How to handle customers’ personal data on business phone calls
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
On a call, ask the customer only for what the job needs: name, phone, an address for an order. Never ask for a card number, CVV, SMS code or password. Before you give out any details, check who you’re talking to: don’t read the details out yourself; let the customer say them and you confirm. Write everything in one place, the CRM, not a notebook or a personal phone. Uzbekistan has a law on personal data: ask a lawyer which rules apply to your company.
What counts as personal data on a call
Even an ordinary call is full of personal data: name, phone number, address, date of birth, sometimes a passport or health details. If the call is recorded, the voice itself is personal data too.
The rule is simple: the less you collect, the less can go wrong. Before each question, ask yourself: “Can I do the job without this?” If you can, don’t ask. For example, a carpet-cleaning service needs a name, phone and address, not a date of birth or a passport. Extra data isn’t used; it just sits there, and if it leaks, you answer for it.
What you may ask on the phone, and what you never ask
| Data | Ask? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | So you know how to address the customer |
| Phone number | If needed | The number is usually visible; ask only if you need another one |
| Delivery address | For an order | Only if you deliver |
| Passport details | Rarely | If a contract needs it, in the office or over a secure channel |
| Card number, CVV, SMS code, password | Never | Use a payment link, a terminal or the till |
| Health, diagnosis | Only in a clinic | Leave the details to the doctor |
Tell customers in advance: “We never ask for your card number or SMS code on the phone.” Then, if someone tries fraud in your company’s name, customers spot it sooner.
Check who you’re talking to before giving details
- Don’t read details out; ask the customer: “Could you tell me your order number?”
- Check what they say against your system and say “that’s right”. Never read out an address, card or passport.
- If someone asks about another person’s order or appointment, give no details. Offer to call the owner back on their own number.
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Olma Market, this is Malika.
Caller: Can you tell me where my order is?
Sado: Of course. Could you give me the order number?
Caller: 4512.
Sado: Thank you. And the delivery address, so I can check it?
Caller: Chilonzor, block 9, building 14.
Sado: That’s right. Your order will arrive today by five; the courier will call before setting off.
Where to write the data down
- In one place: the CRM or your call system. Not a notebook, a personal phone or screenshots in a messenger.
- Only what’s needed: for an order, name, phone and address are enough.
- Don’t send the calling list (Excel) to everyone. Give it only to the person making the calls, and delete it when the work is done.
- When an employee leaves, close their access to the CRM and email the same day.
- If a customer says a card number or password by accident, don’t write it down anywhere.
An AI operator and personal data
Sado’s AI operator asks only the questions you set. So put only the fields you need in its script: name, a convenient time, the type of service. Don’t have it ask for a card number or passport. On incoming calls the operator answers from your company’s facts; if it doesn’t know, it says a manager will call back and creates a task.
The list you upload for outgoing calls should hold only what’s needed too: name, phone and the reason for the call. In Sado, keys are stored encrypted, data is kept for a limited time, and you have the right to have it deleted. More: frequently asked questions. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
May we ask a customer for their card number on the phone?
No. Don’t ask for or write down a card number, CVV or SMS code. Send a payment link, or take payment through a terminal or the till.
What if someone calls about another person?
Give no details: tell the owner of the order or appointment, on their own number. Explain this politely to the caller.
Does the personal data law apply to small businesses?
Every company that collects customers’ data should know this law. Ask a lawyer which rules apply to you.