Real Receptionist UK
How we look after your information.
This policy explains what personal information Real Receptionist collects, why, where it is kept and the rights you have under UK data protection law.
- Who we are
- Real people and AI
- Our two roles
- Working in your systems
- What we collect
- Why we use it
- Who we share it with
- How long we keep it
- Security
- Your rights
- Complaints
- Cookies
- Changes
1. Who we are
Real Receptionist UK is a division of Automation Resource Communication Technology cc, trading as Arc Technology, registered in South Africa with registration number 2000/029376/23 (South African VAT number 4560191225). Our registered address is 7A The Ridge Office Park, Door De Kraal Avenue, Kenridge, Cape Town 7550, Western Cape, South Africa. Our receptionists work from Cape Town.
For any privacy question, contact our data protection lead, Chenara Coetzee, at chenara@realreceptionist.co.uk or on +44 20 3807 4898.
The UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) apply to how we handle personal information. Because our team is in South Africa, South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) applies too.
2. Real people, not AI, and how we use AI
Every call is answered by a real person. We do not use AI receptionists, voice bots, automated answering or call-centre scripts. A person takes every message and makes every booking. AI never answers a call and never speaks to a caller.
Reporting a client asks for
Separately, a client can ask for transcription-based reporting on its own calls, such as a sentiment rating for each call. We only switch this on for that client, in writing, and it is covered by that client's own data plan.
3. Our two roles
UK law treats us differently depending on whose information it is.
When the information is ours to look after (we are the “controller”)
This covers people who visit this website, people who enquire or book a call with us, people who call our own number, the contact people at our client businesses, suppliers and job applicants. It also covers the call records we keep to bill our clients. This policy applies in full to that information.
When we answer calls for a client (we are a “processor”)
When we answer calls in a client's business name, the client decides how their callers' information is used. The client is the controller and we act only on their written instructions. If you called one of our clients, that business's own privacy policy applies to you. If you contact us about it, we will pass your request on to them straight away.
4. How we handle our clients' customers: we work inside your systems
We work as an extension of your team. You give each receptionist their own user login to your booking system, diary, CRM, helpdesk or ERP, and we record callers' details directly in your system, just as an in-house receptionist would.
- What we record goes into your systems. We do not copy your customers' records into our own systems.
- Your rules apply. Your security settings, access controls, retention periods and privacy policy cover everything we record there.
- Call forms live with you too. If you want us to log every call on a form, we recommend you set the form up in your own Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account, or in your own CRM. Our receptionists fill it in there, and the answers go straight into your systems.
- You stay in control. You can see what we do, change our access at any time and switch our logins off the day our service ends.
If you want us to keep data for you
If you would rather we kept information on our side, for example in our own helpdesk or forms, we only do this when you ask in writing. We then agree a data plan for you that sets out exactly what we keep, where it is stored, who can see it, how long we keep it and how we delete it.
5. Information we collect about you
- When you book a call or enquire: your name, business name, email address, phone number, type of business, rough call volume, best time to call and anything you choose to tell us.
- When you call our own number: your number and the time and length of the call, and anything you tell us.
- When you become a client: contact and billing details, the call script and instructions you give us, invoices, payments and our emails and calls with you.
- When you visit this website: technical information such as your IP address and browser type, which our hosting provider uses to deliver and protect the site.
- For business marketing: business contact details we get from public sources such as company websites and LinkedIn, or from business data providers.
6. Why we use it and our lawful basis
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Reply to your enquiry and arrange your 15-minute call | Steps you asked for before a contract, and our legitimate interest in answering enquiries |
| Set up and run your service, send messages, book appointments, bill you | Contract |
| Keep call records so we can bill by the second and show you every call | Contract, and our legitimate interest in accurate billing |
| Keep accounting and tax records | Legal obligation |
| Tell businesses about our service | Legitimate interests. For sole traders and partnerships we only email with consent or where you are an existing customer. You can opt out at any time. |
| Keep our website and systems secure | Legitimate interests |
| Handle callers' details for our clients | The client's instructions. The client chooses its own lawful basis. |
We never sell personal information.
8. How long we keep it
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Enquiries that don't become clients | 24 months after we last spoke |
| Client contracts, invoices and payment records | 5 years after the service ends |
| Call logs | 1 year, then kept only as totals with no phone numbers |
| Call recordings (only if you switch recording on) | For the period you choose |
| Marketing opt-outs | As long as needed, so we never contact you again |
| Data we hold for a client under a data plan | As agreed in that client's data plan |
9. How we keep it safe
- Every receptionist has their own login. We never share logins.
- Multi-factor authentication on our own systems, and we use it on yours when you have it switched on.
- Staff only see what they need for the client they are helping.
- Every team member signs a confidentiality agreement and is trained in data protection.
- Access is removed on the day someone leaves.
- If something goes wrong with a client's data, we tell that client within 48 hours of becoming aware of it, so they can meet their own duty to report to the ICO within 72 hours.
10. Your rights
You can ask us to:
- give you a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- correct anything that is wrong
- delete your information, or limit how we use it
- stop using it for marketing, at any time
- object to how we use it under legitimate interests
- send your information to you or another organisation in a usable format
- withdraw your consent, where we rely on it
Email contact@realreceptionist.co.uk. It is free and we will reply within one month. If you called one of our clients, please contact that business, or contact us and we will pass your request to them.
11. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first, by email at contact@realreceptionist.co.uk or using the enquiry form on this website. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and give you a full answer as quickly as we can.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commission, which still uses the name ICO, at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
13. Changes to this policy
We will update this page if anything changes and show the new date at the top. Last updated 12 October 2026.
Who to contact
Real Receptionist is a division of Automation Resource Communication Technology cc, trading as Arc Technology, registration 2000/029376/23, VAT 4560191225, South Africa. 7A The Ridge Office Park, Door De Kraal Avenue, Kenridge, Cape Town 7550, Western Cape, South Africa
contact@realreceptionist.co.uk · +44 20 3807 4898
Regulator: Information Commission (ICO), how to complain · 0303 123 1113.