Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

ChatSched ("we", "us", "our") is a South African technology company providing WhatsApp-based business automation services. Our registered address is in South Africa. You can contact us at privacy@chatsched.co.za.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Business information: Business name, owner name, contact details, services, pricing, and operating hours provided during onboarding.
• Account information: WhatsApp Business number, email address, and billing details.
• Communications: Messages exchanged with our support team.

2.2 Information Collected Through Your Use of the Service

• Customer conversation data: WhatsApp messages sent to your business number by your customers, processed to provide automated replies and booking management.
• Booking data: Appointment details, service requests, and transaction records.
• Usage data: How you interact with ChatSched, commands used, and feature adoption.
• Performance data: Response rates, booking conversion rates, and revenue figures used for analytics.

2.3 Automatically Collected Information

• Log data, IP addresses, browser type, and device information when you access our web platform.
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies used to maintain session state and improve the service.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information collected to:

• Provide, maintain, and improve the ChatSched service.
• Process WhatsApp messages and generate automated responses on your behalf.
• Manage bookings, send reminders, and perform calendar integrations.
• Send you service notifications, billing alerts, and product updates.
• Provide customer support and resolve disputes.
• Generate analytics and reporting about your business performance.
• Comply with legal obligations under South African law.
• Detect, prevent, and address fraud, abuse, and security incidents.

We do not use your data or your customers' data for advertising, profiling for third-party purposes, or sale to any third party.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under POPIA and applicable data protection law, we process personal information on the following grounds:

• Contractual necessity: Processing required to deliver the service you have contracted for.
• Legitimate interests: Security monitoring, fraud prevention, and service improvement.
• Legal obligation: Compliance with South African financial and regulatory requirements.
• Consent: Where we have obtained your explicit consent for specific processing activities.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share information with:

• Service providers: Cloud infrastructure (with data processing agreements in place), WhatsApp Business API, payment processors (PayFast), and calendar services (Google) — all under strict confidentiality agreements.
• Legal authorities: When required by South African law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of ChatSched and its users.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction, with prior notice to affected parties.

6. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

• End-to-end encryption for all WhatsApp message processing.
• TLS 1.3 encryption for all data in transit.
• AES-256 encryption for data at rest.
• Regular security audits and penetration testing.
• Role-based access controls and staff data protection training.
• Incident response procedures meeting POPIA notification requirements.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We will notify you within 72 hours of becoming aware of a data breach that may affect your rights.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Specifically:

• Customer conversation data: 12 months from the date of the conversation.
• Booking records: 5 years for financial compliance purposes.
• Account data: Retained for 30 days after account cancellation, then permanently deleted.
• Log data: 90 days.

8. Your Rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements).
• Objection: Object to certain processing activities.
• Data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Complain: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@chatsched.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Your Customers' Data (You as the Responsible Party)

When you use ChatSched, your customers' personal information is processed through our platform. You remain the Responsible Party (as defined by POPIA) for your customers' data. You are responsible for:

• Ensuring your customers are aware that their WhatsApp messages may be handled by an automated service.
• Obtaining any consents required from your customers for data processing.
• Responding to your customers' data access, correction, and deletion requests.

ChatSched acts as an Operator processing data on your behalf in accordance with your instructions and this Privacy Policy.

10. Cookies

Our website uses essential cookies for authentication and security. We use analytics cookies (Google Analytics) to understand how our website is used. You may disable non-essential cookies through your browser settings without affecting core service functionality.

11. Children's Privacy

ChatSched is not intended for use by persons under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email and by posting a notice on our website at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of ChatSched after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

For privacy-related enquiries, contact our Information Officer:

• Email: privacy@chatsched.co.za
• WhatsApp: +27 60 000 0000
• Postal: ChatSched, South Africa

To lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg