Chat With Us helps businesses manage customer conversations on WhatsApp, SMS and email from one shared inbox. It's currently in development and testing, and it isn't yet available to customers.
1. Who we are
Chat With Us is operated by Philip Serfontein in South Africa. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refer to the operator of Chat With Us. You can contact us about privacy at any time at support@chat-with-us.co.za.
2. What this policy covers
This policy explains how we handle personal information when you:
- visit this website;
- use Chat With Us as a staff member of a business that subscribes to it; or
- message a business that uses Chat With Us.
When a business uses Chat With Us to talk to its customers, that business decides why and how those customers' information is used, and we process it on the business's behalf. If you're a customer of such a business, its own privacy policy also applies, and you may want to contact it first.
3. Information we collect
- Business account details: business name, contact details, and the names, email addresses and sign-in details of staff users.
- Conversation contacts: a customer's name, phone number, email address and WhatsApp identifiers, including the business-scoped user ID that WhatsApp provides.
- Conversation content: the messages, attachments and notes sent or received through WhatsApp, SMS and email.
- Delivery and usage data: message status (such as sent, delivered, read or failed), timestamps, message pricing categories and error codes, plus activity records such as transfers and assignments.
- Billing information: plan, usage, invoices and payment status. Card payments are handled by Paystack, and we don't store full card details.
- Technical information: our servers automatically record IP addresses, browser details and the date and time of requests.
We receive information directly from you, from the business you work for or are in contact with, and from messaging providers. This includes data we receive from WhatsApp through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform.
This website doesn't use advertising or analytics cookies.
4. How we use information
- To deliver, receive and display messages for the business concerned.
- To let staff assign, transfer and resolve conversations, and link them to the business's other systems.
- To track delivery and report usage and costs to the business.
- To bill for the service.
- To secure the service, prevent abuse and fix faults.
- To respond to questions and meet our legal obligations.
We don't sell personal information. We don't use messaging content for advertising, and we only use WhatsApp data to provide the messaging service to the business concerned.
5. Who we share information with
We share information only as needed to run the service, with:
- Meta (WhatsApp): to send and receive WhatsApp messages.
- SMS Factory: to send and receive SMS messages.
- Email providers: the mail services a business connects, to send and receive its email.
- Paystack: to process payments.
- Hosting and email suppliers: our server host in South Africa, and Google for our own business email.
- Systems a business connects: where a business links Chat With Us to its other software.
- Authorities: where the law requires it.
Information belonging to one business is kept separate and isn't shared with other businesses using Chat With Us.
6. Where information is stored
Our servers are located in South Africa. Some of the suppliers above, including Meta and Google, may process information in other countries. Where that happens, we rely on those suppliers' data protection commitments, as POPIA requires.
7. How long we keep information
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes above, or as long as the law requires, such as for financial records. Conversation records are kept for as long as the business needs them. When a business closes its account, or a valid deletion request is made, we delete or de-identify the information unless we have to keep it by law.
8. How we protect information
We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards, including encrypted connections, restricted server access, a firewall, and separation of each business's data. No system is completely secure, so if a breach affects your information, we'll notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
9. Your rights and how to delete your data
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you can ask whether we hold your personal information, ask for a copy, and ask us to correct or delete it. You can also object to certain processing.
To request deletion, email support@chat-with-us.co.za with the subject "Data deletion request". Tell us your name and the phone number or email address you used, and the business you were in contact with, if any. We may need to confirm your identity. If the data belongs to a business using Chat With Us, we'll work with that business on your request.
To stop WhatsApp messages from a business, you can also reply STOP or block its number in WhatsApp.
10. Children
Chat With Us is a business service and isn't aimed at children. If you believe we hold a child's information without proper consent, please contact us so that we can address it.
11. Complaints
Please contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concern. You can also complain to South Africa's Information Regulator:
- Website: inforegulator.org.za
- POPIA complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
- General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
- Telephone: 010 023 5200
12. Changes to this policy
We'll update this page when our practices change, and we'll change the date at the top. We'll tell businesses using Chat With Us about significant changes.