Strensall Merchants / BG-Demo – Check In
Callcompleted
Strensall Merchants · 29 Jan 2026 14:45
Check-in with Neil ahead of renewal. Key account team uses B-Viz heavily, branches are patchy, one stale-data ticket shook a credit user, and Neil gave a clear value story. Only one real admin remains.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Check-in with Neil ahead of renewal. Key account team uses B-Viz heavily, branches are patchy, one stale-data ticket shook a credit user, and Neil gave a clear value story. Only one real admin remains.
What happened: Daniel Okafor and Neil Craven reviewed adoption, two recent tickets, connectors and the renewal baseline of £114k a year for 160 users. Neil said the key account team would carry on without him.
Customer view: Neil's value case is fewer arguments between credit, sales and branches because everyone sees the same account. He said a credit user would go back to the old spreadsheet if stale data hit her again before a customer call.
Commercial: Neil wants to see the renewal proposal in good time and will not discuss price without finance. A possible yard vehicle tracking system could add a connector.
Watch: The person who built the first dashboards left before Christmas, leaving effectively one admin. New branch managers get no induction on B-Viz.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Adoption, freshness, renewal prep
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
champion
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Daniel Okafor sends a short training session outline and a draft housebuilder example by the end of next week.
- Daniel Okafor asks Lewis Kerr to ring Neil Craven this week about the renewal.
- Daniel Okafor looks at how Neil is alerted to a late refresh, and sets up a second admin once Neil has asked.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A stale-data morning left a credit user ready to return to her spreadsheet if it recurs.
- Effectively one admin remains after the dashboard builder left, and branch adoption is patchy.
- Neil expects the renewal proposal in good time and may react badly to a late or higher figure.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A recorded training session for new branch managers could lift branch usage within the 160 licensed users.
- A yard vehicle tracking system, if approved, could add a connector.
- A written housebuilder example gives Neil a concrete value case for the board.
Transcript
Daniel OkaforHello Neil, good afternoon. Can you hear me all right?
Neil CravenAye, loud and clear. Afternoon, Daniel. Sorry, I'm a minute behind, I've just come off the phone.- Daniel OkaforNo trouble at all. Thank you for making the time. It's just the two of us today, I think, so I'll not wait for anyone else. Is that right?
- Neil CravenJust us. Everyone else is out in branches or stuck in the yard. January, you know how it is. Ground's like iron and nobody's laying a brick.
- Daniel OkaforHa, I can imagine. Is it still bitter up in York?
- Neil CravenFrosty this morning. And first thing I had one of our big housebuilder accounts on, wanting to know why a delivery note and an invoice didn't agree. Turned out it was a branch keying it twice. Sorted now. But it's the sort of thing that sets the day off.
- Daniel OkaforRight, and did you find that through B-Viz, or was it the old way of ringing round?
- Neil CravenBit of both, if I'm honest. I started by asking the brain what the account had ordered and what had gone out, and then I rang the branch to check. But I got to the branch already knowing what I was asking. Which branch, which account, that's half of it.
- Daniel OkaforThat's good to hear. That's exactly the sort of thing you brought it in for, isn't it. Everyone looking at the same trade account.
- Neil CravenIt is. Yeah. What's the builder actually seeing, that's what I keep asking. If I can see what he sees, I can have a sensible conversation.
- Daniel OkaforLovely. So, what I thought we'd do today is a proper check-in. A look at how the team is finding it, a quick look at usage, just to close the loop on the support tickets you've had recently, and then a word about the renewal at the end of next month. Does that work for you?
- Neil CravenFine by me. Let's sort it, not talk about it. Go on.
- Daniel OkaforWell, let me start with the people. How is the team finding it? Not the dashboards, the people. Branch managers, the key account team, the credit folk.
- Neil CravenMixed, in a good way. The key account lot love it. They live in it. Credit control are getting there, they use it when a customer's gone over terms and they want to see the whole picture, orders, calls, what the branch has said. The branches are the patchy bit.
- Daniel OkaforPatchy how?
- Neil CravenWell, I'd not run a branch down. Some of them are brilliant with it. Others are busy, they've got a counter queue and a yard full of lorries, and a search tool is the last thing on their mind. They use it when they're stuck, not as a habit.
- Daniel OkaforThat's fair, and I wouldn't expect a counter team to behave like an analyst. It does tally with what I can see, actually. Active users over the last month are a little lower than the quarter before. Not dramatically. Just a gentle dip.
- Neil CravenRight. Yeah, I'd have guessed that. Christmas and the new year, a lot of people took the lot off. And we had a few changes in the branches. Couple of managers moved around. New faces who've not been shown it.
- Daniel OkaforMm. That's the bit I wanted to ask about, actually. When someone new starts at a branch, how do they get introduced to it? Is there something in the induction, or does it depend on the manager?
- Neil CravenDepends on the manager, if I'm honest. There's nothing in the induction. I told them there should be. I told myself there should be.
- Daniel OkaforWell, that might be something we can help with. You've got a hundred and sixty licensed users, and as far as I can see you're using a good chunk of those but not all. That's headroom, not a problem. But I'd rather the new managers had a proper first hour with it than picked it up from a colleague.
- Neil CravenWhat would that look like? Because I can't pull forty branch managers off the counter for a day.
- Daniel OkaforNo, no. Nothing like that. I was thinking of a short session, maybe a couple of them, run on video, recorded, so new starters can watch it in their own time. Built around their own branch's accounts, so it isn't a generic tour. I could do the first one with you and see if it lands.
- Neil CravenAye, I'd do that. Short, though. If it's longer than a tea break they'll not come.
- Daniel OkaforUnderstood. Short, practical, their accounts. I'll come back to you by the end of next week with a rough outline, and you tell me if it's the right shape.
- Neil CravenGood. Do that.
- Daniel OkaforNow, the questions side. I always find that's the best sign of whether people really value it. Questions asked are holding up well. They're steady, which is what I'd hope in a quiet month. Do you have a sense of who's asking most of them?
- Neil CravenMe, for one. Then the key account team. There's a lass in credit who's very keen. I couldn't tell you the split.
- Daniel OkaforIt's spread across a handful of people, which is healthy. I'd only worry if it were one person doing most of it. At the moment it isn't, though you're certainly in the top few.
- Neil CravenHa. Well, somebody's got to.
- Daniel OkaforQuite. Though that does bring me to a point of continuity. If you were off for a month, would the key account team carry on using it as they do now?
- Neil CravenYes. They would. They'd moan about it, but they would. They don't need me for that. It's the branches that need nudging, and that's on me.
- Daniel OkaforThat's reassuring. Right. Tickets. You've had two in the last month or so, and one of them was marked as high priority. I've read through them, but I'd rather hear it from you than from a ticket history.
- Neil CravenThe urgent one. Yeah. That was the morning someone in credit couldn't see the latest orders for a big account, and she'd a call booked with the builder. She thought it was stale. Not ideal when you're about to talk money with a customer.
- Daniel OkaforNo. And I'm sorry that landed on her. Nightly refresh is meant to be complete by 07:00 on business days, so if she was looking at old orders at that point, that's the sort of thing I'd want to understand properly. As far as I can see the ticket is closed and the support team responded within what your Enterprise terms say. But closed on our side doesn't mean happy on yours.
- Neil CravenIt got fixed. She's been fine since. I'd say she was more rattled than anything. But she did say, and I'll be straight with you, that if it happens again before a customer call she'll go back to the old spreadsheet.
- Daniel OkaforThat's useful to know, and I'm glad you said it. That's precisely the thing I don't want. Can I ask, was it just her, or did anyone else notice?
- Neil CravenJust her, as far as I know. I'd have heard.
- Daniel OkaforGood. I'll keep an eye on that account's refresh over the next few weeks and I'll tell you if I see anything odd. Not before she tells you, I'd like to tell you first.
- Neil CravenAye, that'd be better.
- Daniel OkaforAnd the other ticket?
- Neil CravenThat was a how-to. Somebody wanting to filter by branch group instead of by single branch. Your support lot showed her. Quick and painless.
- Daniel OkaforLovely, that's the good kind of ticket. Someone's asking because they're trying to do more, not because something's broken.
- Neil CravenThat's how I read it.
- Daniel OkaforNow, one thing I want to check before we get to the renewal. The connectors. You've got the orders system, the delivery system, the CRM, the call recorder, the mailboxes, a few more. Has anything changed on your side recently? A system swapped, an upgrade, a new supplier tool, anything like that?
- Neil CravenNot that I know of. IT mentioned they were looking at something for the yards, to do with vehicle tracking, but that's not live and I'm not sure it's even approved.
- Daniel OkaforInteresting. Don't worry about it for now. But if that gets the go-ahead, tell me early, because delivery information is exactly what your branches and your key accounts care about. It might be a good thing to bring into the brain, and I'd rather plan it than have it surprise us.
- Neil CravenI'll flag it. What's the, I mean, would that be extra?
- Daniel OkaforIt might be, depending on how many connectors you're using by then. I'm not going to guess in this call. That would be a conversation for Lewis, who looks after the commercial side of your account, and I know you'd want your finance people in the room for it.
- Neil CravenRight. Yes. I don't talk price without finance. Never have. They'd have my guts.
- Daniel OkaforCompletely understood, and I'd not want you to. So let's park that and keep it to the principle: if a new system comes in, tell me and we'll look at it together.
- Neil CravenDone.
- Daniel OkaforGood. Now, tell me about value. When you think about the last twelve months or so with B-Viz, what's the thing you'd point to and say, that was worth it?
- Neil CravenHmm. Good question. I've been thinking about this, because I knew you'd ask, and because the board will.
- Daniel OkaforTake your time.
- Neil CravenIt's the arguments that don't happen any more. Used to be credit would say a customer was behind, sales would say he'd just placed a big order, and the branch would say he'd rung up angry about a late delivery. Three different stories, three different systems. Now we all open the same account and see the same thing. Fewer rows. Quicker decisions. That's it, really. I can't put a figure on it.
- Daniel OkaforThat's a real answer, and I think it's a strong one. May I ask whether there's a particular example you'd be happy to put in front of your board? Even a rough one. A case where credit and sales agreed quickly, and it saved you something.
- Neil CravenThere's one with a housebuilder, last autumn I think. They'd a credit hold that would've stopped a delivery to a site. The key account manager and credit looked at the account together, saw the payment was in transit, and released it the same morning. Before, that'd have been a day lost and a site manager screaming.
- Daniel OkaforThat's exactly the kind of story. Would you mind if I wrote it up with you? A paragraph. You'd see it and change it before it went anywhere. Not for outside, just so you've got something concrete for the board and for me.
- Neil CravenGo on then. Send me a draft and I'll tidy it.
- Daniel OkaforI'll do that. Thank you. Just to close the loop, that's the outline of the short training session by the end of next week, and a draft of the housebuilder example. I'll note both down.
- Neil CravenFine.
- Daniel OkaforNow, the renewal. Your term runs to 27 Feb 2026 and the renewal date is 28 Feb 2026, so we're about a month out. I'd like to make sure nothing about it comes as a surprise to you or your colleagues.
- Neil CravenAye. It's on my list. I've mentioned it to finance already, they know it's coming.
- Daniel OkaforGood. So, for your reference, the order form has you on Enterprise at £113,500 a year for the 160 users, and that matches what has been invoiced, so there's no gap between paperwork and billing. I'm not here to negotiate it with you, I know you'd bring finance in for that. I just want you to have the baseline in front of you.
- Neil CravenRight. That's what I had in my head. Is it going up?
- Daniel OkaforThat's the honest question, and I'd rather not guess in front of you. What I can say is that Lewis owns the commercial terms and he'll come back to you and your finance colleague with a proper proposal. I'll make sure he knows the timing, and I'll make sure he knows what you've told me today about value and about adoption in the branches.
- Neil CravenI'd want to see it in good time. Not the week before. Finance don't like being rushed and neither do I.
- Daniel OkaforAgreed, completely. Can I say I'll ask Lewis to be in touch with you this week, and then you and he can agree who from your finance side should join?
- Neil CravenDo that. Send me his number and I'll, no, don't. He'll have my email. Just tell him to ring.
- Daniel OkaforI'll tell him. Is there anything about the way we run the service that would change how you see the renewal? Anything you'd want different?
- Neil CravenTwo things. One, the freshness. That one ticket shook people a bit. I'd like to know that if the morning refresh is late, I hear it from you and not from a branch. Two, I want more people using it. That's mine to fix, but if you can help, great.
- Daniel OkaforBoth fair. On the first, as an Enterprise customer you're covered for data freshness as well as availability, and I'll look at how we alert you so the first you hear of a late refresh is from me. I'll come back to you on exactly how that would work. On the second, we've just talked about the training, so that's already in motion.
- Neil CravenGood. That's what I wanted to hear.
- Daniel OkaforLet me recap, so we've both got the same list. One: a short recorded session for new branch managers, outline from me by the end of next week. Two: a draft of the housebuilder example for you to edit. Three: I'll ask Lewis to ring you this week about the renewal, with your finance colleague to follow. Four: I'll look at how we tell you about a late refresh. And five: you'll tell me early if the yard tracking system goes ahead.
- Neil CravenThat's the lot. Bang on.
- Daniel OkaforWonderful. Is there anything else on your mind? Anything you wanted to raise that I haven't asked?
- Neil CravenOnly that the lad who set up our first dashboards left us before Christmas, a good lad, and I've nobody who really knows how to build new ones. Is that a problem?
- Daniel OkaforNot a problem, but worth fixing, and I'm glad you said. Who's your admin now, day to day?
- Neil CravenThere's one in IT who has the keys. And me, but I'm not touching the settings, I'd break something.
- Daniel OkaforRight. So effectively one real admin. I'd feel better with a second, someone from the trade side who understands the accounts, not just IT. Could you think about who that might be? Then I could include them in the same training, and walk them through the dashboard builder.
- Neil CravenI'll have a think. There's a young woman in my team, sharp as a tack. I'll ask her. Not promising, mind.
- Daniel OkaforNo pressure at all. Let me know when you've asked her, and I'll set something up. It would also give you a bit of cover, which I always like.
- Neil CravenAye. Fair enough.
- Daniel OkaforThank you, Neil. That was really useful, and a good deal more honest than most check-ins, if I may say so.
- Neil CravenNo point otherwise. Right, I've a customer waiting on a call back. I'd better go before he rings again.
- Daniel OkaforOf course. I'll send a short note this afternoon with the list. Thanks again for your time, and look after yourself in that cold.
- Neil CravenCheers, Daniel. Speak soon.
- Daniel OkaforBest wishes, Neil. Bye for now.
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