Data retention settings

Delete customer data automatically after a period of inactivity for GDPR or other data protection policies

Jen avatar
Written by Jen
Updated over a week ago

This article covers:


What is data cleaning?

We offer automated tools for cleaning up data, helping you comply with data protection and privacy guidelines. These tools remove stored customer data for inactive accounts on your Bookwhen account.


What is an inactive customer?

An inactive customer is someone who booked in the past but hasn't done so within the time period you specify

πŸ’‘ Customers with remaining pass uses are excluded.


Setting up your preferred data retention settings

Select Settings from the left-hand menu, then Booking preferences.

At the bottom of the page is the Danger Zone section, which refers to settings that can have negative consequences when misused. Within this section, you will find your data retention settings:

Select Edit to view the options available to you. The system requires you to enter your password for any changes for extra security.

Select the Enable customer auto-deletion checkbox to set your preferred timeframe.

  • The default is 18 months, but you can change this timeframe to be as short as 14 days.

Start date

Auto-deletion start date indicates the date on which the settings were switched on.

For example, the below screenshot shows a start date of 13th Nov 2022. This means that the settings were switched on on that date, and the system will start the process of auto-deleting accounts that hit 24 months after Nov 2022.

  • This prevents instant customer deletion right after setting up. It gives a grace period, useful when adjusting settings or testing, so customers aren't deleted automatically.


What data is removed?

If a customer falls within your 'inactive' timeframe and the system auto-deletes them, it also deletes their customer profile entirely.

  • The deletion only impacts their profile on your account, not any other Bookwhen account they might use.

  • The system retains their past bookings for reporting but removes personal data associated with the booking.


When is the data removed?

When setting your data retention preferences, you have a 24-hour grace period before the auto-deletion starts running. From then on, it will run continuously unless you turn it off again.


πŸ’¬ Any questions or feedback? There are two ways to get in touch:

Thank you! πŸ•Ί

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