Strensall Merchants / BG-Demo – Check In
Callcompleted
Strensall Merchants · 19 Jun 2026 09:45
Neil Craven praised B-Viz for resolving a housebuilder query in ten minutes. Many licensed Enterprise seats sit unused in smaller branches. Daniel Okafor agreed branch sessions and a value story ahead of the autumn renewal talk.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Neil Craven praised B-Viz for resolving a housebuilder query in ten minutes. Many licensed Enterprise seats sit unused in smaller branches. Daniel Okafor agreed branch sessions and a value story ahead of the autumn renewal talk.
What happened: On the 19 Jun 2026 check-in Neil gave a fresh example of B-Viz joining order, delivery, call and credit data. Daniel raised the gap between the 160 licensed users and a typical month's active users.
Customer view: Neil says smaller branches have not been shown it and some see it as a head office tool. The credit team like it, though he mentioned the odd morning when figures looked behind, possibly a Monday.
Commercial: No commercial terms were discussed. Neil said pricing is the finance director's call, so she must be in the room for the renewal conversation.
Watch: Possible stale data matters because Enterprise carries a freshness commitment. Neil also warned that branch call logging may change, which could break a source, and that departing branch managers take account knowledge with them.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Value story, branch adoption
Importance
praise
Sentiment
positive
Voice
champion
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Daniel to send proposed after-lunch session slots by the middle of the following week.
- Daniel to check the refresh history for recent Mondays and report back to Neil.
- Lewis Kerr to send a short note to the managing director, copying Neil.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Smaller branches have barely used B-Viz, so licensed Enterprise seats are going unused ahead of renewal.
- A Monday morning of behind-looking figures may be a data freshness miss, which Enterprise is credited for.
- A change to how branches log calls could quietly stop a connector loading if IT does not warn BG-Demo.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Short branch sessions built on a counter question such as whether a builder is on stop could lift adoption.
- Advanced training for key accounts and a wider reach to regional distribution planners could deepen use.
- Written-up examples such as the housebuilder and roofing contractor cases can anchor the renewal value case.
Transcript
Daniel OkaforMorning, Neil. Can you hear me all right? I've got a bit of an echo on my side.
Neil CravenMorning, Daniel. Aye, loud and clear. No echo here. Sorry, I'm in the car park at the York office, I've just come off the phone, so give me a second to get sat down.- Daniel OkaforNo rush at all. Thank you for making the time. I know Friday mornings are rarely quiet for you. Is it just the two of us today, or is anyone from your credit team joining?
- Neil CravenJust me today. I did ask, but they're all tied up with month end. I'll pass on whatever's useful.
- Daniel OkaforThat's fine. It's only a check-in, nothing heavy. How's the week been?
- Neil CravenBusy. I'll tell you what, one of our big housebuilder accounts rang me at seven this morning. Their site manager had a delivery turn up at the wrong yard, and they wanted to know why our credit hold had gone on at the same time. Two things that had nothing to do with each other, but to him it looked like one big mess.
- Daniel OkaforOh dear. Was it sorted?
- Neil CravenAye, it was sorted by half eight. And that's the bit I wanted to mention, actually. Ten minutes in B-Viz and I could see the order, the delivery note, the call logged by the branch and the credit position all in one place. A year ago I'd have been ringing three people.
- Daniel OkaforThat's lovely to hear. That's exactly why you brought it in, isn't it? So the branch, the key accounts team and trade credit are all looking at the same picture.
- Neil CravenExactly that. What's the builder actually seeing? That's what I keep asking. If we all see the same thing, we can answer him in one call.
- Daniel OkaforRight. Well, let me give you a quick picture from our side, and then I'd like to hear what's working and what isn't. Is that all right?
- Neil CravenGo on.
- Daniel OkaforSo you're on Enterprise, with a hundred and sixty licensed users, and you've been with us since 28 Feb 2025, so you're well past the first year now. Usage is healthy. Active users are up on last quarter, which is the direction I like to see. And over the last month there was just the one ticket, which was dealt with quickly. Nothing high priority, nothing outstanding.
- Neil CravenAye, I saw that. One of the branch managers got in a tangle over something. Nothing serious.
- Daniel OkaforThat's how I read it too. And on the finance side, everything's paid on time, so there's nothing for you to worry about there.
- Neil CravenGood. Our finance lot are strict about that, they'd have told me.
- Daniel OkaforI'm sure they would. Now, one thing I'd gently point out. You've a hundred and sixty seats, and the number of people active in a typical month is a good deal lower than that. Which is not a complaint, it's headroom. I'm just wondering who isn't using it yet, and whether that's by design.
- Neil CravenRight. Yeah. Fair question. Which branch, which account? That's how I think about it. So the people using it every day are my key accounts team, the trade credit team, and a fair few of the bigger branch managers. The smaller branches, the ones with a couple of counter staff, they've barely touched it.
- Daniel OkaforMm. Do you know why? Is it that they don't need it, or that nobody's shown them?
- Neil CravenNobody's shown them, mostly. I did a session for the area managers in the spring and it went down well, but I haven't got round to the rest. And honestly, some of them think it's a head office thing.
- Daniel OkaforThat's really useful. I hear it a lot, to be fair. What tends to work is something very small and practical. Not a tour of the product, just one question they'd actually ask on a Monday morning. Like, has this builder got anything overdue before I agree a delivery to site.
- Neil CravenThat's the one. That's the question the counter staff get asked all the time. Is he on stop or isn't he.
- Daniel OkaforThen that's your way in. If you'd like, I could run a couple of short sessions for the branches. Half an hour each, a handful of branches at a time, built around that kind of question. I'd want you or someone from trade credit on the call, so it's your language and not mine.
- Neil CravenI like that. Let's sort it, not talk about it. How soon could you do it?
- Daniel OkaforI'll come back to you by the middle of next week with a couple of proposed slots. Is it better if they're early morning before the yards get busy, or later in the afternoon?
- Neil CravenEarly's no good, they're loading wagons at seven. Mid afternoon is quieter. Say after lunch, before the end of day rush.
- Daniel OkaforAfter lunch. Noted. And I'll keep it to a few branches at a time so people feel able to ask the daft questions.
- Neil CravenThere's no daft questions. Well, there are, but I'd rather they asked them.
- Daniel OkaforHa, quite right. Now, let me ask about the other side of it. How is the team finding it, the people who do use it every day? Anything that irritates them?
- Neil CravenLet me think. The credit team like it. One of them said she used to spend the first hour of the day pulling things together from different systems, and now she just asks it. She was a bit sceptical to start with, so that's something.
- Daniel OkaforThat's a nice thing to hear. Does she ask it in plain English, the way she'd ask a colleague?
- Neil CravenShe does. She types things like, show me every account over terms with a delivery booked this week. Gets an answer in seconds.
- Daniel OkaforAnd do you trust the answers? Is the data fresh when she looks at it?
- Neil CravenYeah, mostly. There's been the odd morning where somebody said the figures looked a bit behind, but it's been rare. I'd have raised a ticket if it was a regular thing.
- Daniel OkaforPlease do, every time, even if it feels minor. Enterprise has a freshness commitment for the overnight refresh, so I'd always rather know. If you can tell me roughly which morning, or which team noticed, I can look into it from our side.
- Neil CravenI'll ask her. It was a Monday, I think. But I couldn't swear to it.
- Daniel OkaforThat's fine, even a rough day helps. Just to close the loop, I'll look at the refresh history for the last few Mondays and tell you what I find either way.
- Neil CravenGrand.
- Daniel OkaforCan I ask about the systems it's connected to? Has anything changed on your side? New tools, anything being retired, anything being moved?
- Neil CravenNot that I know of. Mind you, IT don't always tell me. There was talk of tidying up how branches log their calls, but that's not decided. If it does happen I'll make sure someone tells you before it lands.
- Daniel OkaforThat would be a real help. The thing that catches people out is when a source changes underneath and nobody tells us, and then something quietly stops loading. If we know in advance, we can move with it.
- Neil CravenRight. I'll put it in writing to my IT lead as well, so it's not just me remembering.
- Daniel OkaforThank you. Who is it on your side who looks after the admin of B-Viz these days? Just so I've got it straight.
- Neil CravenStill the same couple in the trade systems team. They're good. I'd not change that.
- Daniel OkaforGood. Continuity matters. If either of them were moving on, would you tell me early, so we can get someone else up to speed?
- Neil CravenI would. No plans I'm aware of, mind. Fingers crossed.
- Daniel OkaforLovely. Now, a few bits on the longer view, and I'll keep it light. Your agreement runs to 27 Feb 2027, and the renewal date is 28 Feb 2027. That's a good while off, but I like to start the conversation well before anyone has to think about notice periods.
- Neil CravenAye, go on.
- Daniel OkaforSo nothing to decide today. What I'd like is, over the next few months, to build up a simple picture of what B-Viz has done for you. The housebuilder call this morning is a perfect example. If we can put a few of those together, with the people who actually felt the difference, then when we sit down to talk about renewal it's grounded in what's happened, not in my slides.
- Neil CravenThat makes sense. I'm not one for slides either. If I can say to my board, here's what changed and here's who says so, that's what they want.
- Daniel OkaforExactly. And I'll be straight, I'm not going to get into commercial terms today. That's a conversation for the renewal, with the right people from your side in the room.
- Neil CravenGood, because I'd not be talking numbers without the finance director anyway. That's her call, not mine.
- Daniel OkaforUnderstood, and quite right. So for now, it's the value story. Could you think about two or three moments like this morning's, where having everything together made a difference? Even rough notes will do.
- Neil CravenI can do that. There was one with a roofing contractor a few weeks back. A dispute over a delivery and what had been agreed on the phone. We found the call, found the order and settled it in a morning.
- Daniel OkaforThat's a good one. The call recording sitting next to the order is exactly what we hoped for. Would you be happy for me to write that up in a few lines and send it for you to correct?
- Neil CravenAye, send it over. I'll tell you if I've got the wrong end of it.
- Daniel OkaforWill do. And while I'm thinking about it, is the executive side still engaged? Lewis Kerr, who looks after the account commercially on our side, would like to have a catch up with whoever is sponsoring this at board level.
- Neil CravenThat'd be our managing director, mostly. He's interested, but he's not hands on. He likes a short note and a quick call, not a long meeting.
- Daniel OkaforThat suits us well. Short note, quick call. I'll ask Lewis to send something, and I'll copy you so you're not surprised.
- Neil CravenDo that. I don't like surprises, and neither does he.
- Daniel OkaforNoted. Let me ask something a bit different. When you think about the next six months, is there a team or a group of branches that you wish were using this, and aren't?
- Neil CravenHmm. I'd say the regional distribution people. The ones who plan the deliveries. They see the orders and the wagons, but they don't see the credit side or what's been said on the phone. If they did, they'd stop sending a lorry to a builder who's on stop and then ringing me to ask why he's cross.
- Daniel OkaforHa, that's a very specific example, and I suspect a familiar one. Would they be among the users you already have seats for, or would they be new?
- Neil CravenSome are on already, I think. Others I'm not sure. I'd have to check with the team.
- Daniel OkaforRight. Well, with the headroom you have, I'd be surprised if seats were the problem. I'll pull together who's licensed and who's actually been in, by area, and send it to you. Then you can see where the gaps are before we run those sessions.
- Neil CravenPerfect. That's a proper job for next week. Can you split it by branch? Which branch, which account, you know me.
- Daniel OkaforI'll do my best on the branch view. I'll check what I can show you cleanly, and if there's something I can't split, I'll say so rather than guess.
- Neil CravenFair enough.
- Daniel OkaforCan I ask one more on training? Beyond the branch sessions, would your key accounts people like something more advanced? There's a good deal more in the product for the sort of questions they ask, across several accounts at once.
- Neil CravenThey might. They're the ones who'd get most out of it. Honestly, they're a bit protective of their time, but if you show them something that saves them an hour a week they'll turn up.
- Daniel OkaforThen I'll pitch it as exactly that. An hour saved. I'll ask them what takes up their week before I plan anything, so it's not me guessing.
- Neil CravenGood lad. Speak to the senior key account manager in the north, he's got views.
- Daniel OkaforHa, I'm sure he has. Could you introduce us by email? Then it comes from you.
- Neil CravenWill do, this afternoon if I remember. Put a reminder in my diary, go on.
- Daniel OkaforI'll drop you a line on Monday just to nudge. Gently.
- Neil CravenGently, aye.
- Daniel OkaforIs there anything on the support side you'd like changed? The one ticket was fine, but how do your people feel about asking for help? Do they know where to go?
- Neil CravenMost do. The trade systems lot handle it first, and only pass it to you if they're stuck. That seems to work. I'd not want every branch manager raising tickets, to be honest.
- Daniel OkaforThat makes sense, and it keeps the noise down. As long as they know they can come to us if it's about something that isn't right, like data looking old.
- Neil CravenThey know. I'll remind them.
- Daniel OkaforLovely. Right, anything on your mind that I haven't asked about? Anything that worries you, however small?
- Neil CravenOnly one thing, really. Keeping it going when people move on. We've had a few branch managers change in the last year, and when they go, what they knew about their accounts goes with them. I'd like B-Viz to be where that lives.
- Daniel OkaforThat's a really good use of it, actually. The notes, the calls, the history, all attached to the account and not to the person. It's something I'd like to build into those branch sessions. A new manager should be able to open an account and see the story.
- Neil CravenThat's it. That's the pitch to the board, right there.
- Daniel OkaforThen let's make sure it's one of your examples. Could you think of a branch handover where it would have helped?
- Neil CravenI've a few in mind. I'd not name the branch, mind, I don't like running anyone down. But I can describe it.
- Daniel OkaforThat's absolutely fine. We can keep it general. The point is the situation, not the person.
- Neil CravenRight.
- Daniel OkaforSorry, I was just making a note of all that. Let me read back what I've got, so we're both clear. Is that okay?
- Neil CravenGo on, go on.
- Daniel OkaforOne. I'll send proposed slots for the short branch sessions by the middle of next week, after lunch, a few branches at a time. Two. I'll check the refresh history for the recent Mondays and tell you what I find. Three. I'll send you a split of licensed against active users, by area and branch where I can. Four. I'll write up the roofing contractor story for you to correct. Five. Lewis will send a short note to your managing director, copied to you.
- Neil CravenAnd from me. I'll ask the credit lady which morning the figures looked behind. I'll introduce you to the northern key accounts manager. And I'll give you two or three more moments where it's made a difference. And I'll tell IT to warn us before they change how branches log calls.
- Daniel OkaforThat's everything I had. Thank you. Just to close the loop on the renewal, I'm not asking you for anything on that yet. We'll pick it up properly in the autumn, with the right people at the table.
- Neil CravenAye, that's fine. Let me know when you want to book it.
- Daniel OkaforI will. I'll suggest a date when the sessions have run, so we have something real to talk about.
- Neil CravenSorry, Daniel, one more thing before I forget. The housebuilder this morning, the site manager. He asked whether we could send him a single weekly summary, orders, deliveries and what's outstanding. Is that something B-Viz can do, or is that me being daft?
- Daniel OkaforIt's not daft at all. Let me look at how best to do that with what you have. I don't want to promise something I haven't checked, so I'll come back to you by the middle of next week with a straight answer on what's possible.
- Neil CravenFair enough. I'd sooner a straight no than a vague yes.
- Daniel OkaforUnderstood. You'll get one or the other, and it'll be clear.
- Neil CravenRight, I'd best get on. I've a branch visit at eleven and I'm already on the back foot. Anything else from you?
- Daniel OkaforNothing else. Thank you again for the time, Neil, and for being so open. It's a pleasure to hear the housebuilder story, I'll admit.
- Neil CravenHa. Well, it's your tool that did the work, so you can take a bit of the credit.
- Daniel OkaforI'll take it gladly. Enjoy the branch visit, and have a good weekend.
- Neil CravenYou too. Say hello to the family from me. Is your youngest still doing the swimming?
- Daniel OkaforHa, she is. Every Saturday morning, bright and early. She's got a gala coming up, so I'll be stood at the poolside with a flask of tea.
- Neil CravenPoolside's no place for a man in a good shirt. Good luck to her.
- Daniel OkaforThank you, I'll tell her. Right, I'll leave you to it. I'll email a summary of what we agreed this afternoon, so you have it in writing.
- Neil CravenChampion. Cheers, Daniel.
- Daniel OkaforBest wishes, Neil. Speak soon.
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