Strensall Merchants / BG-Demo – Onboarding
Callcompleted
Strensall Merchants · 22 May 2025 13:30
Onboarding call with Neil Craven and Ashok Patel. They agreed a staged connector plan, Selby as pilot branch, SSO before first users and a named Snowflake role. Neil framed the purchase around one trade account view across branches.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Onboarding call with Neil Craven and Ashok Patel. They agreed a staged connector plan, Selby as pilot branch, SSO before first users and a named Snowflake role. Neil framed the purchase around one trade account view across branches.
What happened: Hamza Akhtar agreed the connector order with the customer. Orders, credit and delivery come first, then the CRM and call recorder, then email and the helpdesk. Selby is the pilot branch.
Customer view: Neil Craven said a housebuilder's query is exactly why they bought B-Viz. Ashok Patel wants counts checked against the ledger, a named Snowflake role and a source that can be paused without losing history.
Commercial: The customer is licensed for one hundred and sixty users on Enterprise. Hamza advised starting with the pilot branch, trade credit and key accounts, so wider seat use is still ahead. SSO and SCIM are included and will go live before pilot users.
Watch: Ashok warned that duplicate trade accounts will need tidying and that delivery data is messy. Neil wants something honest to tell the board, so early accuracy matters. Trust would fall if the first answers were wrong.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Onboarding plan, Selby pilot
Importance
neutral
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- Hamza Akhtar to send the permissions list and the SSO note, with the connector plan naming Selby.
- Ashok Patel to share the account number spreadsheet and create the named Snowflake role.
- Neil Craven to send the test case and name about six early users by the end of the week.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Duplicate trade accounts and messy delivery data may slow the pilot and need manual tidying.
- A wrong early answer would cost the trust of users and the board story Neil wants to tell.
- SSO depends on a colleague in IT who has only been told it is coming.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Wider seat use up to the one hundred and sixty licensed users once the pilot settles.
- The second and third connector waves deepen use across CRM, calls, email and the helpdesk.
- A verified answer on the housebuilder test case could serve as a reference story.
Transcript
Hamza AkhtarHello, can you both hear me alright? I can see Ashok, Neil, you're just a name at the moment.
Ashok PatelHello Hamza. Yes, clear on my side.
Neil CravenAfternoon, both. Sorry, I'm sat in the car at the yard, there's a lorry reversing about ten feet away. Give me a minute and I'll find a quiet office.- Hamza AkhtarNo rush at all. We're not starting until you're settled. Did you get any lunch, or is it a sandwich in the car sort of day?
- Neil CravenSandwich in the car. Right, I'm in. Door shut. Can you hear me better?
- Hamza AkhtarMuch better, yes. Thanks. So, good to have you both. This is the onboarding call, so the point of the next forty-odd minutes is to agree which sources we switch on, in what order, and who owns what on your side. I've got a rough plan, but I'd rather it came out of this conversation than land on you.
- Neil CravenSuits me. Let's sort it, not talk about it. Oh, and before we start, a housebuilder rang me first thing. Wanted to know why their order on one branch showed one thing and the credit team were saying another. That's exactly why we bought this, so, you know, no pressure.
- Hamza AkhtarHa. Well, that's a helpful reminder of what we're aiming at. Which branch, which account, is that something we can use as a test case later?
- Neil CravenAye, it could be. I'll not name them on a recording, I'll send it you separately. But yes, one trade account, same view at every branch. That's the whole thing.
- Hamza AkhtarPerfect. Ashok, you usually open with what you've changed since last time, so go on. What's moved since we spoke?
- Ashok PatelRight. So, since the kickoff I've done three things. First, I've got the admin accounts sorted, mine and a colleague's from IT, so there's a second pair of hands if I'm off. Second, I've asked the team who run the branch system to give me a read-only service login. They've done that, but I haven't switched anything on yet. And third, I've written down every place a trade account number lives. Which turns out to be more places than I expected.
- Hamza AkhtarThat last one is gold, honestly. How many different shapes of account number are we talking about?
- Ashok PatelThree that I'm sure of. The branch system has its own, the credit system has the ledger number, and the delivery system uses a short code the drivers type in. Some are the same underneath, some aren't. I've put it in a spreadsheet with a screenshot of each. I'll share it after this.
- Neil CravenWhich account number is that, is what I say to my lot every day. Half of them don't know which one they're quoting.
- Ashok PatelWhich is, well, my phrase as well, Neil. The data says otherwise quite often.
- Hamza AkhtarGood, because that's the bit that decides whether B-Viz shows you one customer or three. So here's what I'd suggest. We take the credit ledger number as the anchor, and map the branch and delivery codes onto it. Does that match how finance would see it?
- Ashok PatelI think so. Reports have to match the ledger, otherwise nobody believes them. But I'd want to test the mapping on one branch first. Not the whole estate.
- Hamza AkhtarAgreed. Which branch would you pick?
- Ashok PatelSomewhere mid-sized, with a decent mix of cash customers and account customers. Not the biggest. If it goes wrong I want to be able to put it right quickly. Neil, any thoughts?
- Neil CravenOur Selby branch would do it. Manager's sharp, keen on this, and he'll tell you straight if the numbers look daft. Not too big, not tiny. He's got a couple of the housebuilder accounts too, so you'd see the sort of thing I'm on about.
- Hamza AkhtarSelby it is, then, as the pilot branch. I'll write that down. Now, sources. From the order form you've got a good number of connectors available on Enterprise, and I'd like to stage them rather than do everything in one go. First wave would be the branch system for orders, the credit system for balances and terms, and the delivery system for drops and proof of delivery. Second wave would be the CRM and the call recorder, so key account managers see conversations next to orders. Third wave, email and the helpdesk if you want them.
- Neil CravenKey accounts will want the calls early, mind. They're the ones who'll use it most. But I take the point, orders and credit first, else it's just chat with nothing underneath.
- Hamza AkhtarYes, and the calls only make sense once we can tie them to an account. So the account mapping has to be right first. Otherwise we get a call floating about with no customer attached.
- Neil CravenFair. Right order, then.
- Ashok PatelCan I ask about refresh? How often does the data come in, and when is it ready? Because the credit controllers start early.
- Hamza AkhtarGood question. It refreshes overnight, and on business days it should be complete by seven in the morning your time. That's the same on every tier. If you see it later than that, tell us, because it's a freshness issue and on Enterprise that's something we take seriously.
- Ashok PatelSeven is fine. Credit start at half seven. Good.
- Hamza AkhtarThen there's where it all sits. Everything runs inside your own Snowflake account, so nothing leaves your environment. That helps with the security conversation, and Ashok, I know your team had questions in the review.
- Ashok PatelWe did, and they were answered. The one thing still open on my side is who holds the keys, as it were. I'd like a named role in our Snowflake that B-Viz uses, nothing broader. I'll create it, you tell me what it needs, and I'll grant only that.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's exactly how I'd want it. I'll send you the list of permissions tonight, nothing more than needed. And you create the role, we never create it for you.
- Ashok PatelGood. I'd also like to be able to switch a source off again without losing what we've built. Never delete what I can't restore, that's my rule.
- Hamza AkhtarYou can pause a connector and the history stays. Removing it is a separate, deliberate step. I'll show you where that is when we get to the admin screen.
- Neil CravenCan I ask something daft? Licences. We've got a hundred and sixty. Do I have to decide today who gets one?
- Hamza AkhtarNot at all, and it's not daft. You're licensed for one hundred and sixty users. My advice is don't hand them all out on day one. Start with the pilot branch, trade credit, and key accounts, and widen as people ask. You'll get more value from forty people who use it every day than a hundred and sixty who log in once.
- Neil CravenThat's sensible. I was going to give it to every branch manager, but they'd all be asking the same question at once and I'd have ninety-odd phone calls.
- Hamza AkhtarRight, and we do want a few of them early, they're the ones who'll spot what's wrong. Just a handful, from branches with different habits.
- Neil CravenI'll pick six or so. Different areas, one up in the North East, one in the Midlands. I'll give you the names by the end of the week.
- Hamza AkhtarBrilliant. I'll note that as yours, Neil. Ashok, can I take you through the order of work in a bit more detail? I'll share my screen, bear with me.
- Ashok PatelGo ahead. I'll have the spreadsheet open next to it.
- Hamza AkhtarCan you see it? It's the connector plan. Left column is the source, then the owner on your side, then the owner on ours, then what we call done. For each connector, done means records loading, counts agreeing with the source, and one person on your side who's checked a handful by eye.
- Ashok PatelYes, I can see it. I like the last bit. Counts agreeing with the source is the test I'd use anyway.
- Hamza AkhtarSo for the branch system, you're owner, I'm ours. Credit system, same. Delivery system, same, though I'd imagine you'll want someone in logistics to look over it.
- Neil CravenOur transport manager. Sharp lad. He'll know straight away if a drop's in the wrong place. I'll introduce him to Ashok this week.
- Ashok PatelThat'd help. Delivery data is the messiest. Drivers type things in on handheld units, and you get all sorts in the notes field.
- Hamza AkhtarWe've seen that. We index the notes but we don't rely on them for matching. Matching is on the account code. The notes just make it searchable.
- Ashok PatelGood. I wouldn't want a typo in a notes field to make a delivery vanish from an account.
- Hamza AkhtarIt won't. If a code doesn't match, it goes to an unmatched list for you to look at, rather than being dropped or guessed.
- Neil CravenHang on, what does that look like in real life? Say a builder's account is set up twice at two branches, slightly different spelling.
- Hamza AkhtarThen they show on the unmatched or duplicate list, with both records side by side, and Ashok decides whether they're the same trade account. Once he says yes, they join up, and every branch sees the one customer from then on.
- Neil CravenRight. That's the bit I want. What's the builder actually seeing? One face. Not three branches telling three stories.
- Ashok PatelIt will take a bit of tidying, Neil. I'd not want to overstate it. Some of those duplicates will be the same company, and some will be a director's other firm. The data won't always tell us which.
- Neil CravenFair. You tell me which are which and I'll ring the branches. Some of that needs a phone call, not a database.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's a good split, actually. Ashok flags, Neil's people confirm. I'll put it in the plan as a standing job for the first few weeks.
- Ashok PatelOne more thing on the pilot. When I switch on the branch system for Selby, can I see the records before anyone else does? I want to compare a sample against the till reports myself.
- Hamza AkhtarYes. New connectors load for admins only first. Nobody else sees them until you release them. So you can test as long as you like.
- Ashok PatelThen I'm happy. I'll test it on one branch first, check against the ledger, and only then open it.
- Hamza AkhtarExactly the sequence I'd suggest. Let me pause on security for a second, because Enterprise includes single sign-on and SCIM, and I'd like to know who looks after that on your side.
- Ashok PatelThat's our identity team, a colleague in IT. I've told them it's coming. They'll want to know what B-Viz needs from them, so if you can send a short note I'll pass it on.
- Hamza AkhtarI'll write it up in plain terms, what we need and in what order, and copy you both. Do you want it so single sign-on is on before the first users arrive?
- Ashok PatelYes. I don't want anyone creating a separate password for something this close to credit data.
- Neil CravenAye, nothing with credit limits on it should have its own password. We'd never hear the end of it.
- Hamza AkhtarGood. Then single sign-on goes ahead of the pilot users. I'll add it above the first connector in the plan.
- Hamza AkhtarLet me scroll down. There's a block for training. Neil, you mentioned key accounts. I'd suggest a short session for them once the orders and credit are live, using their own accounts. Not a generic demo.
- Neil CravenDefinitely their own accounts. If they see a builder they know, they'll be in. If it's made-up data, they'll switch off. And can it be short? They're out on the road half the week.
- Hamza AkhtarShort, yes. About an hour, and I'd record it so the people who miss it can watch later.
- Neil CravenPerfect.
- Ashok PatelHamza, what sort of questions can people ask on day one? I'd like to set expectations, so we don't oversell it internally.
- Hamza AkhtarSensible. Early on, the kind of thing like, what has this account ordered recently, are there any late deliveries, is the balance within terms. It answers from what's loaded. If something isn't connected yet, it will say it doesn't have it. It shouldn't make something up.
- Ashok PatelGood. Because the first time it gets something wrong, people will stop trusting it. I'd rather it said it didn't know.
- Hamza AkhtarAgreed, and that's why the checks against the ledger matter so much. We can build trust with a few answers that are verifiably right.
- Neil CravenCan I have a go at that? Not today, but once Selby's in. I'd like to ask it about that builder who rang me this morning and see if it tells me what the branch told me.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's the demo I'd want to do. And if it disagrees with the branch, we learn something either way.
- Neil CravenRight. Which is half of why I'm doing this.
- Ashok PatelCan we talk about dates? I don't want to commit to something I can't deliver, but I need a shape.
- Hamza AkhtarOf course. Rough shape: this week, you create the role and I send the permissions. Next week, the first connector goes live for admins on the pilot branch, and you test. The week after that, credit and delivery. Then we release to the pilot users. After that we widen branch by branch, and the second wave of sources comes in as the first settles.
- Ashok PatelThat works. I'd want a buffer in case the delivery data is as messy as I fear.
- Hamza AkhtarI'll build one in. Better to say a week later and be early than the other way round.
- Neil CravenI'm happy with that. I'd rather it was right than fast. Mind you, I'd like to say something to the board in a few weeks. Is there anything I can honestly say?
- Hamza AkhtarYou could say the first branch is live and being checked against the ledger. That'd be true by then, I'd expect. I wouldn't promise more than that until Ashok's happy.
- Neil CravenGood. That's what I'll say. Nothing I haven't checked.
- Ashok PatelThank you. That helps me.
- Hamza AkhtarRight, let me recap the actions, and tell me if I've got any wrong. Ashok, you share the account number spreadsheet today, create the named role in Snowflake once you've had my permissions list, and introduce the transport manager. Neil, you send me the test case separately, pick six or so early users by the end of the week, and brief the transport manager. Me, I send the permissions list tonight, the single sign-on note to you both, and the connector plan with Selby named as the pilot.
- Ashok PatelThat's right. One more: I'll tell you what I changed when we next speak, as ever.
- Hamza AkhtarHa, I'd be disappointed otherwise. Anything else on your minds before we finish? I've got a bit of time.
- Neil CravenJust one. If it goes wrong on a branch, who do I ring? I don't want to be passed around.
- Hamza AkhtarDuring onboarding, me. Direct. And your customer success manager, Daniel, picks up the longer-term side once we're live. You won't be passed around, I promise.
- Neil CravenGrand. Then I'm happy.
- Ashok PatelLikewise. It's a better plan than I walked in expecting.
- Hamza AkhtarLovely, thank you both. I'll get those notes to you this afternoon. Speak soon.
- Neil CravenCheers, both. Cheers, Hamza.
- Ashok PatelThanks, Hamza. Bye for now.
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