Making your website widget GDPR compliant is our priority; that is why we prepared this short article to help you make your website widget GDPR compliant. Remember that we’re in this together!
Processing your customers’ data
With GDPR, you are obliged to inform your customers that you and/or a third-party processor will gather their personal data. There are two ways to go about it:
If you run an ecommerce store where your customers can make a purchase, you can modify the agreement between you and your customer so that it will include the information about the data processing that occurs during a chat.
If you are not using the website widget for sales purposes, you should still inform your website visitors that you gather and process their data during a chat. You can use our Privacy note feature to do just that. Below, we provide instructions on how to use the Privacy note to make your website widget GDPR compliant, as well as ready-made examples of privacy note.
Please note that the information (including privacy note and clauses) provided in this article is to be considered as general examples. Neither this article nor any of its parts is legal advice. We give you some tips and clauses to work on, but we do not know your business and how you handle data processing.
You should always consult your actions (including using this article’s content) with a legal advisor. You need to ensure that the agreement, privacy note, or other legal basis aligns with your business agenda, taking into account the data you process, its purpose, and the duration for which it is retained.
You can enable the Privacy note in your website widget to let visitors know that their personal data — such as their name, email address, or phone number — may be collected during a chat.
It’s beneficial if your AI agent uses the Collect customer data skill, which can automatically recognize and save personal details shared naturally during the conversation.
The Privacy note is not enabled by default and contains no pre-filled text. You can customize and enable it yourself to meet your organization’s compliance requirements.
How to enable the Privacy note
1. In Text App, go to Settings → Channels → Website widgets.
2. Click the three dots icon next to your website.
3. Select Customize.
4. You’ll be redirected to the on-site configurator with a live preview of your widget.
5. Go to Language → Privacy policy to set and enable your privacy note.
6. Add your Privacy note.
7. (Optional) Add a link to your full Privacy Policy or Data Processing Agreement (DPA).
8. Click Save changes.
You can adjust the tone and formality of your privacy note to fit your brand voice.
Ready-made examples of data protection clauses
[Data processing notice]
I agree that the controller of my personal data is [your company name] with its registered office in [your business address]. I agree that my personal data shall be processed by the data controller in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
[Data processing notice, purpose, retention period]
I agree for my personal data, provided via chat, to be processed by [your company name], for the purpose of [specify the purpose of the processing], for the time of [specify the time of processing].
The right to access your data
With GDPR, it is now easier for your customers to access all the data gathered across various services – including live chat. If a customer would like to receive a transcript of a conversation and/or a ticket they created using your website widget, you can provide it to them with just a few easy steps.
Copy of chat transcripts
If you want to provide your website visitors with a transcript of a conversation they’ve requested, follow the steps below.
1. Go to the Archive section in your Text App.
2. Choose the requested chat from the list.
3. Click Send transcript under the More menu in the top-right corner of the conversation.
4. A modal will appear asking for an email address. Enter your customer’s email and click Send transcript to proceed.
We will now send the transcript of the conversation to the provided email address.
But that’s not all — the same rule applies to you. If you would like to retrieve your chat history with our support team, simply email us at support@text.com and request the data we have collected about you in Text App.
Please make sure to send the information retrieval request from the email address you use to log in to Text App. We will send a verification code to the email address associated with your Text App account, and will send over the information after receiving the code back from you.
Copy of tickets
When it comes to tickets, each one is automatically forwarded to your customer’s email whenever an agent replies to their query. However, if a customer asks you to resend a ticket, you can easily do so from the Tickets section of your Text App.
1. Go to the Tickets section and find the ticket in question.
2. Click on the ticket to open it.
3. To resend the ticket, simply write a new message and click Send. All messages within the ticket will be resent to the customer.
If you need to send the ticket to another email address, click Add recipients. Enter the new email address in the modal and click Save. After that, write a new message and click Send. The full ticket history will also be sent to the new address.
The right to be forgotten
Another one of GDPR’s rights is the right to be forgotten. At Text App, we can delete your personal data upon receipt of your request sent to our support@text.com email address (unless we are required to continue processing or have a legal basis to do so). But what about your own customers?
Your customer may want to request the deletion of a chat and/or a ticket for various reasons, such as personal information being shared via chat. We have an internal procedure that allows you to remove the mentioned conversation or ticket from your Text App license. Moreover, we’ll take care of the hard part for you.
What does the procedure look like?
All you need to do is provide us with a chat or ticket ID (you can find it on the right side of the transcript in the application) or, if it’s multiple documents, tag the chats or tickets you would like us to remove. You can create a separate tag and name it 'Delete' so that you can use it only when such a request arises.
Not using tags in Text App yet, or unsure how to create one? Click here to learn more.
After tagging a conversation or ticket, please send us an email at support@text.com requesting that we remove all transcripts and/or tickets marked with the specified tag.
Please make sure to send the deletion request from the email address of an Owner or Admin of your account. We will send a verification code to the email address associated with your account and will delete the transcripts and/or tickets as soon as we get the code back from you.
After receiving an email, we will remove all of the requested data as soon as possible. Also, after fulfilling your request, one of our Support Heroes will send you an email confirmation to notify you that the process has been completed.
Data Processing Addendum
When you sign up for a subscription with Text app, the processing of your personal data is regulated by our Privacy Policy document. Our Privacy Policy provides you with all the necessary information on how your personal data is processed and what information we specifically collect at Text, Inc.
The Data Processing Addendum is incorporated into the Agreement, so you don’t have to take any further action. Our Data Processing Addendum includes updated SCCs (Standard Contractual Clauses), as approved by the European Commission in June 2021, and is relevant for your use of Text, Inc. services as a data processor if you’re based in the EU/EEA.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this article, feel free to start a chat with one of our Support Heroes. They are available 24/7 and always ready to provide additional information on adjusting your Text App license.