Tutorial 11.3: Managing Customer and Staff Data Retention

Introduction

When customers stop visiting or staff members leave your salon, you need to decide what to do with their data. Simply deleting everything isn't always possible - you may need records for tax purposes, legal disputes, or business analysis.

Luminate provides two approaches: deactivation (hiding records while preserving data) and anonymisation (permanently removing personal information while keeping business records). This tutorial explains when to use each approach and walks you through the process.

Who this is for: Salon owners and administrators managing customer and staff records.

What you'll learn:

• The difference between deactivation and anonymisation
• When to deactivate vs anonymise customers
• When to deactivate vs anonymise staff members
• What data is preserved vs removed in each case
• Step-by-step instructions for both processes

Time to complete: 10-15 minutes

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Owner or Admin role (required for deactivation and anonymisation)
• Understanding of your legal data retention requirements
• Knowledge of any outstanding balances or ongoing matters

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Understanding the Difference

Before managing any records, understand these two distinct approaches:

Aspect	Deactivation	Anonymisation
Purpose	Hide from active lists	Comply with data deletion requests
Reversible?	Yes	No - permanent
Personal data	Preserved	Removed/replaced
Visible in lists	No (unless filtered)	No (appears as "Deleted Customer" or "Former Staff Member")
Transaction history	Fully intact	Preserved but de-identified
Can log in (staff)	No (if has account)	No
Can be reactivated	Yes	No

Use deactivation when:

• A customer hasn't visited in a while but might return
• A staff member is on extended leave
• You want to hide old records from daily views
• You might need to restore access later

Use anonymisation when:

• A customer requests data deletion (GDPR right to be forgotten)
• A staff member has permanently left and requests data removal
• You're legally required to remove personal data
• Sufficient time has passed after their last transaction

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Managing Customer Records

Deactivating a Customer

1. Click Customers in the sidebar
2. Search for and click on the customer's name
3. Click the Details tab
4. Scroll to Customer Status
5. Toggle the Active switch to off
6. The change saves automatically

What happens:

• Customer no longer appears in the main customers list
• Customer no longer appears in search results (unless you filter by inactive)
• All appointment history is preserved
• All transaction history is preserved
• All skin tests are preserved
• Customer profile remains fully accessible if you navigate to it directly

To view deactivated customers:

1. Go to Customers
2. Use the status filter dropdown - select "All Customers" to see everyone, or "Inactive Only" to see only deactivated customers

Reactivating a Customer

1. Navigate to the deactivated customer's profile (via filter or direct link)
2. Click the Details tab
3. Toggle the Active switch to on
4. The customer reappears in active lists

Anonymising a Customer (Permanent)

Warning: This action cannot be undone. Proceed only when certain.

1. Click Customers in the sidebar
2. Search for and click on the customer's name
3. Click Edit
4. Scroll to the Data Privacy section at the bottom of the form
5. Review the warning text:

   "Permanently removes all personal information (name, email, phone, address) for GDPR compliance. Appointment and transaction history will be preserved for business records but anonymized. This action cannot be undone."

6. Click Remove Data
7. In the confirmation dialog, review the warning about what will happen, then click Remove Data to confirm

What happens:

Data Field	Before	After
First Name	"Sarah"	"Deleted"
Last Name	"Johnson"	"Customer"
Email	"sarah@email.com"	Removed
Phone	"07700 123456"	Removed
Address	"123 High Street..."	Removed
Date of Birth	"15/03/1985"	Removed
Preferences	"Likes tea"	Removed
Notes	"Regular client"	Removed
Communication Consent	Various	All set to off
Appointments	15 appointments	15 appointments (linked to "Deleted Customer")
Transactions	£2,450 total spend	£2,450 total spend (linked to "Deleted Customer")
Skin Tests	3 tests	Deleted entirely
Status	Active/Inactive	Anonymised

Key points:

• Financial records remain for tax/accounting purposes
• Skin test records are deleted (contains medical data)
• The customer cannot be identified from remaining records
• The record shows as "Deleted Customer" in all historical data
• This cannot be reversed

Managing Staff Records

Deactivating a Staff Member

From the staff profile (recommended):

1. Click Staff in the sidebar
2. Click on the staff member's name to view their profile
3. Find the Staff Status section
4. Toggle the Active switch to off
5. The change saves automatically

From the staff edit form:

1. Click Staff in the sidebar
2. Click on the staff member's name
3. Click Edit
4. In the Employment section, toggle the Active switch to off
5. Click Update Staff Member

What happens:

• Staff member no longer appears in active staff lists
• Staff member cannot be assigned to new appointments
• If they have a user account, they can no longer log in to this salon
• All historical appointments show their name
• All commission and payroll records are preserved
• All skin tests they administered are preserved

To view deactivated staff:

1. Go to Staff
2. Use the status filter dropdown - select "All Staff" to see everyone, or "Inactive Only" to see only deactivated staff members

Reactivating a Staff Member

From the staff profile (recommended):

1. Navigate to the deactivated staff member's profile (via filter or direct link)
2. Find the Staff Status section
3. Toggle the Active switch to on
4. The change saves automatically

From the staff edit form:

1. Navigate to the deactivated staff member's profile
2. Click Edit
3. In the Employment section, toggle the Active switch to on
4. Click Update Staff Member

If they had a user account, they can log in again (assuming the account wasn't separately removed).

Anonymising a Staff Member (Permanent)

Warning: This action cannot be undone. Proceed only when certain.

1. Click Staff in the sidebar
2. Click on the staff member's name to view their profile
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Danger Zone section
4. Click Remove Data
5. In the confirmation dialog, review what will be removed
6. Click Remove Personal Data to confirm

What happens:

Data Field	Before	After
First Name	"Emma"	"Former"
Last Name	"Williams"	"Staff Member"
Email	"emma@salon.com"	"anonymized.7@deleted.local"
Phone	"07700 987654"	Removed
Qualifications	"NVQ Level 3"	Removed
Notes	"Colour specialist"	Removed
Settings	Various	Removed
Linked User Account	Connected	Unlinked
Appointments	523 completed	523 completed (linked to "Former Staff Member")
Commission Records	£15,000 earned	£15,000 earned (linked to "Former Staff Member")
Skin Tests Administered	45 tests	45 tests (linked to "Former Staff Member")
Leave Records	28 days taken	Preserved (linked to "Former Staff Member")
Status	Active/Inactive	Inactive (automatically deactivated)

Key points:

• Employment and payroll records remain for legal/tax purposes
• The staff member cannot be identified from remaining records
• User account access is permanently revoked
• Their name appears as "Former Staff Member" in all historical data
• This cannot be reversed

Note: You cannot anonymise a staff record that represents the salon owner.

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Deciding When to Act

Customer Retention Timeline

Consider this general approach (adjust based on your policies):

Time Since Last Visit	Action
0-12 months	Keep active
12-24 months	Consider deactivating
24-36 months	Deactivate if not done
36+ months	Consider anonymising (if no legal holds)
Upon written request	Anonymise within one month (GDPR)

Staff Retention Timeline

Situation	Action
On extended leave	Deactivate temporarily
Resigned/terminated	Deactivate immediately
6 months after leaving	Keep deactivated (payroll records may be needed)
2+ years after leaving	Consider anonymising (if no legal holds)
Upon written request	Anonymise within one month (GDPR)

Important: Always consult with an accountant or legal advisor about your specific retention obligations before anonymising records.

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Common Pitfalls

"I deactivated a customer but they're still appearing in reports"

This is expected. Deactivation only hides them from active lists - their historical data remains in all reports. If you need to remove them from reports entirely, you would need to anonymise (which removes personal data but keeps the transaction as "Deleted Customer").

"I can't find the Remove Data option for a staff member"

Scroll to the bottom of the staff profile page and look for the Danger Zone section. The "Remove Data" button is located there. Note that you cannot anonymise staff records linked to the salon owner.

"A former staff member wants their data deleted but I need payroll records"

Anonymisation preserves financial records while removing personal identifiers. The payroll records will show "Former Staff Member" instead of their name, which may be acceptable for your accounting needs. Consult with your accountant.

"I anonymised a customer but they came back"

Create a brand new customer profile. The previous history is gone (anonymised), so they start fresh. You cannot link new records to anonymised historical data.

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Tips and Best Practices

1. Create a retention policy - Document how long you keep customer and staff data, and review it annually.

2. Review inactive records quarterly - Set a reminder to review deactivated customers and staff to determine if they should be anonymised.

3. Get requests in writing - When someone requests data deletion, ask for it in writing (email is fine) for your records.

4. Don't rush anonymisation - Once done, it cannot be undone. Make sure you no longer need the data.

5. Check for outstanding balances - Never anonymise a customer with unpaid invoices until resolved.

6. Consider legal holds - If there's any ongoing dispute or legal matter, do not anonymise records that might be needed as evidence.

7. Train your team - Ensure staff understand they cannot discuss or share data about deactivated or former customers/colleagues.

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Related Tutorials

• Tutorial 11.2: GDPR Compliance - Data Protection and Privacy
• Tutorial 3.1: Adding and Managing Customer Profiles - Customer status options
• Tutorial 4.1: Adding New Staff Members - Complete Onboarding Guide
• Tutorial 4.2: Managing Staff Login Accounts and Invitations - Revoking access

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I export data before anonymising?

There's no automated export feature, but you can view all data in the customer or staff profile before anonymising. Consider taking screenshots or notes of any information you need to retain externally.

What if I need to un-anonymise a record?

This is not possible. Anonymisation permanently removes personal data. If you think you might need the data, use deactivation instead.

Do deactivated customers/staff still count toward my subscription limits?

Typically, only active records count toward usage limits. Check your subscription terms or contact Luminate support.

How do I know if a record has been anonymised?

Anonymised records show "Deleted Customer" or "Former Staff Member" as the name, and the profile will indicate the anonymisation date.

Will anonymised records affect my reports?

The data remains in reports (for accurate financial records) but shows as "Deleted Customer" or "Former Staff Member" instead of the actual name. Revenue figures remain accurate.

Can I bulk-anonymise old records?

Currently, anonymisation must be done one record at a time to prevent accidental mass deletion. This is a safety feature.

Who can perform anonymisation?

Only Owners and Admins can anonymise records. Managers and other roles cannot perform this action.

What about backup data - is that anonymised too?

Luminate manages system backups. When you anonymise a record, future backups will reflect the anonymised state. Very old backups may still contain the original data temporarily, but these are cycled out over time.

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Last Updated: January 2026