What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026In the 3 Sep 2026 QBR the CFO confirmed the £125k invoice matches the order form, then asked what it buys with use down about a third. A plan was agreed on seats, questions and account managers. Nothing changes in the contract.
What happened: Robert Lindsay first confirmed the invoice ties to the order form at £125k. Usage then dominated: about twenty-five active users a day against 150 licensed, down about a third on the previous quarter.
Customer view: Robert asked what the contracted figure is buying and said he was agreeing nothing. Shona put part of the drop down to account managers' new way of working over the summer.
Commercial: Marcus confirmed the order form stands and renewal is 28 Aug 2027. The high priority ticket may test the Enterprise first-response commitment.
Watch: This is now a value question from the person who signs. Robert wants everything in writing and unused seats identified first.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Who was there
BG-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Marcus to email both figures and the dates today, then send the usage split, the ticket timeline and a proposed session date.
- Alan Rennie to produce the unused seat list, cross-checked against current staff, within a few days.
- Marcus to book a half-hour follow-up a few weeks out, once the seat list and ticket review are done.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Active users are down about a third, leaving roughly a sixth of the 150 licensed seats in use, and the CFO is questioning value.
- The high priority ticket may show a missed Enterprise first-response commitment, which Robert wants to see clearly.
- Account managers, who should know each customer's story, appear to be the group that stopped using the brain.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A working session with account managers on their own customers could bring the brain back into their routine.
- Shona offered to pick team leads and sit in, which gives the session internal backing.
Transcript
- Marcus BellAfternoon, everyone. Can you all hear me? Shona, Robert, Alan, I think that's all of us.
- Shona BairdAfternoon. Aye, we can hear you. Robert's just coming off another call.
- Robert LindsayHere. Afternoon. Before we start, if I may, the invoice question. The latest invoice, can we confirm it ties to the order form?
- Marcus BellOf course. I've got both in front of me. The contracted annual figure is £125,000, and what's been invoiced is £125,000. They match.
- Robert LindsayWhich figure is the contracted one? Just so I'm clear. Is it the order form figure or what's in your system?
- Marcus BellThe order form. The executed one decides it, and the invoice agrees with it. Term runs to 27 Aug 2027, with the renewal date on 28 Aug 2027.
- Robert LindsayGood. I'll need that in writing, if you could send it after the call.
- Marcus BellWill do. I'll put both figures and the dates in an email today.
- Alan RennieI've checked it against our ledger as well, Robert, it agrees. I can forward you my note.
- Robert LindsayThank you, Alan. That's all I had on that.
- Shona BairdRight, can I do my bit? Worst fault this week was a customer sitting on a high priority ticket with us, and it took longer than I'd like to get an owner on it. That's me being straight with you, Marcus.
- Marcus BellThanks for saying. I've seen it. There's been one high priority ticket in the last month, and it's on my list for today. Is that the one you mean?
- Shona BairdAye. What's the customer actually seeing, that's what I keep asking my own lot. And I want to know if it's something on your side or ours.
- Marcus BellFair question. I don't want to guess in front of Robert. I'll go through the ticket with support after this and write up what happened. I won't promise a date for anything engineering owns, but I'll tell you what I do know.
- Shona BairdThat'll do. Let's not make it complicated.
- Marcus BellRight. Let me share my screen. This is the quarterly view. I'd like to go through usage first, then the ticket, then what we want to do before next summer.
- Robert LindsayPlease do. Usage is what I'm most interested in. Cost per customer served, and what we're paying for.
- Marcus BellOkay. Can you see it? Active users over the last month are averaging about twenty-five a day. That's down about a third on the previous quarter. And you've got 150 licensed users.
- Robert LindsaySo roughly a sixth of the seats are in use.
- Marcus BellAbout that, yes. And I'd rather say it plainly than dress it up. The drop is bigger than I'd expect from holidays alone, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
- Shona BairdHold on, a third? I knew it was down. I didn't think it was that much.
- Marcus BellIt was a smaller dip when we spoke in August, then it's gone on. I don't have a reason yet. That's what I'd like us to find out together.
- Robert LindsayThen let me ask it directly. If use has fallen by a third, what is the contracted figure buying us at the moment?
- Marcus BellThat's a fair thing to ask. The seats and the connectors are all there, and the brain's running and refreshed. What's not there is the number of people asking it things. That's where I think we need to put the effort, not on the invoice.
- Robert LindsayMm. I'm not agreeing anything today. I'd like it set out properly.
- Marcus BellUnderstood, and that's all I'm asking for today. Just to get the picture straight.
- Alan RennieCan I add something? I've had a look at the login list in the admin screen. From what I can see, a good number of the people who've stopped are account managers rather than the service desk. But I've not checked it properly, so take that as a first impression.
- Shona BairdAccount managers. Right. That's the lot who are supposed to know the whole story on a customer. That's not good.
- Marcus BellThat helps, Alan, thank you. Could you check it properly? Who still has a seat and hasn't been in for a while?
- Alan RennieYes, I can do that. I'll match it against our current staff list as well, so we see anybody who's moved team or left.
- Robert LindsayIf there are seats nobody is using, I'd want to know that first, before anything else is discussed.
- Marcus BellThat's sensible. I'll make sure that goes in the note along with the split by team.
- Shona BairdCan I say something about why, though? I think part of it's me. The account managers got a new way of working over the summer, and I don't think I made it obvious that the brain's part of it.
- Marcus BellOkay, that's honest, thank you. Say a bit more. What changed for them?
- Shona BairdDifferent customer lists, different meetings. They're busy and they fall back on what they know. I should've kept on at them.
- Marcus BellI don't think it's anyone's fault. It's a normal thing when a team's routine shifts. The question is how we get the brain back into the new routine.
- Robert LindsayCan I ask what the plan would be, concretely, and by when?
- Marcus BellThree things, if you're happy. One, Alan's list of unused seats, as soon as he's able. Two, a breakdown from me of who asks questions and how it's moved over the quarter. Three, a working session with the account managers, using their own customers, and Shona picks the team leads who should be in it.
- Shona BairdI'll pick them. And I'll sit in. I'd rather they heard it from me too.
- Alan RennieI should have the list in a few days. It's a quick export, it's the cross-check against staff that takes the time.
- Robert LindsayAnd who pays for the working session?
- Marcus BellThat's within the service you've got. It's me and a screen, nothing extra. If anything were to cost more I'd say so in writing first.
- Robert LindsayPlease do. I'll need that in writing, as I said.
- Marcus BellIt'll be in the same email. Now, can I come back to the ticket? I've the details open.
- Shona BairdGo on.
- Marcus BellIt's the one high priority ticket in the last month. It's not been left alone and it's not an overdue invoice or anything like that. What I want to be sure of is the response against what's in your contract, because you're on Enterprise and there's a tighter first response. I'll check the timestamps and send them, rather than say it from memory.
- Robert LindsayPlease do. If there's a service level that was not met, I'd like to see it clearly.
- Marcus BellUnderstood. If it was missed I'll tell you, and I'll tell you what the contract says about it. I'll not dodge it.
- Shona BairdThat's all I'm after. Who's got the fault, and did they get it fixed before the customer had to chase. If not, I want to know why.
- Marcus BellRight. Then let me write that down properly. Usage split, Alan's seat list, the ticket timeline, and a proposed date for the working session.
- Robert LindsayOne more point. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing today changes the contract.
- Marcus BellNothing today changes it. The order form stands as it is, and the renewal is 28 Aug 2027, a good while away. This is about getting the value up, not about the paperwork.
- Robert LindsayGood. Thank you.
- Shona BairdMarcus, can we see you again in a few weeks? I don't want this to drift.
- Marcus BellYes. Shall we book half an hour once Alan's list is in and I've been through the ticket? I'll send an invite for a few weeks from now.
- Shona BairdDo that. Cheers.
- Alan RennieFine with me.
- Robert LindsayThank you, Marcus. Good afternoon.
- Marcus BellThanks, all. Speak soon.