Your privacy, protected at every step

Our work and our clients

We conduct telephone market research all over the world from our call centers to service the needs of our clients and their clients in understanding you, the market you live and work in, and the products and services that you use.

Our research is conducted on behalf of a range of clients, such as research and consultancy agencies contracted by commercial companies, government agencies, and NGOs. We only carry out research. Your participation will never result in sales or marketing communication from us, our clients, or any linked third party.

Why and how we contact you

Any communication you receive from us, such as e-mail invitations or phone calls, will clearly identify us and explain the purpose(s) of our contact. When we contact you, it will generally be to conduct a telephone interview as part of a survey. In nearly all cases, we will only process your data based on your informed consent to do so.

The contact details we have for you can come from a variety of sources, and we will always let you know what the source was when you speak to us. We may find your phone number on publicly available databases through a process called “desk research,” or we may contact you on behalf of a client who provides you with products and services.

Data we collect

Via our website. Our contact form collects your name, e-mail address, company name, and a telephone number so we can help with your query. If you are applying to join our telephone research teams, we also ask for your address and the languages you speak, and you can choose to include a CV.

Via telephone interviews. We record all of our calls to ensure our teams treat you fairly and professionally and meet the relevant Codes of Conduct. We always confirm this is fine with you before proceeding, and recordings are only shared with individuals responsible for quality control unless you consent separately to another purpose.

Our role in the processing of your data

When we get in touch, we will always tell you who we are and provide the name(s) of the data controller(s) that decided how your data should be processed. Most of the time we are commissioned by our clients, which means they are the data controller. Depending on the circumstances, we may be joint data controllers, and we have a legal obligation to give effect to your rights should you choose to exercise them.

Data controllers and data processor

In a market research survey, different parties form the “research chain”: the research sponsor, the research agency that designs the survey, and the fieldwork agency (in this case GDCC) that implements the survey and speaks to respondents to collect insights.

A data controller determines why and how data is processed, while a data processor acts on the controller's instructions and holds details only as long as necessary. All parties are legally bound to protect your privacy and give effect to your rights under GDPR.

Exercising your rights under GDPR

We will try to act on your requests no later than 30 days after receipt. We may need to verify your identity first so that we do not act on malicious or fraudulent requests.

Withdrawing consent and withholding information

If you previously consented to our processing your personal data, you can withdraw this consent at any time. E-mail us at compliance@gdcc.com to let us know, or tell our telephone interviewers during a survey and we will act on this immediately.

You are under no obligation to answer any question we ask, and you can discontinue participation in a study at any time.

Confidentiality of survey responses

When reporting survey results, we include your responses in a list with all other participants where you are not identifiable. We will never report your individual survey responses in a way that personally identifies you, with limited exceptions such as legal disclosure requirements, contractually bound third parties for research or quality control purposes, or where you consent to sharing.

Security of personal information

We are ISO 27001 certified, meaning we have processes and procedures in place throughout our organization to minimize the risk of unauthorized people accessing any data. We inform and train our employees on confidentiality, security, and privacy.

We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect personal information during transmission and once received, including encryption, password protection, secure file transfer, and limiting the number of users that can access your information at any point in time.

International transfer of data

We will sometimes need to transfer your data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) to deliver our services. Any such transfer is done securely and the data is only used in the same way it would be within the EEA. This is safeguarded by a contract requiring recipients to protect your data to EEA standards, or by transferring only to countries recognized by the European Commission as providing adequate protection.

Retention of data

We keep only the data we need and only for the time we need it. We review the data we hold on a regular basis, and if the purpose for which we collected it is no longer relevant, we delete it securely or anonymise it so no one can ever link you to it.

Quality standards

Our commitment to you and the quality of our work is enshrined in our trade association memberships and certification to ISO standards.

• Corporate member of the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR)
• Company Partner of the UK Market Research Society (MRS)
• ISO 27001 certified (data and information security)
• ISO 20252 certified (quality management system for operational excellence)

Getting in touch

We have appointed a Data Protection Officer who is the point of contact for any questions about this policy, your personal data, and how we use it. Please e-mail our DPO at compliance@gdcc.com or reach out by postal mail to: