Strensall Merchants / BG-Demo – Onboarding
Callcompleted
Strensall Merchants · 7 May 2025 14:45
Neil Craven and Ashok Patel agreed a connector order, a credit sign-off checkpoint and a gated rollout. Both were positive. Ashok's concern is account mapping and an export the transport office controls.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Neil Craven and Ashok Patel agreed a connector order, a credit sign-off checkpoint and a gated rollout. Both were positive. Ashok's concern is account mapping and an export the transport office controls.
What happened: Laura Penhaligon walked Neil and Ashok through the connector plan, owners, access and training. Orders go first, credit second with a longer test, and waves open when the mapping check passes on a test branch, not on a date.
Customer view: Neil opened with a housebuilder who got two credit positions on one trade account, and called it exactly why they bought. Ashok said he is pleased and wants it to stay properly planned rather than rushed.
Commercial: The Enterprise licence covers one hundred and sixty users with single sign-on and SCIM. IT wants the security documents first, so Laura will send the architecture note and access summary.
Watch: Ashok said the delivery export runs on a schedule he does not control and could break unannounced. Laura proposed flagging a flat source the next day, and Neil will make the transport lead warn Ashok first.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Onboarding connector plan
Importance
praise
Sentiment
positive
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Laura to build the master account table from Ashok's mapping spreadsheet and send it back for checking.
- Laura to send the architecture note and access summary to Ashok's IT colleague, plus the plan with the credit checkpoint.
- Neil to name the credit and transport contacts and make the transport lead tell Ashok before any export change.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- The delivery export schedule is outside Ashok's control, so a change could silently break the load.
- The trade account numbers differ across the branch, credit and delivery systems, so a wrong join would show one builder's credit against another's deliveries.
- IT has not yet seen the security documents, which could hold up single sign-on.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Neil wants to tell people the company is happy, and an early success on the test branch could support wider rollout.
- The Enterprise licence has room for waves of key account managers and branch managers.
Transcript
Laura PenhaligonHello, can you hear me all right? I've got the recording going, so you'll see the little notice. Afternoon, both.
Neil CravenAfternoon Laura. Aye, loud and clear. Ashok, you there?
Ashok PatelI'm here. Sorry, I was just closing a screen. Good afternoon, Laura. Good afternoon, Neil.- Neil CravenRight, before we start, I've had a housebuilder on the phone at half eight this morning. One of the big ones. Their site manager got two different credit positions from two different branches on the same trade account. Same account, mind. That's exactly why we bought this thing, so it's nice to start with a reminder.
- Laura PenhaligonHa, well, that's a good motivator. Was it sorted in the end?
- Neil CravenSorted, yes. But it took three phone calls and a bit of shouting across the office. What's the builder actually seeing? A merchant that doesn't know its own customer. We can do better than that.
- Laura PenhaligonAgreed. So today I'd like to go through where we are on the connectors, who owns what on your side, and how we roll out to the branches. Ashok, I know you like to open with what you've changed since we last spoke, so go ahead.
- Ashok PatelThanks. So, since last time I've done three things. I've created the service role in Snowflake that B-Viz will run under, and I've limited it to the schema we agreed. I've also pulled a clean extract from the branch system for a single region, so we've got something to test against. And I've written up the account number mapping, which is the bit that worries me most.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's really helpful, that mapping especially. Can you say a bit more about why it worries you?
- Ashok PatelWell, the branch system, the credit system and the delivery system don't agree on what a trade account number is. Branch uses one format, credit adds a suffix, and delivery sometimes holds the site address instead of the account at all. So when somebody says an account, my first question is always, which account number is that?
- Neil CravenHe says that to me about once a day.
- Ashok PatelBecause it matters, Neil. If we join on the wrong key we'll show a builder's credit against someone else's deliveries.
- Laura PenhaligonNo, absolutely, and that's the right instinct. What we normally do is build a master account table in your Snowflake, one row per trade account, with every alias hanging off it. Then each connector loads to its own raw area and the brain reads through the master table. Would your mapping document work as the starting point for that?
- Ashok PatelI think so. It's a spreadsheet at the moment. Branch number, credit reference, delivery reference, and a column for notes where I've flagged the ones I'm not sure about.
- Laura PenhaligonPerfect. If you share that, I'll turn it into the table definition and send it back for you to check before anything loads. You stay in control of what goes in.
- Ashok PatelGood. I'd want that. I never switch a source on without testing it, so I'll run it on one branch first and compare with the ledger.
- Neil CravenWhich branch were you thinking?
- Ashok PatelOne of the mid-sized ones in Yorkshire. Busy enough to have real trade accounts, not so busy that a mistake hurts anyone. I'd rather not pick the flagship.
- Neil CravenFair. Though I'll say, the manager there would love it. He's been on at me for months about seeing a builder's whole history in one place.
- Laura PenhaligonThen he sounds like a good early user. Let me share my screen and show you the connector plan, because I want to check I've understood the sources properly.
- Ashok PatelGo on.
- Laura PenhaligonCan you both see it? It's the plan page. On the left, the sources: branch orders, the credit system, the delivery system, the call recorder, the helpdesk, and your CRM. Then on the right, the order we'd turn them on. I've put branch orders first, then credit, then delivery, and calls and the rest after.
- Neil CravenWhy orders first?
- Laura PenhaligonBecause everything else hangs off the order history. Once the orders are in, credit tells you who's behind and delivery tells you what actually turned up. Calls and tickets are the colour on top.
- Neil CravenRight. Makes sense. Credit's the one I care about most, mind. If sales and credit can't agree on a customer we've got nothing.
- Ashok PatelWhich is also the one with the awkward suffix, so I'd prefer to do credit second, but with a longer test. Maybe a few days side by side with the ledger before anyone else sees it.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's fine by me. We can put in a checkpoint where you sign off the credit load before it's visible to the branches. I'll add it to the plan now.
- Ashok PatelThank you. And reports. The reports have to match the ledger. If the finance team opens a trade account and the balance is different from what they see in their own system, they'll stop trusting it in a day.
- Laura PenhaligonCompletely. One thing to be clear on, the nightly refresh finishes before seven in the morning on business days, so what the branches see at the start of the day is last night's position. If someone's looking at a balance that changed this afternoon, it won't be in there until the next refresh. It's worth telling the users.
- Neil CravenGood shout. Branch managers will ask. They always want it live. I'll say it plainly, it's yesterday's close, not this minute.
- Ashok PatelI can put a line on the front page of the internal guide too.
- Laura PenhaligonLovely. Now, owners. For each connector I need a name on your side who can answer questions about the source system. Ashok, you're the admin, so I've got you down for all of them as the technical contact. Is that realistic?
- Ashok PatelTechnical contact, yes. But I'm not the person who knows why a credit hold is applied. That's someone in the credit team. And delivery is run by the transport office, who know the quirks in their data far better than I do.
- Neil CravenI'll name them. Credit I'll ask our credit controller to sit in. Transport, I'll get the office lead. They'll not love another meeting but I'll tell them it's the last bit of reconciling they'll do by hand.
- Laura PenhaligonThat would be great. Even a thirty-minute walk through of their data would save us days. I'll write it up as questions so they're not sitting through a lecture.
- Neil CravenQuestions is good. Let's sort it, not talk about it.
- Laura PenhaligonHa, I'll put that on the plan as a principle. Right, next, users and access. You're licensed for one hundred and sixty users, and you've got single sign-on and SCIM as part of Enterprise. How were you thinking of starting?
- Ashok PatelHonestly, small. We've got a handful of people in already, from head office, trade customers and credit. I'd like to keep it to that group until the account mapping is trusted. Then add key account managers, then branch managers in waves.
- Neil CravenI'd go faster than Ashok would. But I take the point. A branch manager who logs in and sees rubbish won't log in again.
- Ashok PatelThat's my whole argument, Neil. First impressions.
- Laura PenhaligonI think you're both right, honestly. Usage has been climbing nicely among the early group, which is a good sign, and the one support ticket you've raised was a simple question, so nothing is blocking you. So what if we agree a gate? Waves open once the mapping check passes on the test branch, not on a date.
- Neil CravenA gate. Yes. I can sell that upstairs. It's not us dragging our feet, it's us doing it properly.
- Ashok PatelI'm happy with that.
- Laura PenhaligonGood. On single sign-on, have you spoken to your IT team about the identity side?
- Ashok PatelI've spoken to a colleague in IT. They're fine with it in principle, but they want to see the security documents first. They asked what B-Viz can read and where it's stored.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's an easy one to answer, it all sits in your own Snowflake account. We don't copy your data out to us. I'll send the architecture note and the access summary so your colleague can read them in their own time. If they have questions, put them in a list and we'll answer them in writing.
- Ashok PatelRight, that will help. They like things in writing.
- Neil CravenWho doesn't, when it's someone else's problem.
- Laura PenhaligonHa. Okay, I want to go back to the delivery system for a minute, because that's the one I know least about from your side. Ashok, what does it hold?
- Ashok PatelLoads, delivery notes, vehicle runs, proof of delivery, and sometimes photos. Photos we can leave out, I'd say, at least to begin with. The delivery notes are what matter. What was promised, what went out, and what was signed for.
- Neil CravenThat's the bit that sorts out half the arguments. Builder says nothing turned up, we can see the signature. Or the other way, we see it never left the yard.
- Laura PenhaligonGood, then delivery notes and proof of delivery in, photos out for now. I'll note that.
- Ashok PatelI'd add, the delivery system gets exported on a schedule that I don't control. If the transport office changes it, the load could break and nobody tells me. I've been caught out like that before.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's worth designing for. We can watch how many records each connector brings in. If a source goes flat, we flag it to you the next day rather than finding out in a month. And if the transport office is going to change anything, it would be good to have a named person who tells you first.
- Neil CravenI'll make that the transport lead's job. Tell Ashok before you touch anything. I'll put it in an email so it's on record.
- Ashok PatelI'd appreciate that.
- Laura PenhaligonLovely. Right, now training. I'd suggest two sessions to begin with. One for the early group, which is hands on, asking real questions about real accounts. And one for key account managers once they're in. Would the early group do Thursday afternoon next week?
- Neil CravenThursday afternoon's tight for me. I've a trade evening on. Could we do Friday morning?
- Laura PenhaligonFriday morning is fine. I'll send an invitation and a short list of what to bring. Bring a couple of accounts you know inside out, so you can tell straight away if the answers are right.
- Ashok PatelThat's a good idea. I'd pick accounts where the three systems already disagree. That's the real test.
- Neil CravenOoh, I've got a few of those. The housebuilder from this morning for a start.
- Laura PenhaligonPerfect, that's the one we'll use as the example. So, to pull together. Ashok, you'll share the mapping spreadsheet and the test branch extract. I'll build the master account table and send it back for checking. You test on one branch, compare with the ledger, and sign off before credit goes wider.
- Ashok PatelYes. And I'll tell you what I changed when we speak next, as I always do.
- Laura PenhaligonI'd expect nothing less. Neil, you'll name the credit and transport contacts, and make sure the transport lead tells Ashok about any export changes.
- Neil CravenDone. And Friday morning for the first session. I'll get the early group to come with their awkward accounts.
- Laura PenhaligonAnd I'll send the security note to Ashok's colleague in IT, plus the updated plan with the credit checkpoint. I'll copy Daniel as well, so your customer success manager knows where we've got to, and Lewis too.
- Neil CravenGrand. I'd like Lewis to know we're moving. He'll want to tell people we're happy.
- Laura PenhaligonI'll tell him you are. Anything else before we finish? Anything I haven't asked?
- Ashok PatelOnly that I'm pleased with how it's gone so far. It feels properly planned rather than rushed, and I'd like to keep it like that.
- Neil CravenSame from me. Right, I've a branch on hold. Thanks Laura, thanks Ashok. Cheers.
- Laura PenhaligonThanks both, speak soon. I'll send everything over this afternoon.
- Ashok PatelGoodbye. Ashok.
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