Ardenmore Pension Administration / BG-Demo – Negotiation
Callcompleted
Ardenmore Pension Administration · 30 Jan 2024 16:00
Elaine Turvey, the Finance Director who signs, would not decide on the call. She wants a one-page usage note from Harjit Bains and Tom Ashdown's written confirmation first, then will go to the board, aiming to answer by 5 Feb 2024.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Elaine Turvey, the Finance Director who signs, would not decide on the call. She wants a one-page usage note from Harjit Bains and Tom Ashdown's written confirmation first, then will go to the board, aiming to answer by 5 Feb 2024.
What happened: Owen Tallis asked where the expansion stood against the pencilled date of Monday 5 February 2024. Elaine asked who actually uses the brain, and Harjit said a handful of client relationships staff, out of 15 licensed, with numbers rising.
Customer view: Elaine is not against the deal but says she cannot yet see the usage case written down and must justify it to the board. Harjit gave a concrete use: member query history for a trustee meeting saved her most of an afternoon.
Commercial: Tom set out Starter at £20k a year to the end of August and an expansion of £1,975 in total, which he said is the deal value and not a change to the £20k. Owen noted any discount sits on the first term only.
Watch: Harjit asked for a view of logins by team for the renewal later in the year. The evidence does not show whether Elaine agreed.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Starter expansion sign-off
Importance
upsell
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Tom Ashdown sends the written confirmation of the expansion lines the day after the call.
- Harjit Bains delivers the one-page usage note on the Thursday after the call.
- Elaine Turvey gives her answer by Monday 5 February 2024, and Tom moves the date if it slips.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Elaine cannot yet see a written usage case and may defer or decline when she takes it to the board.
- Only a handful of the 15 licensed Starter users are active, which weakens the expansion case.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Harjit is an active champion and wants a login-by-team view to support the trustees and the later renewal.
- Use is rising among client relationships staff who deal with schemes directly, which supports the expansion.
Transcript
Tom AshdownHello, hello. Can you hear me alright? Elaine, Harjit, how's your week been so far?
Harjit BainsHi Tom, yes, loud and clear. Busy, if I'm honest. I've got a trustee meeting coming up, so I've been in the scheme records most of the week.
Elaine TurveyGood afternoon. Sorry, I'm just sorting the camera. There. Is Owen with us?
Owen TallisI'm here, afternoon both. Thanks for making the time. Tom's brought me up to speed, but let me ask the obvious thing first: where does this stand against the date? We've pencilled in Monday 5 February 2024.- Tom AshdownWhich is next week, give or take. No drama, I think we're close, but that's really for Elaine and Harjit to say.
- Elaine TurveyBefore we get into that, can I ask something? Who is actually using it at the moment? I'd like to hear that first.
- Harjit BainsFair question. It's more of the team than it was in the autumn, definitely. A handful of us in client relationships are in there most days now, and what's changed is that people ask it before a client call rather than after. Prepping for the trustee meeting, for instance, I asked it for the member query history on a scheme and it saved me the best part of an afternoon.
- Elaine TurveyA handful. Out of fifteen licensed.
- Harjit BainsYes, out of 15. I won't dress it up. But the number's going the right way, and it's the people who deal with the schemes directly, not people who were just given a login.
- Owen TallisThat's useful, thank you. And that's partly why we're having this conversation, isn't it, Tom? The expansion follows the usage.
- Tom AshdownIt does. So, just so we're all looking at the same thing. You're on Starter, nineteen and a half thousand a year, £19,500, and that runs to the end of August. The expansion we talked about is £1,975 in total. I'll confirm the exact lines in writing, I don't want to be quoting from memory on a call.
- Elaine TurveyAnd that's a one-off, or does it recur? I want to be clear what I'd be explaining to the board.
- Tom AshdownGood question. I'll put it in the confirmation so there's no ambiguity. What I can say is that it's the total value of that deal, it isn't a change to the £19,500.
- Owen TallisCan I add one thing on terms? Any discount sits on the first term only, so we wouldn't want to be discounting twice. The number Tom has given you is where we'd want to land. I'd rather be straight about that now than surprise you in August.
- Elaine TurveyI appreciate that. Let's not rush, though. I'm not against it, I just can't see the usage case written down yet. Can we justify that to the board? That's what I keep coming back to.
- Harjit BainsElaine, if it helps, I can put together a short note. What the team asked, what it replaced, which clients it touched. Nothing with member data in it, obviously, just the pattern.
- Elaine TurveyThat would help. Short, please. One page.
- Harjit BainsOne page. No surprises for the client, or for the board.
- Tom AshdownBrilliant. And if there's anything in our own numbers that helps, leave that with me. I can pull the activity from our side so it's not just Harjit's word for it.
- Owen TallisWhat's the next dated step, then? I don't like a deal sitting on a hopeful close date. Who signs, and by when?
- Elaine TurveyI sign. But I won't decide on this call. I'd like to see the one page and Tom's confirmation first, and then I'll take it to the board.
- Owen TallisUnderstood, and quite right. Then let's put it down. Tom sends the written confirmation tomorrow. Harjit, the note, when's realistic?
- Harjit BainsThursday, I'd say. I've got the trustee meeting first, so Thursday is safer than Wednesday.
- Owen TallisFine. And Elaine, would you be able to come back to us by Monday 5 February 2024? If it slips a few days, tell us, and Tom will move the date properly rather than leave it.
- Elaine TurveyI'll aim for that. If the board want to wait, I'll say so.
- Tom AshdownThat's all I'd ask. Honestly, it's a good sign that you're asking who uses it. We'd rather you asked that than just signed.
- Elaine TurveyWell. It's my job to ask.
- Harjit BainsAnd one more thing from me, Tom, for the renewal later in the year. Could we look at who's logged in by team? It'd help me with the trustees too.
- Tom AshdownAbsolutely, I'll ask the team to pull it together. Let's get something in the diary for that after this is settled.
- Owen TallisGood. Thanks, all. Tom, confirmation tomorrow, Harjit's note Thursday, Elaine's answer by the fifth.
- Tom AshdownCheers, everyone. Speak soon.
- Elaine TurveyThank you. Goodbye.
- Harjit BainsBye all. Good luck with the week.
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