What was said
What this says
Current to 13 Oct 26Steven Holroyd, Finance Director, welcomed the jump in users beyond one analyst but wants hours saved he can put to the board. He does not renew on autopilot and deferred any Finance rollout.
What happened: Amara Obi reported average daily users in the mid-thirties, well over three times the previous quarter. Steven asked who the users were and was told they are mostly client managers, not just Josh.
Customer view: Steven wants a saving he can say to the board. He rejected "a chunk of the week" as not a figure and accepted a two-week timing exercise with the client managers.
Commercial: The Enterprise order form and invoices both show £110k, with nothing overdue. The term runs to 3 Apr 2027 and renews on 4 Apr 2027. Steven wants the renewal sent in good time.
Watch: Steven would not commit to Finance as a new team and asked to be asked again at the next check-in.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Who was there
BB-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Amara to write to the client managers this week, copying Steven, about timing their reconciliation for a fortnight.
- Amara to email Steven a usage chart after the call.
- Amara to bring the renewal well ahead of the notice period with the usage picture and any savings figure.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- No quantified saving yet, and the Finance Director needs a figure for the board before he renews.
- Steven says he does not renew on autopilot, so the 4 Apr 2027 renewal depends on the value case.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- Finance as a further team on the Enterprise tier, to be revisited at the next check-in.
- A timed reconciliation exercise could give hours that Steven can cost.
Transcript
- Amara Obi NoneHello, Steven, can you hear me all right?
- Steven Holroyd NoneI can. Afternoon. You're a bit quiet, mind.
- Amara Obi NoneLet me sort my headset. Is that better?
- Steven Holroyd NoneAye, that's better.
- Amara Obi NoneLovely. Thanks for making time over lunch. I know your diary's tight. I'll keep this short and useful, and I'd like to hear what good looks like for you for the rest of this quarter.
- Steven Holroyd NoneBefore that. Who's using it? That's what I want to know first.
- Amara Obi NoneRight, so here's what the numbers say. Average daily users over the last thirty days are in the mid-thirties. Compared with the previous quarter that's well over three times as many people. It's the biggest jump on the account since I picked it up.
- Steven Holroyd NoneThree times. Out of how many?
- Amara Obi NoneYou're licensed for 150, so there's plenty of room. We're nowhere near the ceiling. The point is more that it's gone from a handful of people to a proper working group.
- Steven Holroyd NoneMm. And who are they? Not just Josh poking about.
- Amara Obi NoneNo, not just Josh. It's mostly the client managers now. They're the ones pulling up each brand's orders and returns tickets together before service reviews. Josh is still the admin, but he's not the main user any more.
- Steven Holroyd NoneGood. That's what we bought it for. I didn't want it sat with one analyst.
- Amara Obi NoneAgreed. And that's a risk I'd flag if it were the other way round, one person asking all the questions. It's spread out nicely at the moment.
- Steven Holroyd NoneWhat's it saving us, then? I need to be able to say that to the board, not just that people logged in.
- Amara Obi NoneFair. I'd rather not hand you a number I can't stand behind. What I can say is that the client managers told me they used to spend a chunk of the week reconciling the orders system against the returns tickets by hand before each service review. They're asking the brain instead.
- Steven Holroyd NoneChunk of the week. That's not a figure.
- Amara Obi NoneNo, it isn't, and I'm not going to pretend it is. What I'd suggest is we ask two or three of them to time it properly for a fortnight, and then you've got hours you can put a cost on. I can set that up.
- Steven Holroyd NoneAye, do that. Hours I can work with.
- Amara Obi NoneDone. I'll write to the client managers this week and copy you in so you can see I've asked.
- Steven Holroyd NoneRight. Tickets. Anything I should be worried about?
- Amara Obi NoneVery quiet, which is what you want. One ticket in the last thirty days, nothing urgent, and nothing high priority. Josh got an answer back well within what you're entitled to.
- Steven Holroyd NoneGood. And the invoice. Nothing outstanding on our side?
- Amara Obi NoneNothing overdue. It's £110,000 a year on the order form and £110,000 invoiced, so those match. No surprises there.
- Steven Holroyd NoneGood. I don't like surprises on an invoice.
- Amara Obi NoneSo I've heard. Which brings me to the renewal. Your contract runs to 3 Apr 2027 and renews on 4 Apr 2027. I know it feels a long way off.
- Steven Holroyd NoneIt is a long way off. Send me the renewal in good time though. I don't renew on autopilot.
- Amara Obi NoneUnderstood. I'll come to you well ahead of the notice period, with the usage picture and whatever savings figure we've managed to pin down. That way you're deciding on evidence, not on a form arriving.
- Steven Holroyd NoneThat's all I ask.
- Amara Obi NoneOne more thing, and then I'll let you go. Who else should have access? You've got a lot of headroom, and the client managers are clearly getting value. Is there another team that would benefit? Finance, say?
- Steven Holroyd NoneFinance. Hmm. Maybe. I'd want to see it earn its keep with the people who've got it now first. Ask me again at the next one.
- Amara Obi NoneFair enough. I won't push. I'll just put it in the notes so we revisit it.
- Steven Holroyd NoneAye. Anything else from you?
- Amara Obi NoneNo, that's it. So, next steps: I write to the client managers about timing their reconciliation, and I'll send you a usage chart by email after this. Then we get the next check-in in the diary.
- Steven Holroyd NoneGrand. Thanks, Amara.
- Amara Obi NoneThanks, Steven. Enjoy the rest of your day. Speak soon.