How to Automate DSAR Responses Without Enterprise Software

You Do Not Need OneTrust to Handle DSARs

Enterprise DSAR platforms cost five figures a year. If you receive fewer than 50 requests per year, you do not need one. Here is how to automate the important parts on a budget.

What to Automate (and What Not To)

Automate: Intake, acknowledgment, deadline tracking, template responses, and reminders.

Do not automate: Identity verification decisions, exception assessments, and the actual deletion. These require human judgment.

The Free Stack

1. Intake: Web Form + Email

Create a dedicated web form (Google Forms, Typeform, or a simple contact form) that feeds into a shared inbox (privacy@yourcompany.com). The form captures:

• Requester name and email
• Request type (access, deletion, correction, opt-out)
• Any account identifiers
• Jurisdiction (if known)

2. Tracking: Spreadsheet

A spreadsheet handles tracking for most small businesses. Columns:

• Request ID (auto-increment)
• Date received
• Requester name and email
• Request type
• Jurisdiction / applicable law
• Verification status
• Deadline (auto-calculated: date received + 30 or 45 days)
• Status (received, verifying, searching, executing, responded)
• Notes
• Date closed

Set conditional formatting to highlight rows approaching their deadline.

3. Acknowledgment: Email Template

Trigger an automatic acknowledgment email when a request is logged. Template:

We have received your data request on [date]. We will respond within [30/45] days. If we need additional information to verify your identity, we will contact you shortly. Your reference number is [ID].

For CCPA: this acknowledgment must go out within 10 business days.

4. Deadline Reminders: Calendar Alerts

Set three alerts per request:

• Day 7: Verification should be complete
• Day 20: Search and assessment should be complete
• Day 25 (GDPR) / Day 35 (CCPA): Final deadline approaching — response must go out

5. Response Templates

Pre-draft templates for each scenario:

• Access response: "Here is the personal data we hold about you..."
• Deletion confirmation: "We have deleted your personal data from the following systems..."
• Partial deletion: "We have deleted [X]. We are required to retain [Y] because [exception]..."
• Refusal: "We are unable to fulfill this request because [reason]..."
• Extension notice: "We need additional time to process your request because [reason]..."

See our DSAR response templates guide for full template language.

6. Verification Checklist

Create a checklist template for each request:

• [ ] Confirm requester email matches records
• [ ] Match data point 1: ___
• [ ] Match data point 2: ___
• [ ] (For sensitive/deletion) Match data point 3: ___
• [ ] (For sensitive/deletion) Signed declaration received
• [ ] Verification decision: Verified / Not verified

When to Upgrade

Consider dedicated DSAR software when:

• You receive more than 50 requests per year
• You have more than 10 systems to search per request
• You need audit trails for regulatory examinations
• Your team has more than 2-3 people handling requests

For software recommendations, see our DSAR software comparison.

Related Guides

• Building a DSAR Workflow — workflow design
• DSAR Software Comparison — when to upgrade
• DSAR Response Templates — template language
• DSAR Training — team preparation