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Customer follow up software in Canada: consent, privacy and small business automation

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What Canadian businesses should check before using customer follow up software in Canada: CASL consent for commercial text messages, privacy law for customer records, and how small business automation in Canada should be set up. General information, not legal advice.

*General information for Canadian businesses, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with the official sources below or a qualified advisor.*

Why Canada is different

Many follow-up tools are designed for the US market. Customer follow up software Canada-wide has to fit Canadian rules on commercial electronic messages and personal information. SKAIA Inc. is an Alberta corporation building for Canadian local businesses, so these checks are part of how a Foloup workflow is set up.

1. Commercial text messages and CASL

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) covers commercial electronic messages, including unsolicited text messages. The Government of Canada advises businesses to obtain the necessary consent before sending commercial messages (ISED: Protect your business and comply). Before automating follow-up, check:

  • Is this message a reply to a customer's own inquiry, or a commercial message such as a promotion or reactivation offer?
  • What consent do you have for this customer and this channel, and where is it recorded?
  • Does each message identify the business and give a simple way to stop receiving messages?
  • Are stop requests honoured and recorded?

2. Customer records and privacy

Customer names, phone numbers and service history are personal information. Federal private-sector privacy law (PIPEDA) applies across much of Canada. Alberta has its own private-sector law, the Personal Information Protection Act. Collect only what the workflow needs, and know who can see it.

3. Small business automation Canada-wide: a setup checklist

  • Start with one workflow, such as a missed inquiry reply, where the customer contacted you first.
  • Keep owner approval before messages are sent.
  • Separate service replies from promotional messages, each with its own consent check.
  • Record sent, delivered, replied, stopped and booked as separate states.

SKAIA reviews these points with the business during a 30-day pilot. How Foloup identifies and stores customer records is described in Customer record.

Lead follow up automation · About SKAIA Inc.

Topics: customer follow up software Canada · small business automation Canada · CASL · SKAIA

Sources