Last updated 12th November 2021

INTRODUCTION

Mark Alsop Associates (“we” or “us” or “our”) respects the privacy of our users (“user” or “you”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website markalsopassociates.co.uk including any other media form, media channel, mobile website, or mobile application related or connected thereto (collectively, the “Site”), and when providing our services to our customers, externally and independently to our website.

Please read this privacy policy carefully.  If you do not agree with the terms of this privacy policy, please do not continue to use the site. We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes by updating the “Last Updated” date of this Privacy Policy.  Any changes or modifications will be effective immediately upon posting the updated Privacy Policy on the Site, and you waive the right to receive specific notice of each such change or modification.

You are encouraged to periodically review this Privacy Policy to stay informed of updates. You will be deemed to have been made aware of, will be subject to, and will be deemed to have accepted the changes in any revised Privacy Policy by your continued use of the Site after the date such revised Privacy Policy is posted.

COLLECTION OF YOUR INFORMATION

We may collect information about you in a variety of ways. The information we may collect on the Site includes:

Personal Data

Personally identifiable information, such as your name, email address, and telephone number. You are under no obligation to provide us with personal information of any kind, however your choice not to do so may prevent you from using certain features of the Site.

Derivative Data

The site is hosted on Squarespace, who may automatically collect information when you access the Site, such as your IP address, your browser type, your operating system, your access times, and the pages you have viewed directly before and after accessing the Site. You can read the Squarespace Privacy Policy Here: [https://www.squarespace.com/privacy/]

Mobile Device Data

Device information, such as your mobile device ID, model, and manufacturer, and information about the location of your device, if you access the Site from a mobile device.

Service-related Data

Service-related customer data is not collected from our website, unless you have made your first contact with us using the e-Form provided in the contact page of our website.

We are a business-to-business services provider and the only information we collect through our website may be the customer’s name, business email address and the content of the message a customer may have sent us through the site.

All other Book-Keeping and accounting information that we require to deliver our services is collected during face-to-face meetings, by phone, secure (encrypted) emails and/or secure (encrypted) file transfer services.

Dependent on the service we have been contracted to provide to our customers, determines what type of information we may need. This is clearly detailed for all our customers in their service agreements with us.

If you are an employee of one of our customer companies, where the contracted service is Payroll, your employer will provide us with employee personal information so that we can ensure employees are paid at the right rate based on employment agreements, in a correct manner and ensure that taxes and national insurance deductions have been made in compliance with HM Inland Revenue regulations.

When servicing Payroll contracts in addition to your name, your employer will provide us with your address, bank details, NI Number, Employee Payroll number, and Tax Reference.

USE OF YOUR INFORMATION

Having accurate information about you permits us to provide you with a smooth, efficient, and customised experience. Specifically, we may use information collected about you for the following purposes:

• Send you a newsletter via Mailchimp – you must consent to the receipt of such newsletters during the subscription process.

• Contact you regarding your business and any services requests you have made.

• Contact you to provide you with service management information.

• Compile anonymous statistical data and analysis for use internally.

• Notify you of updates to the Site.

• Prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor against theft, and protect against criminal activity.

• Resolve disputes and troubleshoot problems.

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

We may share information we have collected about you in certain situations. Your information may be disclosed as follows:

By Law or to Protect Rights

We may share information about you if we believe the release of information about you is necessary to respond to legal process, to investigate or remedy potential violations of our policies, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of others, we may share your information as permitted or required by any applicable law, rule, or regulation.  This includes exchanging information with other entities for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.Third-Party Service Providers

We may share your information with third parties such as Mailchimp, Sage and Xero  that perform services for us or on our behalf, including payment processing, and email delivery.

Third-Party Service Providers

As an accountancy firm, in addition to sharing information with our customer companies and them with us, we are also legally obligated when providing our services to share certain information with HMRC, and on occasion with other accountancy firms which our customers have engaged through contractual agreements with. In this instance, the information is minimised and shared for the very specific purposes as detailed in the service contracts.

We may share your information with third parties such as Mailchimp, Sage and Xero that perform services for us or on our behalf, including payment processing, and email delivery.

• Mailchimp Privacy Policy: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/

• Sage Privacy Policy: https://www.sage.com/en-gb/legal/privacy-and-cookies/

• Xero Privacy Policy https://www.xero.com/uk/about/legal/privacy/

Sale or Bankruptcy

If we reorganise or sell all or a portion of our assets, undergo a merger, or are acquired by another entity, we may transfer your information to the successor entity.  If we go out of business or enter bankruptcy, your information would be an asset transferred or acquired by a third party.  You acknowledge that such transfers may occur and that the transferee may decline honour commitments we made in this Privacy Policy.

We are not responsible for the actions of third parties with whom you share personal or sensitive data, and we have no authority to manage or control third-party solicitations.  If you no longer wish to receive correspondence, emails or other communications from third parties, you are responsible for contacting the third party directly.

DATA RETENSION

Subscription to Email Newsletters

If you have subscribed to our email newsletters, your data (name and email addressed) will be retained only for as long as you choose to me a member of the mailing list. All our email newsletter provides you with the opportunity to unsubscribe from these newsletters by clicking on the “unsubscribe link” found in the footer of every such emails. Unsubscribing is instantaneous. If you change you mind or have unsubscribed by mistake, we have no way to restore your subscription and you will be required to re-subscribe and provide the required consent to receive the newsletter.

Active Customers

Active customer data will be retained for as long you are a customer. On the natural conclusion or termination of a service agreement between our customers and ourselves, customer information will be minimised to the bare minimum required to comply with legal and regulatory requirements. In many cases the minimised data will be retained for 7-years from the day a customer notifies us that they are cancelling our services in order to comply with UK Financial and Taxation Law.

Prospective Customers & General Enquiries

On the basis that a prospective customer chooses not to enter into a service agreement with us, all information pertaining to that prospect is removed from our systems within 90-day. Information may include the customers’ name and contact details and all emails exchanged between the prospect and ourselves.

General enquiries received from interested other, including members of the wider general public are only retained for 90-days unless the general enquiry results in a contractual agreement between us and the individual or company making the enquiry.

TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

Cookies

We use cookies in the form of paper.li, which hosts our news articles, to help customise the Site and improve your experience. When you access the Site, your personal information is not collected through the use of tracking technology. Most browsers are set to accept cookies by default. You can remove or reject cookies, however, be aware that such action could affect the availability and functionality of the Site. By using the Site, you agree to be bound by our Cookie Policy.

Website Analytics

We may also partner with selected third-party vendor Google Analytics to allow tracking technologies and remarketing services on the through the use of first party cookies and third-party cookies, to, among other things, analyse and track users’ use of the Site, determine the popularity of certain content and better understand online activity. By accessing the Site, you consent to the collection and use of your information by these third-party vendors. You are encouraged to review their privacy policy and contact them directly for responses to your questions. We do not transfer personal information to these third-party vendors.

You should be aware that getting a new computer, installing a new browser, upgrading an existing browser, or erasing or otherwise altering your browser’s cookies files may also clear certain opt-out cookies, plug-ins, or settings.

THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES

The Site may contain links to third-party websites and applications of interest, that are not affiliated with us. Once you have used these links to leave the Site any information you provide to these third parties is not covered by this Privacy Policy, and we cannot guarantee the safety and privacy of your information. Before visiting and providing any information to any third-party websites, you should inform yourself of the privacy policies and practices (if any) of the third party responsible for that website, and should take those steps necessary to, in your discretion, protect the privacy of your information. We are not responsible for the content or privacy and security practices and policies of any third parties, including other sites, services or applications that may be linked to or from the Site.

SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMATION

We use administrative, technical, and physical security measures to help protect your personal information.  While we have taken reasonable steps to secure the personal information you provide to us, please be aware that despite our efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable, and no method of data transmission can be guaranteed against any interception or other type of misuse.  Any information disclosed online is vulnerable to interception and misuse by unauthorised parties. Therefore, we cannot guarantee complete security if you provide personal information.

OPTIONS REGARDING YOUR INFORMATION

Emails and Communications

If you no longer wish to receive correspondence, emails, or other communications from us, you may opt-out by:

• Contacting us using the contact information provided below.

• Using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of one of our newsletters.

CONTACT US

If you have questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Mark Alsop Associates

mark@markalsopassociates.co.uk