Start with the advocate, because the reference is theirs
A customer who agrees to be a reference is lending you their name, their employer's name and their time. They are not handing over the right to decide where those appear. Most reference tooling treats privacy as a vendor setting: the vendor decides what to show and the customer finds out later, if at all.
lyynx is built the other way around. The advocate decides what is visible, how they can be reached and whether they stay listed. Your team works inside those choices. This page explains each control and what it means for the people on both sides.
What reference privacy controls are
Reference privacy controls are the settings that answer three questions about every customer reference:
- Who is allowed to see this reference?
- Which details about the person are shown?
- How may a prospect make contact, if at all?
Without controls like these, the answers live in someone's memory or in a notes column. That is how a customer who agreed to "one call, for a healthcare prospect" ends up with their direct line in a sales deck.
How privacy controls work in lyynx
Three privacy levels per reference
Every reference has one of three privacy levels: Public, Approval Required or Private. The level is the broad setting for how openly the reference is shared. If you are unsure which to use for a given customer, public vs private customer references walks through the trade-offs.
Public here does not mean open to the internet. Prospects must register to see real reference content, and your team either invites them or approves their access request. Access can also be set to expire.
Display controls per contact
Under the privacy level, each reference contact has individual display settings. Each of these can be shown or hidden:
- Photo
- LinkedIn link
- Contact details
- Case study
- Testimonial
- Success metrics
An advocate can be happy to have their story told and still not want their photo or their numbers on the page. These settings let them say yes to part of it.
Alex Example VP Operations, Example Health
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Privacy level | Approval required |
| Contact method | Requests are approved first |
| Photo | Shown |
| LinkedIn link | Hidden |
| Contact details | Hidden |
| Case study | Shown |
| Testimonial | Shown |
| Success metrics | Hidden |
| Consent | Approved (can be revoked by the advocate) |
Contact method per reference
Each reference also has a contact method. There are three:
| Contact method | What the prospect experiences | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|
| Direct | The prospect contacts the advocate through the platform. | Advocates who enjoy these conversations and want no gatekeeping. |
| Approved first | The request is reviewed and approved before any conversation starts. | Most references. The advocate is not surprised by a stranger. |
| Company only | The request goes to your team, not to the advocate. | Senior or busy advocates, and sensitive accounts. |
Consent that can be withdrawn
Each reference contact has an approval status: draft, pending approval, approved, rejected or revoked. An advocate can revoke consent. When they do, the reference stops being shown, and it needs a new approval before it appears again. There is no quiet way to put it back.
Profile ownership
Once an invited advocate logs in, they own their own profile fields. Your team cannot edit them and has to ask for an update.
Limits on how often they are asked
Privacy is also about time. Advocates set their own engagement limit, and when they are at capacity new requests route to your team. That is covered in advocate burnout prevention.
A public check for anyone
Some people are listed as references without knowing it. lyynx publishes a public "Are you listed as a reference?" check. Anyone can search by email, domain or company name to see whether a vendor has listed them, and report a listing they did not authorize. No account is needed.
Who uses these controls
- Advocates choose what is shown, set their limits and revoke consent if circumstances change.
- Customer marketing sets sensible starting values and runs the approval workflow.
- Sales checks the approval status on a reference, so there is no guessing about who is safe to share.
- Legal and security reviewers on either side can read the published privacy, data processing and security documents that lyynx publishes.
Practical tips
- Ask before you list. Get consent in writing, with the specifics. The customer reference consent form template covers the questions to ask.
- Default to less. Start a new reference at Approval Required with contact details hidden. It is easy to open things up after a conversation and awkward to walk them back.
- Let the advocate set it themselves. Invite them and let them choose. People are more generous with settings they control.
- Use company-only contact for executives. Your team takes the request and decides whether it is worth the advocate's time.
- Treat a revocation as information. If someone withdraws, find out why before you ask again. A job change and a bad experience need different responses.
- Recheck when things change. A new role, an acquisition or a renewal dispute can all change what a customer is comfortable with.