Privacy Policy

How we use your information

This privacy policy tells you what to expect when Microcare Systems Limited (“we”, “us” or “Microcare”) collects personal information. It applies to information we collect about:
• Visitors to our website
• People who contact us by phone, email or online enquiry
• People who buy products or use any of our services
• Job applicants and our current and former employees

Visitors to our website

When someone visits microcare.systems we use Google Analytics, a third-party service, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to understand how our website is used — for example the number of visitors to different sections of the site. This information is processed in a way that does not identify anyone. We do not, and do not allow Google to, attempt to find out the identities of visitors.
If we collect personally identifiable information through our website, we will make it clear when we do so and explain what we intend to do with it.
Use of cookies
You can read more about how we use cookies in our Cookie Policy, available on our website.
Search functionality
Our website search is powered by WordPress. Search queries and results are logged anonymously to help us improve our website and search functionality. No user-specific data is collected by either us or any third party.
E-newsletter and marketing emails
We use third-party providers, including Mailchimp and Mailshake, to manage and deliver our email communications. We gather statistics around email opens and clicks using industry-standard technologies to help us monitor and improve our communications. For more information, please refer to Mailchimp’s and Mailshake’s respective privacy notices.

People who use our services

We hold the details of people who have requested a product or service in order to provide it. We use these details only to provide the requested product or service and for closely related purposes.
As a customer or prospective customer, the personal information we may hold includes:
• Your contact details and information used to confirm your identity, including your name, business or private address, phone number, date of birth, and email address
• Your payment and financial information
• Records of your communications with us, including emails and phone calls, and any settings or communication preferences you have chosen

We will use your personal information to send you direct marketing and to better identify products and services that may interest you. We will send you information by phone, post, or email and will personalise messages where we can. We do this because we have a legitimate business interest in keeping you informed about our products and services. You will always have the option to opt out of marketing communications, and you can ask us to stop sending marketing information or withdraw your consent at any time.

CRM and sales tools
We use Salesforce as our customer relationship management (CRM) system to manage customer and prospect records. This data is stored securely and accessed only by authorised members of our team.

Call recording

Some of our telephone calls may be recorded for training, quality monitoring, and compliance purposes. Recordings are stored securely and access is restricted to authorised personnel. Calls are retained for a period of up to 12 months, after which they are securely deleted unless there is a legal or regulatory reason to retain them for longer.
Where we record calls, callers will be informed at the start of the call. If you do not wish your call to be recorded, please let us know at the beginning of the call and we will make alternative arrangements where possible.
The legal basis for call recording is our legitimate business interests in maintaining service quality and ensuring compliance with our obligations.

People who email us

Any email sent to us, including any attachments, may be monitored and used by us for security purposes and to monitor compliance with our office policies. Email monitoring or blocking software may also be used. You have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send to us is within the bounds of the law.

Credit checks

We may undertake a credit check before providing you with a product or service, or when you use our products and services. This will involve using personal information you have provided together with information from credit reference agencies or fraud prevention agencies to manage credit risk, prevent and detect fraud and money laundering, and confirm your identity.
When a search is made, a ‘footprint’ is recorded on your file that other organisations may see. We may share information with other organisations where it is in our legitimate interests to prevent fraud and money laundering and to verify identities. Fraud prevention agencies may hold your personal information for varying periods; if you are considered to pose a fraud or money laundering risk, this information may be held for up to six years.
If false or inaccurate information is provided and fraud is identified, we may pass this to fraud prevention agencies and/or law enforcement. If we determine there is a credit, fraud, or money laundering risk, we may refuse to provide services or stop providing existing services.

Data retention

We delete your information when we no longer need it. We retain personal information as follows:
• A summary copy of your bills for six years from the date of your last bill
• Your contact details while you are a customer and for six years afterwards
• Details relating to any dispute for six years after it was closed
• Unsuccessful job applicant records for 12 months after the recruitment exercise is completed
• Call recordings for up to 12 months

In all other cases, personal information is stored for the period needed for the purpose for which it was collected, or for longer if required by law.

Security and performance

We use a third-party service to help maintain the security and performance of our website. To deliver this service, it processes the IP addresses of visitors to our website. We use reasonable security procedures to protect personal data from unauthorised loss, misuse, alteration, or destruction. Security cannot be absolutely guaranteed against all threats. Access to personal data is limited to those who have a need to know, and all staff who access personal data are required to maintain confidentiality.

Children

Our website and services are not intentionally designed for or directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect or retain information about anyone under the age of 16 except as part of providing services under a business contract.

Job applicants, current and former employees

When individuals apply to work at Microcare, we use the information supplied only to process their application and to monitor recruitment statistics. Where we wish to disclose information to a third party — for example, to take up a reference or obtain a disclosure check — we will inform the individual beforehand unless disclosure is required by law.
Personal information about unsuccessful candidates will be held for 12 months after the recruitment exercise is completed and will then be destroyed or deleted. We retain de-personalised statistical information about applicants to support our recruitment activities; no individuals are identifiable from this data.
Once a person has taken up employment, we will compile an employment file. This will be kept securely and used only for purposes directly relevant to their employment. Once employment has ended, the file will be retained in accordance with our retention schedule and then deleted.

Disclosure of personal information

In most circumstances we will not disclose personal data without consent. However, where we use service providers to process personal information on our behalf — such as payment processing, fraud and credit checks, or debt collection — we remain in control of your personal information and have strict controls in place to ensure it is properly protected.
In certain circumstances we may pass on personal data without consent, for example to prevent and detect crime, in response to requests from government or law enforcement agencies, or where required by applicable laws, court orders, or government regulations.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
• The right to access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a ‘subject access request’)
• The right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• The right to erasure – you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances
• The right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit how we use your data
• The right to data portability – you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format
• The right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us in writing at the address below. We will respond within one calendar month. We do not charge a fee for subject access requests.

Complaints or queries

We take any complaints about our collection or use of personal information seriously. If you think our collection or use of information is unfair, misleading, or inappropriate, please bring this to our attention. We also welcome suggestions for improving our procedures.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

Links to other websites

This privacy notice does not cover links within this site to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements of any other websites you visit.

Changes to this privacy policy

We keep our privacy policy under regular review. Any updates will be posted on our website with a revised “Last updated” date.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us:
Microcare Systems Limited
Phoenix House
100 Brierley Street
Bury
BL9 9HN
Email: info@microcare-systems.co.uk