Harcastle Environmental / BG-Demo – Onboarding
Callcompleted
Harcastle Environmental · 24 Apr 2025 13:30
Onboarding call on 24 Apr 2025 for Harcastle Environmental's Growth plan. Routing, helpdesk, finance, then calls. The customer id per site is the main job. Imran is the only admin, and a routing system changeover is planned.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Onboarding call on 24 Apr 2025 for Harcastle Environmental's Growth plan. Routing, helpdesk, finance, then calls. The customer id per site is the main job. Imran is the only admin, and a routing system changeover is planned.
What happened: Laura Penhaligon agreed a load order with Imran Hussain and Nicola Brearley a couple of weeks after signing on 11 Apr 2025. Routing goes first, then the helpdesk, then finance, with calls last.
Customer view: Nicola wants missed collections, tickets and invoices seen side by side before a customer rings. Imran owns the one-customer-id-per-site fix and wants a second admin.
Commercial: Growth includes 40 users and 8 connectors, and four planned sources leave four spare. Nicola would not commit to extra users or connectors without the budget holder.
Watch: Imran has a changeover on the routing system later in the year, which could stop a connector loading. Until a colleague in IT is added, he is the only admin.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Onboarding connector order
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- Laura Penhaligon sends the written plan and connector checklist the same day.
- Imran Hussain creates the read-only routing account and asks his IT colleague to be second admin this week.
- Nicola Brearley sends the pilot names, the missed collection definition and the depot for the count check.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Imran is the only admin until a colleague in IT is added.
- A planned routing system changeover could stop the routing connector loading.
- Tickets without a site reference may stay unmatched and weaken early answers.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Additional users or connectors could be raised after the pilot, once the budget holder is involved.
- A pilot group of account managers can show value early on real customers.
Transcript
Laura PenhaligonHello, can you hear me all right? I think I've just come off mute.
Imran HussainYes, loud and clear. Afternoon, Laura.- Laura PenhaligonAfternoon. Is Nicola joining? I had her down as a couple of minutes behind.
- Imran HussainShe's finishing something with one of the depots. She said start without her, so I'll go through what I've changed since last time.
- Laura PenhaligonLovely. How's the weather up in Wakefield, by the way? It's finally stopped raining down here.
- Imran HussainGrey but dry, which for April I'll take. Right. Since we last spoke I've got my admin login sorted properly, I've written down the systems we'd like to bring in, and I've started comparing how a site is recorded in the routing system against how it's recorded in the helpdesk.
- Laura PenhaligonGood, that's the order I'd hoped for. And what are you seeing with the sites?
- Imran HussainMostly they match, but not always. A customer with a few sites might be one record in finance, several in routing, and in the helpdesk it depends who raised the ticket. Which customer id is that, is the question I keep asking myself.
- Laura PenhaligonYes, that's the classic one. Honestly it's the most useful thing you can sort before we switch anything on, because the brain joins everything on that id.
- Imran HussainThat's what I thought. I'd rather get it right once than tidy it up in six weeks' time.
- Laura PenhaligonAgreed. Quick recap before we dive in, so Nicola can catch up when she lands. You signed on Friday 11 April 2025, so we're a couple of weeks in, and the plan runs for eight weeks. Growth gives you forty users and eight connectors, and so far hardly anyone has logged in, which is normal at this stage.
- Imran HussainYes, that's about right. It's mostly me poking around at the moment.
- Laura PenhaligonWhich is exactly what you should be doing. So today is about order. Which sources first, who owns each one, and what you check before it goes live.
- Imran HussainGood. I'll test it before we switch it on, always. How many connectors have we got left once we've done the main ones? I'd like to keep a couple spare for things we haven't thought of yet.
- Laura PenhaligonIf we do routing, the helpdesk, finance and the call recorder, that's four of your eight, so four left. I'd keep a couple in your back pocket and decide on the rest after go-live.
- Imran HussainFair. And the order? My instinct is routing first, because everything hangs off the site.
- Laura PenhaligonSame instinct. Routing first, then the helpdesk, because missed-collection tickets are the reason Nicola bought it, then finance, then calls last. Calls are the messiest and the least urgent.
- Imran HussainCalls last suits me. The recordings are a bit of a mess in places anyway.
- Laura PenhaligonGo on, how so?
- Imran HussainDepends which team recorded them and what they called the file. Half have the customer name, half have the account manager's name. I'd want to look before we pull any of that in.
- Laura PenhaligonSensible, and another reason for last. Right, let me share my screen and show you what a first load looks like, so you can see the checks.
- Imran HussainGo on. Yes, I can see it now.
- Laura PenhaligonSo the steps are these. We set up the connector against a read-only account, run a first load, then compare the record counts with the source. If they match, or the gap is explained, you switch on the nightly refresh. That refresh is done by 07:00 on business days, so account managers start the morning on fresh data.
- Imran HussainAnd if the counts don't match I just leave it off?
- Laura PenhaligonExactly. Nothing goes live until you're happy, and you can pause a connector at any point.
Nicola BrearleySorry, sorry, I'm here. Can you hear me? Right, before I forget, the worst complaint of the week. A restaurant group with several sites had three missed collections on the same round, and the account manager only found out when the customer rang her.- Laura PenhaligonHello Nicola. That's not a good start to the week for them.
- Nicola BrearleyNo. And it's the thing I keep coming back to. The ticket was in the helpdesk, the missed collections were in routing, the invoice was in finance, and nobody had the three side by side. So, what's the fix and who owns it? That's what I want out of today.
- Imran HussainI've been saying much the same to Laura. The fix starts with one customer id per site, and that's mine.
- Nicola BrearleyGood. Let's see it from the customer's side. They don't care that we have three systems. They want to know we noticed before they did.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's the picture I'd hold on to. Once the sources are in, an account manager can ask the brain something like, which of this customer's sites have had a missed collection this month, and what's been said to them about it.
- Nicola BrearleyWhich depot, which round? That's how my team thinks. Will it do that?
- Imran HussainThe depot and the round are both fields in routing, so they should come across. I'd want to see them in the first load before I promise it.
- Nicola BrearleyFine, that's fair. Imran never promises, it's one of the things I like about him.
- Imran HussainSomeone has to.
- Laura PenhaligonRight, so let's make it concrete. Imran, would you share the site list you were comparing? Just a handful of customers will do, the awkward ones.
- Imran HussainGive me a minute. Let me find the right export. Right, I'm sharing a sheet.
- Laura PenhaligonThanks. So this customer here, in routing it's one id per site, but in finance it's a single account for the whole group. Is that typical?
- Imran HussainThat's typical for the larger groups. Finance bills the head office, routing serves the sites. The smaller ones are one for one.
- Laura PenhaligonThen I'd suggest we use the routing site id as the key, and map finance accounts onto it, so an invoice hangs off the group and every site underneath inherits it.
- Imran HussainI can live with that. What about tickets? Half the time the person who raised it types the company name and nothing else.
- Laura PenhaligonThose are the ones I'd put on an unmatched list rather than guess. You review it, fix what you can, and anything you can't place stays visible instead of being attached to the wrong site.
- Imran HussainGood. I wouldn't want a ticket quietly landing on the wrong customer. I'll keep that list and I'll go through it weekly.
- Nicola BrearleyHow long is the list likely to be? Because if it's thousands I'm not sure that's a job for one person.
- Laura PenhaligonHonestly I don't know until we run the first load. It's usually long at the start and then shrinks, because people learn to put the site reference in. That's partly a habit change for your team.
- Nicola BrearleyI can do that. I'll put it in the team brief. Three things from me, actually. Site reference on every ticket, a definition of a missed collection, and a pilot group.
- Laura PenhaligonPerfect, let's take them in turn. The definition first, because that decides how the helpdesk is read. What counts as a missed collection?
- Nicola BrearleyHmm. Strictly, it's a scheduled collection that didn't happen on the day. But the helpdesk has complaints that are partial collections, wrong bins, late by a day. I'd want those separate.
- Imran HussainThere's a category field on the tickets, but it's free text for some teams. I can map the common values and leave the rest.
- Laura PenhaligonThat works. Who signs off the mapping? I'd rather it's one person's decision than a committee.
- Nicola BrearleyMe. I own the definition, Imran owns the mapping. Write that down.
- Laura PenhaligonWriting it down now. Definition, Nicola. Mapping, Imran.
- Imran HussainCan I ask about admins? At the moment it's only me, and if I'm off for a fortnight I don't love that.
- Laura PenhaligonNo, nor would I. A second admin is easy and I'd recommend it. Someone who can look after connectors if you're away. Is there somebody in IT?
- Imran HussainA colleague in IT looks after the data platform with me. He'd be the obvious one. I'll ask him this week.
- Laura PenhaligonGreat. And that's the same person who'd help with access to your Snowflake account, because the brain runs inside it, so we'll need the right permissions set up before the first load.
- Imran HussainYes, that's us two. I've got a role in mind. I'll write down exactly what it can see before anything is granted.
- Nicola BrearleyCan I ask something slightly different? How quickly will my account managers actually be able to use this? I've got a few who are sceptical.
- Laura PenhaligonSceptical is fine. My honest answer is that routing and the helpdesk together will give you something useful quite early, a couple of weeks after we switch them on. Finance after that, and calls last.
- Nicola BrearleySo a pilot group could start once routing and the helpdesk are in.
- Laura PenhaligonYes, that's what I'd do. A small group, people who ring customers every day and will tell you straight if it's rubbish.
- Nicola BrearleyI know exactly who. Three of them. One in the north east, two in Yorkshire, and I'd add someone from the customer service team so we see the other side.
- Laura PenhaligonLovely. If you send me names by email I'll make sure they're set up with the right access. You've got forty seats, so there's plenty of room.
- Nicola BrearleyAnd if we wanted more than forty later?
- Laura PenhaligonThere are add-ons for additional users and for additional connectors. Lewis can talk you through those on the commercial side, and Marcus would pick it up in your reviews.
- Nicola BrearleyOkay. I'm not going to commit anything there today, I'd have to take it to the budget holder first. Let's see how the pilot goes.
- Laura PenhaligonCompletely reasonable. Nothing needed from you on that now.
- Imran HussainLaura, back to the routing connector. What do you need from me to set it up? Because I can do some of it this afternoon.
- Laura PenhaligonThree things. A read-only account on the routing database or its export, a description of the main tables so I can see where depot and round sit, and a note of when the data is refreshed at source, so we don't load halfway through your own overnight job.
- Imran HussainThe overnight job finishes quite early, but I'll check the exact time and put it in the note.
- Nicola BrearleyIs there anything in this that's going to touch the live routing? Because if a round gets disrupted I'll hear about it from the drivers before I hear about it from you.
- Laura PenhaligonNo, it only reads. It takes a copy of what's there, nothing is written back. The worst thing a bad load can do is give you a wrong answer in the brain, and that's why you test before switching on.
- Nicola BrearleyGood. That's the answer I needed. I'll tell the depot managers it's read-only.
- Imran HussainCan I raise one more thing about finance? There are credit notes for service failures, and I'd want those tied back to the original invoice, not floating about.
- Laura PenhaligonYes. Credit notes come through as their own records, linked by the invoice reference where there is one. It's worth checking a few real ones in the first load, because that's where oddities show up.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's useful for me too. When a customer's had three misses and a credit, I want the account manager to see the lot before they ring.
- Laura PenhaligonExactly the use case. So finance is third, but I'd like to look at a sample of invoices and credit notes early, just so we aren't surprised.
- Imran HussainI can export a sample. Anonymised? Or does it matter?
- Laura PenhaligonAnonymise the customer names if you'd feel better. I only need the shape of it, the columns and a few examples of the awkward cases.
- Imran HussainRight, I'll do that. I'd rather send the shape than the contents.
- Nicola BrearleyWhile you two are on the detail, can I ask what good looks like by the fourth week? So I know what I'm telling my team.
- Laura PenhaligonI'd say routing and the helpdesk loaded and tested, the unmatched list under control, and your pilot group asking real questions about real customers. If we get there, we're on track.
- Nicola BrearleyAsking real questions. I like that. Better than a pretty dashboard nobody opens.
- Laura PenhaligonDashboards come later, and they're better when people already know what they want to ask.
- Imran HussainCan we do a dry run of the routing connector on this call? Just configure it, not switch it on. I'd like to see what the first screen asks me for.
- Laura PenhaligonYes, let's. I'll share again. Stop me if I go too fast.
- Laura PenhaligonSo this is the connection screen. You give it a name, which I'd keep plain, routing, nothing clever. Then the source, then the account, then you choose which tables to bring in.
- Imran HussainAnd I can untick tables I don't want in.
- Laura PenhaligonYes, and I'd start narrow. Sites, rounds, collections, and the exceptions table if you have one. You can always add more.
- Imran HussainWe do have an exceptions table. That's where the drivers log a missed bin. It's the one that matters.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's the table I'd put my money on. Is there a way to see that the exceptions get matched to a site?
- Laura PenhaligonAfter the first load we can check it. I'll count exceptions per site and Imran can compare with a depot he knows well.
- Imran HussainI'd pick one depot with a good manager who'll tell me straight whether the numbers look right.
- Nicola BrearleyI'll find you one. Which depot, which round, I'll have it by tomorrow.
- Imran HussainRight, I've filled in what I can. It's stopped at the account, because I need to create the read-only user first. That's where I'd get stuck without you, so thank you.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's fine, that's the point of a dry run. Create the user, send me the connection details through the secure route we agreed, and we'll do the first load together.
- Imran HussainWill do. Possibly tomorrow, if the access request goes through quickly.
- Nicola BrearleyIf it doesn't go through quickly, tell me and I'll chase it. I don't want this sitting in a queue.
- Laura PenhaligonThanks. Let me turn to the helpdesk now, because it needs a different question. Imran, how are tickets organised? Is it one queue or several?
- Imran HussainSeveral. There's a collections queue, a billing queue and a general one. Missed collections can end up in any of them, which is partly why I want the category mapping.
- Laura PenhaligonThen I'd bring all three queues in. Otherwise the brain will say a customer has had no problems when the problem is sat in billing.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's exactly what happened with the restaurant group. The complaint went to billing because they'd mentioned the invoice.
- Imran HussainThen all three queues. Noted.
- Laura PenhaligonGood. One more question on the helpdesk. Do the tickets carry the customer's own reference, or the site reference, or neither?
- Imran HussainSometimes the customer's reference from the invoice, sometimes nothing. It's one of the things Nicola's team can improve with the brief.
- Nicola BrearleyI'll make it a required field, if the helpdesk allows it. Imran, can it?
- Imran HussainIt can, but it'll slow people down for the first week or two. I'd want a sensible default so they aren't stuck.
- Nicola BrearleyThen do it with a default. I'd rather a slightly annoyed agent than a ticket nobody can find.
- Laura PenhaligonThat's a good trade. It'll pay back quickly in the brain.
- Imran HussainCan I come back to how many connectors we've got left? I'm now thinking the helpdesk might need two, if the billing queue comes through separately.
- Laura PenhaligonIt shouldn't. One helpdesk connection can bring several queues. I'll confirm when we set it up, but I'd plan on one.
- Imran HussainGood, because I was counting my spare ones. Which customer id is that, and how many connectors have we got left, it's the two questions that keep me awake.
- Nicola BrearleyPoor Imran. Spreadsheets in his sleep.
- Laura PenhaligonMine too, for what it's worth. Right, shall we pull the plan together? I think we've got most of it.
- Nicola BrearleyYes please. Say it back to us and I'll shout if I disagree.
- Laura PenhaligonSo. First, routing. Imran creates the read-only account and sends me the details and the table notes. We do a first load together, he checks counts against one depot Nicola picks, and only then does the nightly refresh go on.
- Laura PenhaligonSecond, the helpdesk, all three queues, with Imran mapping categories to Nicola's definition of a missed collection, and an unmatched list he reviews weekly.
- Laura PenhaligonThird, finance, starting with a sample export so we can look at invoices and credit notes before anything is connected. Calls last, once Imran has had a look at the recordings.
- Imran HussainThat's what I have. I'd add the second admin, I'll ask my colleague in IT this week.
- Laura PenhaligonYes, thank you. And on Nicola's side?
- Nicola BrearleyThree things again. The definition of a missed collection, with the partial and late ones separate. The pilot names, I'll email them. And the depot for Imran's check, by tomorrow.
- Laura PenhaligonPerfect. And from me, I'll send the written plan and the connector checklist today, so you've both got it in one place.
- Nicola BrearleyWill the plan have dates on it, or just weeks?
- Laura PenhaligonWeeks, counted from the start, and I'll mark the point where the pilot group comes in. If you want actual dates against it, tell me what's coming up on your side, depot reviews, holidays, anything like that.
- Nicola BrearleyThere's a depot review cycle coming up, I'll send you the dates. I'd rather not have the pilot landing in the middle of it.
- Imran HussainSame from me. I've got a changeover on the routing system later in the year, I'll tell you when I know more.
- Laura PenhaligonPlease do. If the routing system changes, a connector that was fine can stop loading, and I'd far rather hear about it before than after. That's the thing that catches people out most.
- Imran HussainThat's fair. I'll flag it the moment the date is firm, and I'll test the connector against the new setup before we rely on it.
- Nicola BrearleyGood. Anything else I should be worrying about? Because I'd rather know today.
- Laura PenhaligonOne honest thing. Early on, the answers will be only as good as the records behind them. If an account manager asks a question and the brain says it doesn't know, that's usually the data, not the tool. It's worth telling the pilot group so they don't give up on day two.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's useful. I'll tell them to write down anything odd and send it to Imran, so the list of fixes lives in one place.
- Imran HussainScreenshots, please. If they send me words only I'll be back asking which customer id that is.
- Nicola BrearleyScreenshots, understood. I'll put it in capitals.
- Laura PenhaligonLovely. One last thing from me. Marcus Bell will be your contact for the regular reviews once you're live, and Lewis Kerr stays on the commercial side. I'll introduce Marcus by email this week so it isn't a stranger ringing you.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's helpful, thank you. I do hate a cold call.
- Imran HussainLaura, thanks for the dry run. It's much clearer to me now, and I think I can get the account created tomorrow.
- Laura PenhaligonYou're welcome. And honestly you're ahead of where most people are at this point. The site list is the hard bit and you've already started it.
- Nicola BrearleyHe has. I'll say it for the record, because he won't.
- Imran HussainI'll wait until the counts match before I accept the compliment.
- Laura PenhaligonFair enough. Shall we leave it there? We've got a bit of time back, which is rare.
- Nicola BrearleyI'll take it. Can we pick this up again once the first load is done? A short call, just the three of us, so we can look at the numbers on a real depot.
- Laura PenhaligonYes, let's do that. I'll find a slot once Imran tells me the account is ready, and I'll send an invite for that rather than trying to fix it now.
- Imran HussainThat works. I'll message you as soon as the user's created.
- Laura PenhaligonPerfect. So, to recap who sends what. I send the plan and checklist today. Imran sends the table notes, the read-only details and the sample finance export. Nicola sends the pilot names, the definition and the depot.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's it. Don't let me hold anyone up on the depot, if I'm slow just nudge me.
- Laura PenhaligonI will, gently. Thanks both, this has been really productive.
- Imran HussainThanks, Laura. Speak soon.
- Nicola BrearleyThanks, everyone. Right, I'm off to ring that restaurant group back. Bye now.
- Laura PenhaligonGood luck with that. Bye both.
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