Privacy Policy: Call Recording, Microsoft Teams, and Artificial Intelligence
1. Introduction
This privacy policy outlines how Steedman & Company Ltd (“we”, “our”, or “us”) collects, uses, and protects personal data through call recordings, including Microsoft Teams meetings, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
2. Who We Are
Our registered office is 3 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JE.
3. What Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following types of personal data: Audio and video recordings of telephone calls and online meetings (e.g., via Microsoft Teams) > Transcripts and summaries generated from meetings > Participant names, job titles, and contact details > Instructions, discussions, or opinions expressed during the conversation
AI-generated notes, actions, and insights
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We rely on the following lawful bases: – Consent – when we ask for and receive your permission to record or process your data; – Contractual necessity – where processing is required to fulfil our agreement with you; – Legal obligation – to meet statutory or regulatory duties; – Legitimate interests – to maintain service quality, ensure accuracy, improve efficiency, and train staff.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
5. Microsoft Teams Recording and Transcription
We may use Microsoft Teams to host client meetings and internal discussions. In such cases: – Meetings may be recorded, including both audio and video content. – We may also use Teams’ transcription functionality to automatically generate a text-based record of the meeting. – You will be notified at the start of any meeting that is being recorded and/or transcribed. – If you do not wish to be recorded, you may decline to participate or request an alternative method of communication.
These recordings and transcripts are used solely for the purposes of: – Maintaining accurate records of advice and instructions
– Compliance, audit, and dispute resolution – Generating follow-up actions, notes, or client deliverables – Training and quality assurance
6. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
We may use AI-based tools and services to: – Transcribe or summarise recorded meetings and calls – Draft correspondence or reports based on voice or meeting content – Extract action items or themes from discussions – Analyse common questions or trends for service improvement
We do not use AI tools to make decisions with legal or similarly significant effects without human review and oversight.
We only work with trusted AI providers who meet strict data security and privacy requirements and who process data under our instructions (as data processors).
7. Data Sharing
We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with: – Third-party service providers (e.g. Microsoft for Teams, transcription partners, secure cloud providers) – Professional advisors (e.g., legal counsel, auditors) – Regulators or law enforcement, where legally required
All such parties are contractually bound to protect your data under UK data protection law.
8. Data Retention
We retain call recordings, meeting transcripts, and AI-derived data only for as long as necessary: – Call and Teams recordings: Typically retained for up to 6 years, or longer if required by regulation or professional standards – Transcripts and AI summaries: Retained for shorter periods (e.g., 12-24 months), unless linked to a formal record or contract
Retention is governed by our internal policies and applicable legal and regulatory obligations.
9. Your Rights
Under the UK GDPR, you have the following rights: – To be informed about how your data is used – To access the personal data we hold about you – To request rectification or erasure of inaccurate or unnecessary data – To restrict or object to certain types of processing
– To data portability (in applicable scenarios) – To object to automated decision-making (if used)
Data Protection Officer
Steedman & Company Ltd
3 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JE
Email: enquiries@steedman.co.uk
Phone: 0131 556 8595
10. Security Measures
We implement robust security protocols, including: – Encryption of recordings and documents – Secure authentication and access controls – Regular audits and security reviews – Staff training on data protection responsibilities
11. Contact and Complaints
For any questions or to exercise your rights, please contact:
Data Protection Officer
Steedman & Company Ltd
3 Queen Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1JE
Email: enquiries@steedman.co.uk
Phone: 0131 556 8595
If you remain dissatisfied, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Privacy Policy: General
Your privacy is very important to us. Accordingly, we have developed this Policy in order for you to understand how we collect, use, communicate and disclose and make use of personal information. The following outlines our privacy policy.
- Before or at the time of collecting personal information, we will identify the purposes for which information is being collected.
- We will collect and use of personal information solely with the objective of fulfilling those purposes specified by us and for other compatible purposes, unless we obtain the consent of the individual concerned or as required by law.
- We will only retain personal information as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
- We will collect personal information by lawful and fair means and, where appropriate, with the knowledge or consent of the individual concerned.
- Personal data should be relevant to the purposes for which it is to be used, and, to the extent necessary for those purposes, should be accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
- We will protect personal information by reasonable security safeguards against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification.
- We will make readily available to customers information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
We are committed to conducting our business in accordance with these principles in order to ensure that the confidentiality of personal information is protected and maintained.
Cookie Policy
What Are Cookies?
As is common practice with almost all professional websites this site uses cookies, which are tiny files that are downloaded to your computer, to improve your experience. This page describes what information they gather, how we use it and why we sometimes need to store these cookies. We will also share how you can prevent these cookies from being stored however this may downgrade or ‘break’ certain elements of the sites functionality.
For more general information on cookies see the Wikipedia article on HTTP Cookies…
How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for a variety of reasons detailed below. Unfortunately is most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this site. It is recommended that you leave on all cookies if you are not sure whether you need them or not in case they are used to provide a service that you use.
Disabling Cookies
You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see your browser Help for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of the this site. Therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies.
The Cookies We Set
When you submit data to through a form such as those found on contact pages or comment forms cookies may be set to remember your user details for future correspondence.
Third Party Cookies
In some special cases we also use cookies provided by trusted third parties. The following section details which third party cookies you might encounter through this site.
This site uses Google Analytics which is one of the most widespread and trusted analytics solution on the web for helping us to understand how you use the site and ways that we can improve your experience. These cookies may track things such as how long you spend on the site and the pages that you visit so we can continue to produce engaging content.
For more information on Google Analytics cookies, see the official Google Analytics page.
From time to time we test new features and make subtle changes to the way that the site is delivered. When we are still testing new features these cookies may be used to ensure that you receive a consistent experience whilst on the site whilst ensuring we understand which optimisations our users appreciate the most.
We also use social media buttons and/or plugins on this site that allow you to connect with your social network in various ways. For these to work the following social media sites including; Facebook, Twitter, will set cookies through our site which may be used to enhance your profile on their site or contribute to the data they hold for various purposes outlined in their respective privacy policies.
More Information
Hopefully that has clarified things for you and as was previously mentioned if there is something that you aren’t sure whether you need or not it’s usually safer to leave cookies enabled in case it does interact with one of the features you use on our site. However if you are still looking for more information then you can contact us via Email.