + 1 year	Ongoing communication and support, potential re-engagement
Service Agreements/Contracts	Duration of contract + 6 years	Legal and compliance purposes
Billing and Payment Records	6 years	Financial record-keeping and audits
Project Files and Deliverables	Until end of service + 1 year	Until end of service + 1 year
Email Correspondence	Until end of service + 1 year	Communication record and follow-ups
Newsletter Subscriber Data	Until unsubscribe or end of service	Marketing and updates

Retention Schedule table

Who we share information with

Others we share personal information with:

Organisations we’re legally obliged to share personal information with

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

Your right to access: You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal data.
Your right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to rectify personal data you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure: You have the right to ask us to erase your personal data in certain circumstances.
Your right to restriction of processing: You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability: You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal data you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
Your right to withdraw consent: When we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent.

You don’t usually need to pay a fee to exercise your rights. If you make a request, we have one calendar month to respond to you.

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Your continued use of our services or website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Privacy Policy.

How to Complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Last updated

12 July 2024