Calderbrook Housing Group / BB-Demo – Check In
Callcompleted
Calderbrook Housing Group: documents · 2026-07-07 13:30
Helen Marsden reported an arrears figure lower than the housing system after a changed export field, and a stale morning refresh. Usage has fallen as analysts moved to the in-house platform. Craig has not decided; the contract runs to 2026-09-01.
What was said
What this says
Current to 11 Oct 26Helen Marsden reported an arrears figure lower than the housing system after a changed export field, and a stale morning refresh. Usage has fallen as analysts moved to the in-house platform. Craig has not decided; the contract runs to 2026-09-01.
What happened: Helen Marsden joined without Craig. She said the section six arrears figure is lower than the housing system, and that a field in the export changed a few weeks ago.
Customer view: Two analysts are now on the in-house platform work, so Helen asks most of the questions. She raised unused licences herself: forty held for three or four people.
Commercial: Craig is still reviewing and Helen has no outcome. The contract runs to 2026-09-01 and Daniel Okafor gave 2026-09-02 as the renewal date on BB-Demo's side.
Watch: Helen thinks the arrears were a day old at about half past eight. Daniel owes her an answer by Friday and passed the licence question to Tom. The evidence does not show the renewal outcome.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Theme
Arrears mismatch and shrinking usage
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
champion
Who was there
BB-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Daniel to report by Friday on what the connector is loading and the differing tenancy accounts.
- Daniel to check the refresh timing against the 07:00 commitment.
- Daniel to take the licence question and written options to Tom and sketch the documentation idea.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- Craig is still reviewing an in-house platform and the contract runs to 2026-09-01.
- Most questions come from Helen alone, so usage depends on one person.
- A changed export field and a possibly late refresh are eroding trust in the arrears figure.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- Documenting how the board-pack figures are built protects sections four and six on any platform.
- Helen's licence question opens a right-sized option in writing for Craig.
Transcript
Daniel Okafor NoneHello Helen, can you hear me? Thank you for making the time. I think it's just the two of us today, is that right, or is anybody else joining from your side?
Helen Marsden NoneJust me, Daniel. Craig's in meetings all afternoon. I did tell him you were calling, and he said to go ahead without him.- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's fine, no problem at all. How's the week treating you? I know the board papers were due out.
- Helen Marsden NoneThey went. Late, but they went. It's very warm in Leeds, the office has no air conditioning to speak of, so my brain is melting a little.
- Daniel Okafor NoneHa, ours doesn't fare much better. Well, I'll try to keep this useful. I thought we'd go through how the team's finding the brain, and just close the loop on a couple of things from the last conversation.
- Helen Marsden NoneCan I start with the thing I've been chasing? The arrears figure in section six of the board pack. It doesn't reconcile with the housing management system. The brain says one number, the system says another, and the board will ask which is right.
- Daniel Okafor NoneOkay. Thank you for putting it so clearly. Is the brain higher or lower than the housing management system?
- Helen Marsden NoneLower. Not by much, but by enough that I can't hand it over without a footnote, and I hate footnotes on arrears.
- Daniel Okafor NoneMm. When you say lower, is the difference one lump, or is it spread across lots of tenancies?
- Helen Marsden NoneI think it's a lump. A batch of accounts that look as if they were updated in the housing system after the brain's last refresh. But I can't prove that without the source. Can you show me the source?
- Daniel Okafor NoneI can. That's a fair request, and I'd like to do it properly instead of guessing at it here. Here's what I'd look at. First, whether the nightly refresh has been completing on time. Second, whether anything changed in the housing management system's export. A source changing is the most common reason a figure drifts like this.
- Helen Marsden NoneSomething did change. They moved a field in the export a few weeks ago. I'd mentioned it to Hollie in passing.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's useful, thank you. That could well be it. Let me look at it with our engineers and I'll come back to you by Friday with what the connector's actually loading, and the tenancy accounts that differ.
- Helen Marsden NoneFriday. Right. I'll put that in my diary, if you don't mind my holding you to it.
- Daniel Okafor NonePlease do. I'd rather you held me to it than had to chase.
- Daniel Okafor NoneWhile I've got you, how is the team finding it, day to day? I saw the usage has come down a fair bit, and I'd rather hear what's behind it from you than read it off a chart.
- Helen Marsden NoneIt's down because there are fewer of us. Two of the analysts are on the in-house platform work now. They've not stopped liking the brain, they simply haven't got the hours. So it's me, and one or two others, and that's about it.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's what I wondered. And is it mostly you asking the questions?
- Helen Marsden NoneMore than I'd like. If I'm honest, yes. If I went on leave, the question count would fall off a cliff. I don't love that, it's a risk.
- Daniel Okafor NoneI appreciate you saying that. It's what I'd have worried about. One person carrying most of the questions is fragile for you, regardless of what happens with the contract.
- Helen Marsden NoneIt is. Though I'm not going to pretend the in-house plan was my idea. It's Craig's strategy. I'm working to it. I'm just trying to make sure the board pack survives the transition.
- Daniel Okafor NoneOf course. And I wouldn't ask you to defend it. Can I ask where things stand on the decision? Has Craig said anything to you since the call last month?
- Helen Marsden NoneHe's still reviewing it. I haven't been told an outcome, and I don't think he'd tell me before he's ready. What I do know is that the contract runs to 1 Sep 2026, and he's conscious of that.
- Daniel Okafor NoneRight. And just so I've got it correct, the renewal date on our side is 2 Sep 2026, the day after. So there's a little room, but not much.
- Helen Marsden NoneMm. That sounds right. I always get muddled about which is which.
- Daniel Okafor NoneEasily done. Now, can I think out loud about what would be useful for you whichever way it goes? Because I'd like to be of use to you, rather than only to a renewal.
- Helen Marsden NoneGo on.
- Daniel Okafor NoneOne idea. Before anything changes, we document exactly how your board-pack figures are built. Which tables, which joins, which questions the brain answers for you. That's a document your in-house team can use to rebuild the same thing, and it protects section four and section six whichever platform ends up carrying them.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat would actually be valuable. It's the thing that terrifies me, that the logic lives in the brain and in my head and nowhere else.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThen let's do that. I'd want to be careful, though, that we don't step on Craig's toes. If it's your team's documentation of your own pack, I think that's reasonable, and I'll mention it to Tom so there are no surprises.
- Helen Marsden NoneI'd prefer that. I don't like going over anyone's head, and Craig's been fair with me. I'll mention it to him as well. I'd rather he heard it from me.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat seems very sensible. Thank you.
- Helen Marsden NoneCan I ask something practical about the licences? We have forty and we're using a handful. Is there anything that can be done there, or is that Tom's side?
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's Tom's side, the commercial terms are his, and I wouldn't want to guess. What I can say is that he's aware, and I know he wants options in writing for Craig that fit how you actually use it. I'll make sure he knows you raised it.
- Helen Marsden NoneThank you. I don't want to be the person who asks for a cheaper version and makes it worse, but it doesn't feel honest to keep forty seats for three or four people.
- Daniel Okafor NoneI think it's an honest thing to raise. It's not going to count against you, I promise.
- Helen Marsden NoneGood. One more thing on the refresh. You said you'd check whether it's finishing on time. Last week I opened the brain at about half past eight and I'm fairly sure the arrears were from the day before.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThank you, that's really helpful, because it tells me what to look for. The nightly refresh should be done by seven in the morning your time on working days. If it's landing later than that, or not completing, that's something I can see in the logs, and it's separate from the question of the changed field. I'll check both.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's all I need. I'm not trying to build a case against you, honestly. I just need figures I can stand behind.
- Daniel Okafor NoneI know that, Helen. You've always been fair with us, and you've always asked for the figures, which is exactly right. So let me close the loop. I'll look at the changed field and the refresh timing and come back to you by Friday. I'll talk to Tom about the licences and the written options. And I'll sketch the documentation idea so you've something to react to, rather than a blank page.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's all of it, I think. I'll send you the date of the housing system change as soon as I have it, if I can get it out of the supplier's project team.
- Daniel Okafor NonePlease, the earlier the better. If we know the date we can make sure the connector's ready for it, and nobody has to find out on the morning that a number's gone flat.
- Helen Marsden NoneAgreed. Right, I'd better get back to it. Thank you, Daniel. It's easier talking to you than to a dashboard.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's kind of you. Look after yourself, and try to find a cool corner somewhere. Best wishes, Helen. Speak on Friday.
- Helen Marsden NoneWill do. Goodbye.
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