Strensall Merchants / BG-Demo – Training
Callcompleted
Strensall Merchants · 16 Jun 2025 13:30
Hamza Akhtar ran a second training with Ashok Patel and Karen Oxley. Ashok raised two urgent tickets about late credit loads. Karen liked saving a credit watch page, and Hamza said usage is up with plenty of licence headroom.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Hamza Akhtar ran a second training with Ashok Patel and Karen Oxley. Ashok raised two urgent tickets about late credit loads. Karen liked saving a credit watch page, and Hamza said usage is up with plenty of licence headroom.
What happened: On 16 Jun 2025 Hamza covered search, the one-account page, chat, saved pages and the dashboards builder. The delivery source is now live across the North East after a single-branch test.
Customer view: Ashok said two urgent tickets were raised because the credit load came in late on two mornings. Support was quick, but he wants to know what to expect.
Commercial: Hamza confirmed the Enterprise commitment of a 07:00 refresh on business days, with freshness covered. He also said usage has risen sharply and there is room under the 160-user licence.
Watch: Hamza owes Ashok a cause for the two late loads. Single sign on was parked for another session.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Training, data freshness tickets
Importance
neutral
Sentiment
positive
Voice
champion
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Hamza reviews the two late credit load tickets and writes to Ashok with the cause.
- Hamza sends the recording and a one-page plain English guide to both.
- Ashok sets up a North East branch managers group once Karen sends the names.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Two late credit loads in a month could become a freshness service-credit claim if they recur.
- The one-account link is unverified for a handful of accounts, so early errors could dent trust.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Usage is rising with headroom under the licence, and Karen will bring in more branch managers.
- Karen's saved credit watch page and a shared dashboard could spread use across the North East.
Transcript
Hamza AkhtarHello, can you hear me alright?
Ashok PatelYes, loud and clear. Afternoon, Hamza.- Hamza AkhtarAfternoon. Is Karen joining? I can see it's just the two of us so far.
- Ashok PatelShe's finishing at a branch, she said give her five minutes. She's been on the road since early, so I wouldn't be surprised if she dials in from the car park.
- Hamza AkhtarFine by me. How's the week been, anyway? Monday, so I suppose everybody's busy.
- Ashok PatelAlways. The builders are in at the crack of dawn on a Monday and the orders just stack up. But it's good, it's busy. Do you want me to say what I've changed since last time, while we wait?
- Hamza AkhtarYes please, that'd be useful. Then I know what I'm walking Karen through.
- Ashok PatelSo, after our last session I added the delivery system as a source. I tested it on one branch first, a York branch, ran it for a few nights, and compared what loaded against the ledger. It matched, apart from some returns, which I'll come to. Then I switched it on for the rest of the North East. That's why Karen's people can see deliveries now and couldn't before.
- Hamza AkhtarGood, that's the careful way to do it. And the credit source, that's still loading every night?
- Ashok PatelMostly. We raised a couple of urgent tickets in the last month because it came in late on two mornings. Support got to them quickly, so I'm not complaining, but I'd like to understand what to expect.
- Hamza AkhtarRight. So the commitment on Enterprise is that the nightly refresh is complete by 07:00 your time on business days. And on your tier, freshness is covered as well as availability, so if it's late you're entitled to say so. I'll look at those two tickets after the call and tell you what the cause was, if it isn't already written up.
- Ashok PatelThat would help. I'd rather know than guess.
Karen OxleyHello? Sorry, sorry. Can you hear me? I'm in the van.- Hamza AkhtarHi Karen, yes, we can hear you. Afternoon. Take your time, no rush.
- Karen OxleyAfternoon, Hamza. Ashok. Right, I've parked, give me a second to get the laptop open. A lorry's just reversed into the yard so if it beeps, ignore it.
- Ashok PatelWe've only just started, you haven't missed anything. I was telling Hamza about the delivery source.
- Karen OxleyOh, that's the bit I'm most interested in, actually. My branch managers keep ringing me asking where a customer's delivery has got to, and I don't know either.
- Hamza AkhtarPerfect, then let's build the session around that. Plan is simple. I'll share my screen, we'll start with search, then a trade account page, then asking questions in chat, and last the dashboards builder. Stop me whenever something doesn't make sense. This is for you, not for me.
- Karen OxleyLovely. Just so you know, I'm a user, I'm not technical. If I click something and it breaks, that's on you.
- Hamza AkhtarDeal. You can't break anything from a user login, I promise. Can you see my screen now?
- Karen OxleyYes. Is that the home page?
- Hamza AkhtarThat's it. Search bar across the top, your recent pages underneath, and on the left the pages your team has saved. Let's start with search. Karen, give me a trade customer you deal with a lot. Any one.
- Karen OxleyHmm. Let me think. A roofing contractor out near Durham, they're in every week. I'll not say the full name, but it begins with Hartley.
- Ashok PatelWhich account number is that? There are usually a few Hartley accounts across the branches.
- Karen OxleyHa, I don't know the number. That's rather the point, isn't it.
- Hamza AkhtarIt is, and it's a good test. Watch what comes back when I type just the first word.
- Hamza AkhtarSo you get a list. Each result is a trade account, with the branch it mostly trades at, and underneath you see where the information comes from: the orders system, the delivery system, calls, credit. Ashok, are those two at the top the same business?
- Ashok PatelLet me look. Yes, I think so. One is the account at the Durham branch and the other is the same business trading through a second branch under a slightly different name. In the ledger they're linked, but the branch systems each created their own. This is the thing I've been trying to tidy for months.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's exactly what the one-account view is for. If I open the first, the page pulls in the linked account as well, so Karen sees orders from both branches together.
- Karen OxleyOh, that's good. So I don't have to ring Darlington to ask what they've bought from there.
- Ashok PatelProvided the link is right. I'd check the link before you rely on it, Karen. I've only confirmed the ones I've tested. The data says otherwise for a handful of accounts and I haven't finished going through them.
- Karen OxleyFine, fair enough. How would I know if one's wrong?
- Hamza AkhtarGood question. Every figure on the page has a source link. Hover over the order total here and it tells you which system it came from and when it was last refreshed. If something looks off, you flag it to Ashok and he can check it against the ledger.
- Ashok PatelSend me a screenshot and the account name. Short messages are best. I'll look at it the same day.
- Karen OxleyRight. I can do a screenshot, I'm not completely hopeless.
- Hamza AkhtarNobody thinks that. Okay, scroll down this page with me. Top section is a summary: what they buy, how often, last order. Then deliveries, with status. Then credit, so balance and terms. Then a timeline of calls and emails with that customer, if your team has connected those.
- Karen OxleyWe've got some of the calls, haven't we, Ashok? Not all the branches.
- Ashok PatelOnly the key account team so far. I wanted to see how it behaved before opening it up. It's on my list.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's sensible. Anyway, to your delivery question, Karen. Click on the deliveries section and it expands. See, this one says delivered, this one says out for delivery, and this one is flagged as a part delivery.
- Karen OxleyPart delivery. Yes, that's the one that causes the phone calls. The customer says half the plasterboard never turned up.
- Ashok PatelThat's where I said the returns don't match perfectly. A part delivery in the delivery system sometimes shows as a full order in the orders system until someone amends it. So you'll see both.
- Hamza AkhtarWhich is honest, really. It shows both and lets you see the gap. Now let's try chat, because I think that's where this gets useful. I'll type a question the way you'd say it out loud.
- Hamza AkhtarHas Hartley had any part deliveries this month, and is their account over its credit limit? I'll send that.
- Karen OxleyIt's thinking. Come on.
- Hamza AkhtarThere we are. It says two part deliveries, lists them, and says the balance is under the limit but close. And underneath it gives the sources it used. Karen, click the second source.
- Karen OxleyThat opens the credit record. Oh, I see, it says last updated this morning. That's reassuring.
- Ashok PatelThat's the thing I'd get everybody to do. Check the date. If it says yesterday afternoon on a Tuesday morning, the load hasn't finished, and I'd want to know.
- Hamza AkhtarExactly. Chat is only as fresh as the data under it, and it will always tell you what it used. If it can't find something it should say so rather than make it up. If it ever gives you an answer with no source, tell us.
- Karen OxleyCan I ask it about all my branches at once? Like, which customers in the North East are near their credit limit?
- Hamza AkhtarYes, try it. You'll see your login limits it to what you're allowed to see, so you'll get your region. You type it.
- Karen OxleyOkay. Which customers in the North East are close to their credit limit this week. Is that all right?
- Hamza AkhtarThat's perfect. Don't worry about wording.
- Karen OxleyOh. It's given me a list. That's a long list.
- Ashok PatelIt is. Can I see the top few? Hmm. I'd say that's about right for a Monday, since a lot of accounts pay at month end. But I'd not use it to stop anyone's account without checking the ledger. The data here tells you where to look, it isn't the ledger.
- Karen OxleyNo, no, I wouldn't. Our credit team would shout. But it saves me asking them for a spreadsheet every Monday, which is what I do now.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's a good example of what to use it for. Let me show you how to save that so you don't retype it. Top right, there's a save as page option. Give it a name. Call it something your managers will recognise.
- Karen OxleyCredit watch, North East. Is that fine?
- Hamza AkhtarFine. Now it's a page. It refreshes each night with the rest of the data, and you can share it with the branch managers. Ashok, can Karen share it with a group, or does that go through you?
- Ashok PatelShe can share with named people. For groups, I'd rather set them up myself so the permissions are right. I'll make one for the North East branch managers this week.
- Karen OxleyBrilliant. They'll love that, they hate chasing me for things.
- Hamza AkhtarOkay. Quick check on how this is going, before we do dashboards. Is the pace alright, Karen? I don't want to bury you.
- Karen OxleyNo, it's good. It's easier than I thought. I thought it'd be one of those systems where you need a degree.
- Hamza AkhtarIt mustn't be. Right, so the dashboards builder. This is on your tier, so you can use it. It's for when you want something that sits on the screen and updates, rather than asking each time.
- Hamza AkhtarI'll build a small one live. Start with a blank dashboard, add a tile, and point it at the part deliveries question. Choose a chart or a table. Table is easiest for this. Now add another tile for credit, same way.
- Ashok PatelCan I just say, I've built a couple of these for the key account team already. The thing I learned is to keep each tile to one question. If you cram three things in, nobody trusts it.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's a really good rule, I'll steal that. Okay, so Karen, I've got two tiles. Try rearranging them. Drag the credit one to the left.
- Karen OxleyDragging. Oh, it moved. And it's stuck. No, it's moved. Sorry, my trackpad is awful in the van.
- Hamza AkhtarYou're doing fine. You can also set a filter at the top, by branch or by week, so one dashboard serves every manager.
- Karen OxleyHow many of us can have these? I'd guess a lot of my people would want one, and I've no idea how many licences we've got left.
- Ashok PatelWe're licensed for 160 users. The numbers have gone up a lot since the spring, but we're well inside that. I watch it.
- Hamza AkhtarYes, from our side usage has risen sharply this quarter compared with the last, which is a good sign. And there's plenty of room under the licence, so you can invite more branch managers without any conversation with us.
- Karen OxleyOh good. I'll tell them.
- Ashok PatelPlease send them to me first. Every new person needs the right branch access, otherwise they see everything or nothing. I'd rather do it properly.
- Karen OxleyRight, Ashok first. Understood.
- Hamza AkhtarWhile we're on access, Ashok, did you want to cover single sign on today, or is that for another session?
- Ashok PatelAnother session, I think. I want to test it on one branch group first, and it's not something Karen needs. Let's park it.
- Hamza AkhtarParked. I'll put it in the notes. Karen, shall we try one more thing? Ask chat something you don't know the answer to. Something from your actual day.
- Karen OxleyHmm. Okay. Which of my branches has had the most late deliveries, and to which customers? Is that too much?
- Hamza AkhtarNot at all, go on and send it.
- Karen OxleyIt's given me one branch at the top and three customers. Huh. I'd have guessed a different branch. That's interesting.
- Ashok PatelWhich branch is it? Hmm. That's the one that moved depots recently. I'd say the data is probably right, but the dates on the move are untidy, so be a bit careful about reading too much into it.
- Karen OxleyNoted. I'll ask the manager before I say anything to her. I'd not want to wade in and be wrong.
- Hamza AkhtarThat's the right instinct. Use it to start the conversation, not to settle it. Right, I think that's most of what I wanted to show. Let me recap and then ask what's missing.
- Hamza AkhtarSo search for a trade account, open the single page, check the date on any figure you rely on, ask in chat in plain words, save useful answers as pages, and build a dashboard when it's something you look at every week. And flag odd results to Ashok with a screenshot.
- Karen OxleyThat's simple enough. What's missing is, honestly, I'd like the managers to have a go before I do another session. Could you record this, or write it up?
- Hamza AkhtarThe call recorder has it, so I'll send the recording, plus a one page guide in plain English. I'll copy you both.
- Ashok PatelAnd I'll set up the North East group and add the managers once Karen sends me the names. I'll test it with one manager first.
- Karen OxleyI'll send you the names tonight. Probably from the van again.
- Hamza AkhtarAnd I'll look at those two credit load tickets and write to Ashok about what happened. Shall we have a short check-in in a couple of weeks, to see how the managers are getting on?
- Ashok PatelYes, that works. I'll have some questions by then. I always do.
- Karen OxleyThanks, both. That was far less painful than I expected. Speak soon.
- Hamza AkhtarBrilliant, thanks Karen, thanks Ashok. Cheers, bye.
- Ashok PatelThanks, Hamza. Ashok.
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