How can you comply with GDPR when you don’t know what it is, how or when it’s coming? What even is that acronym that Brits keep talking about at the moment- RGDP, DPGR, yeah that GDPR thingy? It’s not a GHD knock off or a short way of saying Good Deals Produce Revenue (although you could use that as an acronym for Booksy ?), it actually stands for General Data Protection Regulation and replaces the current Data Protection Act 1998.
whaaaaaaa OK, well maybe it’s not that extreme but it’s pretty serious if you fudge it up (and we don’t mean in the hair product kind of way). You could be fined a hefty €20 million or 4% of your revenue, plus compensation for damages suffered and your reputation losses if you fail to comply and ignorance will not be excused, irrelevant of how little or large your business is.
Knowing the penalties- suppose someone ran off with your paper diary? What if you lost a treatment card? Imagine the headache if a customer asked to have their details removed! How could you go back through your diary and redact their details from every appointment they’ve had? What if a member of staff left with a list of client’s details on their phone? What data should you be securing? What even is data (data ˈdeɪtə/ noun facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis)?
You know lots of facts about your clients, that’s what makes you so good at what you do- you could probably give Erin Brockovich a run for her money!
You know that Bob is about 6”5 as he has to duck under the door when he walks in, Rover is allergic to peach shampoo, Janine’s goals are to lose 3 dress sizes instead of her undies in crevices, Chardonnay’s just broken up with her boyfriend again but what is GDPR referring to exactly?
The kind of data that it includes can be; name, contact details, photos, medical details, IP address- any details that someone is identifiable by and that is sensitive information (that they might not want the world to know).
You probably don’t have Bob’s height written down and haven’t bothered to note Chardonnay’s heartbreak as she’ll be back with her ex next week but certainly Rover’s allergies and Janine’s goals are private and confidential so need to be kept under lock and key.
OMG, what are you going to do about Roxy the client’s dog that you follow on Instagram and Alan that’s befriended you on Facebook?
How can you protect that info? GDPR is about ensuring that a person is in control of their data and with that, they must consent to their details being used, how they're used, they also have the right to access their data, know whom you share it with, how you use it and to have you remove it from your database at any time should they so please.
The information you hold must also be minimal (no more asking for their mother’s maiden name), remain up to date and you must be transparent with how you handle it. Don’t overthink it though, It doesn’t mean that you need that you need to create codes or nicknames for all your clients but rather be sensible about how, when you’re using their information and whom you share it with.
This sounds like a lot of work, however could you tackle such a mammoth task when GDPR came into full effect on May 25th? Your hair may have stood on end but don’t get your torso in a twist, you still have time to straighten things out and to get your scribbles in order and secured.
Many sites suggest that you transfer your information into a digital format but that can be daunting in itself- it can be such a massive time-consuming task. Time? What does this word mean? You’re a business owner and don’t have time for lunch, let alone time to answer the phone, like most in your industry, you’re probably arranging appointments in your “own time” so time to organise data- c’mon Gov, you must be having a giraffe?
We can help you comply with GDPR and migrate from any existing system you have in place that doesn’t quite fit ‘the bill’.
Booksy also provides you with:
We offer so much more than you may have time to read but if you do find you have a gap between clients then you can read how else we can benefit your service and grow your revenue here. Read more about GDPR here:
Preparing for the GDR in 12 steps
General data protection regulation
How the GDPR affects paper documents
Have a question about Booksy: Call: +44 (0)1424 400091 Mail: info.gb@Booksy.com Wish to speak to our specialist GDPR department: Call: +44 (0)1224 459482 Mail: gdpr.gb@Booksy.com
