Who we are

Next Generation Networks Pty Ltd (ABN 65 162 957 931) ("NGN", "we", "us") provides IT, network, cloud, voice and web services to Australian businesses. We handle personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

This policy covers our website (ngn.au) and the services we run for our customers. It isn't a contract; it explains what we do with personal information.

What we collect and how

We collect the personal information you give us or that our services need to work:

  • Contact details: your name, business name, role, email address and phone number.
  • What you send us: enquiries, quote requests, support tickets, emails, chat and WhatsApp messages, and the files you attach.
  • Account and billing details: the services you use, invoices, payments and their status. Card details go to our payment processor, not to us.
  • Call records: for calls with our team, the numbers, times and duration, and (where we tell you) a recording and its transcript.
  • Technical details: message delivery status, and how our website is used (see Website analytics and cookies).

We collect it directly from you when you contact us, fill in a form, use our services, call us or message us, and from the systems we run for you while we provide those services. If you give us someone else's details (for example a colleague as a billing contact), please make sure they know.

Why we use it

We use personal information to:

  • answer enquiries and prepare quotes;
  • provide, support and secure the services you use;
  • send service messages: sign-in codes, outage and maintenance notices, support updates and invoices;
  • bill you, take payments and keep the accounting records the law requires;
  • train our team and check the quality of our support;
  • send occasional offers, only if you have agreed (see Marketing and opting out).

We don't sell personal information, and we don't use it for anything unrelated to the purposes above without your consent unless the law requires or allows it.

Our services and your information

Website forms. When you send our contact or quote form, its contents go to our support system so the right person can reply. The form is protected by Google reCAPTCHA (see below) to keep out spam and abuse.

Support (helpdesk). Emails and messages to our support addresses become tickets in our own support system, which keeps the conversation history so we can help you and anyone on your team who contacts us.

Billing and payments. We issue invoices and keep billing records in our own billing system and in our accounting software (Xero). Card payments are processed by Stripe; we never see or store your full card number. Invoices and receipts may be sent by email or, if you have opted in, by WhatsApp.

Phone calls. Calls with our team may be recorded and transcribed for quality, training, record-keeping and to resolve disputes. We tell you when a call is recorded. Transcription uses a cloud speech-to-text service, which may process the audio outside Australia. Recordings and transcripts are kept in our systems and are available only to authorised staff.

WhatsApp business messaging. If you opt in, we send WhatsApp messages from our business number: sign-in (verification) codes, service and outage notices, invoices and account messages, and replies to your enquiries. You can stop them at any time by replying STOP, or by blocking our number in WhatsApp. WhatsApp is provided by Meta; your messages pass through Meta's systems under WhatsApp's own terms and privacy policy, and may be processed outside Australia, including in the United States. We may also send SMS for the same purposes through an SMS provider.

Email hosting. For customers whose email we host, mail is stored on our own servers in Australia. We access mailbox contents only to provide the service, when you ask us to (for example to restore mail), or where the law requires it.

Systems we manage for you. When we manage your network, devices or cloud services, we may see personal information held in them. We use it only to do the work you have asked for.

Website analytics and cookies

Our website uses Google Analytics to understand how it is used: which pages are visited, how people arrive (for example from a search), the type of device and browser, and an approximate location. Google Analytics sets cookies (_ga and _ga_*) that tell repeat visits apart. We use these reports only to improve the site.

Our contact and quote form uses Google reCAPTCHA, which collects information about your device and how you use the page to tell people from bots. Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply to both.

If you choose a language with the site's language switcher, a cookie (ngn_lang) remembers your choice. We don't use advertising cookies on ngn.au.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or install Google's Analytics opt-out add-on. The site keeps working without them.

Who we share it with, and where

We share personal information only with service providers who help us run our business and only as much as they need, or where the law requires it. They include:

  • Meta (WhatsApp) for business messaging;
  • Google for website analytics and form protection;
  • Stripe for card payments, and Xero for accounting;
  • a cloud speech-to-text service for call transcripts;
  • telecommunications and SMS carriers, to deliver calls and messages.

Our own systems (website, support, billing, email hosting and call recordings) are hosted in Australia. Some of the providers above store or process information overseas, including in the United States. Where that happens we take reasonable steps for it to be handled consistently with the APPs.

Marketing and opting out

We send offers or news only if you have agreed to receive them. Every marketing email has an unsubscribe link; for WhatsApp or SMS, reply STOP (in WhatsApp you can also use "Stop promotions"). Opting out of marketing doesn't stop service messages that you need to use our services, such as sign-in codes, outage notices and invoices.

Security and how long we keep it

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, change or disclosure: access is limited to staff who need it, accounts use strong authentication, and data is encrypted in transit. We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above or as the law requires (for example, tax records for at least five years), then delete or de-identify it.

Access and correction

You can ask for the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it, by contacting us. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to confirm your identity first, and in limited cases the law allows us to refuse; if so, we will tell you why.

Complaints

If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal information, contact us first and we will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our services change. The current version is always on this page, with the date it took effect.

Contact us

Email support@ngn.au or call 1300 096 253.

Next Generation Networks Pty Ltd · ABN 65 162 957 931