Lornefield Pensions Administration / B-Brain – Qbr
Callcompleted
Lornefield Pensions Administration: documents · 2025-07-30 16:45
Douglas Baird, Chief Operating Officer, wants a plain account of value for the trustees and the group. He flagged the group's position on shared tooling, a renewal signal ahead of 3 Apr 2026.
What was said
What this says
Current to 10 Oct 26Douglas Baird, Chief Operating Officer, wants a plain account of value for the trustees and the group. He flagged the group's position on shared tooling, a renewal signal ahead of 3 Apr 2026.
What happened: The 30 Jul 2025 QBR had Douglas Baird, Imogen Hartley, Daniel Okafor and Nell Ashcombe. Use was up modestly, driven by a core group of relationship managers.
Customer view: Imogen said adoption reached about half of what was hoped, and quieter teams still see the brain as an extra. Douglas wants evidence he can give trustees and group colleagues.
Commercial: Douglas asked how the contract process works and said he did not want to negotiate. He expects to understand the group's position on shared tooling later in the year.
Watch: B-Brain has no hard measure of time saved. A before and after survey of relationship managers was agreed as the value evidence.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Theme
Value case, group tooling
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
B-Brain
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Daniel Okafor to draft the short survey and send it to Imogen Hartley for a view.
- Daniel Okafor to send the refresh history alongside the call notes.
- Daniel Okafor to return to Douglas and Imogen about the renewal conversation in the autumn.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- The group's position on shared tooling is unresolved and could affect the subscription renewal on 3 Apr 2026.
- A few relationship managers carry a large share of the questions, which is a key-person risk.
- There is no hard measure of time saved to put in front of trustees.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- A before and after survey of relationship managers could give Douglas the value evidence he asked for.
- Saved questions per scheme and sessions with quieter teams could broaden use beyond the core group.
Transcript
Daniel Okafor NoneGood afternoon, everyone, and thank you for making the time. Let me check who's here. Imogen, I can see you, and Douglas, and Nell has just joined as well.
Douglas Baird NoneGood afternoon, Daniel, Nell, Imogen. Thank you for arranging this. Perhaps I might say at the outset that I have a firm stop shortly after the hour, but I intend to hear the whole of it.
Nell Ashcombe NoneAfternoon, Douglas. Then I'll ask the same question I always ask. What do you want to leave with today?- Douglas Baird NoneSomething I can say to the trustees and, in fairness, to colleagues in the group, about what this has delivered and what it has cost. A plain account.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneGood. Plain is the right word. Say what happened, say how you know. Daniel, would you take us through it?
- Daniel Okafor NoneOf course. Four parts: usage, where the value is showing up, what's been awkward, and what we do before the renewal on 3 Apr 2026. On usage, activity is up modestly on last quarter. Not dramatically, but it moved the right way, and the questions asked have been steadier month to month than they were in the spring.
Imogen Hartley NoneI'd add the shape of it. It's less about everyone using it a little and more about a core group using it every week. The relationship managers for the larger schemes are in there daily.- Daniel Okafor NoneYes, and that's a good and a risky thing together. It means the value is real for those people, but a few of them carry a large share of the questions. If two of them were away at once, you'd notice.
- Douglas Baird NoneThat is a fair observation, and one I'd not have put to myself. How would one broaden it, in your experience?
- Daniel Okafor NoneHonestly, with small things. A saved question per scheme, a short session with the quieter teams, and making it the way the trustee pack is prepared and not an extra step. Imogen has done some of that already.
- Imogen Hartley NoneSome, yes. I'd say about half of what we hoped. The real question is whether it's part of the process or a nice extra, and for the quieter teams it's still the latter.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneWhat would the brain say? If I asked it for the value, not the usage? Because activity isn't value.
- Daniel Okafor NoneFair challenge. The clearest evidence we have is on trustee calls. Preparation that used to mean pulling member-query history and fee invoices from separate places is now a single view, and the relationship managers have told us that. What we don't have is a hard measure of time saved, and I'd be wary of inventing one.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneGood. I'd rather say we don't have it than guess. Douglas, if it helps, we could design a simple measure with you for the next quarter. Ask the relationship managers, before and after, how long a pack takes.
- Douglas Baird NoneI would welcome that. A short, honest survey of the people concerned would carry more weight with trustees than any figure we might construct ourselves.
- Imogen Hartley NoneI can run it. Ten questions at most, nothing that feels like an exam.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThank you. I'll draft the questions and send them to you for a view. Now, what's been awkward. There was one ticket this month, a minor one, resolved. Earlier in the summer there was a late refresh, and I know that cost some confidence. I'd like us to be open about that.
- Douglas Baird NoneI appreciate it being raised. I'd say the frequency matters more to me than any single event. Has it recurred?
- Daniel Okafor NoneNot in the recent weeks, no. The nightly refresh has been completing before seven on working days. I'd rather you hear that from the record than from me, so I'll send the refresh history alongside the notes.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneAnd if it does recur, you hear it from us first, not from a relationship manager. That's the standard I'd like us held to.
- Douglas Baird NoneThat is reassuring. May I raise the question of the contract? I should say that I do not want to open a negotiation, only to understand the process.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneGo ahead. The term runs to 2 Apr 2026, and the renewal date is 3 Apr 2026. Daniel owns the notice and the renewal conversation. We'd normally open it three months before, so you're not working against the clock.
- Douglas Baird NoneThank you. I think I'll say only that the group's position on shared tooling is something I expect to understand better later in the year. I would not wish you to read anything into that today.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneUnderstood, and I won't. We'd rather know early than late, that's all. Whatever the group needs from us, evidence or a conversation, we'll make it easy.
- Daniel Okafor NoneSo just to close the loop. I'll draft the short survey and send it to Imogen, I'll send the refresh history with the notes, and I'll come back to you both about the renewal conversation in the autumn. Is there anything I've missed?
- Imogen Hartley NoneI think that's everything. Let's make it count, as they say.
- Douglas Baird NoneNothing from me. Thank you all, it was a candid and useful hour. Kind regards, Douglas Baird.
- Nell Ashcombe NoneBest, Nell. Thanks everyone.
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