Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Cloud Accounting Support Services Ltd ("we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information when you visit our website, contact us, or use any of the tools and forms on our site. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Cloud Accounting Support Services Ltd is the "data controller" responsible for your personal data.

• Email: info@cass-online.co.uk
• Telephone: 01827 780550
• Address: 3 Pebble Close Business Village, Amington, Tamworth B77 4RD
• Company number: 10718230
• VAT number: 287 2656 61

2. Information we collect

We collect information you give us directly and information collected automatically when you use our website.

Information you provide, for example when you:

• complete a contact or enquiry form, or request a quote (name, email, phone number and your message);
• subscribe to our newsletter or podcast updates (name and email);
• download a free guide or complete our Business Growth Health Check (name, email and the answers you provide);
• interact with "Cassie", our AI website assistant (the messages you send and any contact details you share in the chat);
• search the Ask Cassie answer library (the words you type into the search box, recorded separately from any chat conversation — we record the wording of every search, together with how many answers it returned, so that we know which answers to improve and which to write next);
• otherwise correspond with us by phone, email or post.

Information collected automatically, such as your IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, and how you found and moved around our site. This is collected using cookies and similar technologies (see section 6).

Usage and sharing counts. On the Ask Cassie pages we also keep our own anonymous count of how the knowledge centre is used: which pages were viewed, which answers were opened, what was searched for and whether a visitor went on to contact us. Across the site we count the same way when somebody uses a share button, arrives from a shared link or a social network, and whether that visit then reached a page such as contact or pricing. This does not use cookies and does not record your IP address, your browser details or anything you have typed into the chat. To tell one visit apart from another we generate a random identifier that is held only in your browser for the length of that visit and is discarded when you close the tab; it is not linked to you, to a chat conversation or to any enquiry.

Ask Cassie searches and Cassie conversations. These are two separate things. A library search records only the words typed into the search box, together with how many answers we were able to match; it is not linked to a chat conversation and we do not ask for your name or email to use it. A Cassie conversation records the messages exchanged in the chat, including anything you choose to tell us about yourself, so that we can reply and so that we can improve the answer library. Please do not enter passwords, bank details, National Insurance numbers, tax reference numbers or confidential information about another person or business into either.

3. How and why we use your information

We use your personal data for the following purposes, relying on the lawful bases shown:

• To respond to your enquiries and provide the information or services you request — performance of a contract or our legitimate interests in responding to you.
• To send you marketing emails, newsletters and podcast updates where you have signed up — your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
• To provide, personalise and improve our website, including via the Cassie assistant and our lead tools — our legitimate interests in running and improving our business.
• To understand how our website is used and improve its performance — your consent to analytics cookies.
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations — legal obligation.

4. Marketing

If you have opted in, we may send you emails about our services, guides, events and podcast episodes. Every marketing email includes an "unsubscribe" link, and you can opt out at any time by clicking it or emailing us at info@cass-online.co.uk. Opting out of marketing will not affect any service-related messages we need to send you.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with trusted third parties who help us operate our website and business, and who are contractually required to protect it. These include:

• Google (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Google Ads) — to understand website usage and measure our advertising. Tag Manager loads our measurement tags; Analytics reports how the site is used. Neither is sent your name, email address, telephone number or anything you type into a form.
• Google Business Profile & Google Maps/Places — to display reviews and, where enabled, publish updates.
• Mailchimp — to manage our email marketing lists and send campaigns.
• Resend — to deliver transactional and notification emails.
• OpenAI — to power the Cassie website assistant (it processes the messages you send in the chat to generate replies).
• Our hosting and infrastructure providers — to run and secure our website.

We may also disclose your information where required by law, or to protect our rights, property or safety.

6. Cookies and analytics

Cookies are small files placed on your device. We use essential cookies that are necessary for the site to work, and, with your consent, analytics and advertising cookies (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Google Ads) that help us understand how visitors use our site and measure our advertising. When you first visit we ask for your preference, and those cookies are only set if you accept — rejecting is as easy as accepting, and the site works normally either way.

You can change your mind or withdraw your consent at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer of every page. We record which events happen on the site — a form being sent, a guide downloaded, a call booked — but never your name, email address, telephone number or anything you typed, and we never pass those details to Google.

7. International transfers

Some of our providers are based outside the UK (for example in the United States). Where your data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or an adequacy decision, to ensure your data remains protected.

8. How long we keep your data

Ask Cassie searches, usage and sharing counts, and Cassie conversations are deleted within 90 days. An automated clean-up runs daily and removes recorded search wording, the usage counts described above and chat messages once they pass that age; what we keep afterwards is an anonymous monthly total (for example how many visits, searches and conversations there were, and which published answers were used), which contains no message text, no search wording and no identifiers. Where a conversation becomes an enquiry or relates to a client matter, the enquiry record is retained under the retention arrangements for that enquiry or engagement, not as part of the chat history. Copies may persist for a limited period in our hosting provider's routine backups and in the request logs of the providers who process the message on our behalf; we are confirming those periods with them and will state them here once we can do so accurately.

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out above, to comply with our legal, accounting and regulatory obligations, and to resolve disputes. Enquiry and lead records are typically retained for up to 24 months of inactivity unless you become a client or ask us to delete them sooner. Marketing subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe.

9. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
• ask us to delete your data ("right to erasure");
• restrict or object to our processing of your data;
• request the transfer of your data (data portability);
• withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent.

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at info@cass-online.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

10. How to complain

As a firm that processes personal data, we are registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), registration number ZA535088. If you have a concern about how we handle your data, please contact us first so we can put things right. You also have the right to complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised "last updated" date. Please check back periodically.

12. Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at info@cass-online.co.uk.