Brackwell Freight Ltd / BG-Demo – Check In
Callcompleted
Brackwell Freight Ltd · 22 Nov 2024 12:15
On the 22 Nov 2024 check-in, Liam Doherty described a clear win from the brain and agreed a depot training session. Price for the 1 Dec 2024 renewal was left to Tom Ashdown. Liam is the only person who knows the set-up.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026On the 22 Nov 2024 check-in, Liam Doherty described a clear win from the brain and agreed a depot training session. Price for the 1 Dec 2024 renewal was left to Tom Ashdown. Liam is the only person who knows the set-up.
What happened: Marcus Bell reviewed usage, support and the renewal with Liam Doherty. Active users were about eight of 15 licensed, up roughly three quarters on the quarter before.
Customer view: Liam gave a concrete value story: he saw a retail contract going wrong before the customer rang the MD. He also called himself a very expensive search box, because account managers still ask him instead of the brain.
Commercial: Liam asked about price so he could warn his finance director, and Marcus left it to Tom Ashdown. Marcus advised filling the Starter seats before asking for more, and Liam raised connectors and finance data as a possible next step.
Watch: Liam said he is the one who knows where everything is, with no stand-in. He also mentioned the morning data is sometimes a little late.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Adoption and renewal prep
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
positive
Voice
champion
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Marcus Bell asks Tom Ashdown to send the renewal paperwork early the following week, with the usage picture.
- Liam Doherty lines up a depot manager session and names a second person to share the set-up.
- Liam floats the finance data idea with his finance director before the renewal conversation.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Liam Doherty is the only person who knows how the brain is set up, so the account depends on one person.
- Price for the renewal starting 1 Dec 2024 was left open, and Liam wants to warn his finance director.
- Liam said the morning data is sometimes later than he would like, with no examples given yet.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Starter use is about half of the 15 licensed users, and a depot training session could fill the rest.
- Liam wants finance data in the brain, which would test the Starter connector limit and could point to a step up.
Transcript
Marcus BellHello Liam, can you hear me alright? I've got a bit of lag on my side.
Liam DohertyYeah, loud and clear. Afternoon, Marcus. Sorry, I'm just walking back from the yard, give me a minute to find a room that isn't somebody's lunch.- Marcus BellNo rush at all. I'm eating a sandwich at my desk, so we're even.
- Liam DohertyRight, I'm in. Room four, which is basically a cupboard with a window. How's your week been?
- Marcus BellBusy, but the good kind. A lot of paperwork and a lot of rain, so nothing unusual for Manchester. You?
- Liam DohertySame on the rain. It's Friday, so I'm just trying to get to the weekend without a delivery exception landing on me. Quiet so far, touch wood.
- Marcus BellFingers crossed. Okay, I'll share my screen and say what I'd like to cover, if that works for you. Can you see it?
- Liam DohertyI can see a chart with a very nice upward line. Love that already.
- Marcus BellThat's the one. So, three things. Usage since the last quarter, the support side, and then the renewal, because your term runs to 30 Nov 2024 and renews on 1 Dec 2024, so it's not far off. And then anything you want to raise. Does that sound all right?
- Liam DohertyPerfect. List first, that's how I like it.
- Marcus BellI've pulled the numbers. Over the last thirty days, active users average about eight. That's up by roughly three quarters on the quarter before.
- Liam DohertyThree quarters. Wow. I knew it felt busier, but I didn't think it was that much.
- Marcus BellYeah, it's a proper jump. And that's out of 15 licensed users, so you're using about half of what you've got.
- Liam DohertyWhich is the bit I'm thinking about. About half. Can we get the depots on it? That's the whole plan, really. The Trafford Park lot are in there most days, from what I can see, but the other depots dip in and out.
- Marcus BellThat fits what I'm seeing. It's the same people coming back more often, plus a few new faces. Which is good, because it means it's becoming a habit and not a one-off look.
- Liam DohertyRight. And that's what I wanted. One view, that's the point. Account, the delivery exception tickets, the calls, all in one place so nobody's got to open four tabs and a spreadsheet.
- Marcus BellYeah. Can I ask, is that how it's landing with the account managers? Do they say it's easier, or is it still a bit of a chore for some of them?
- Liam DohertyMixed, honestly. The ones who've tried it properly love it. The ones who haven't are still ringing me and asking me to look things up, which, you know, defeats the object.
- Marcus BellHa. Right. So, they ask you and you ask the brain.
- Liam DohertyExactly. I'm a very expensive search box at the moment.
- Marcus BellWell, that's a good one to fix. I'll come back to it. Let me do the support bit first so we don't lose it. In the last month there's been a single ticket from your side, nothing high priority. Does that ring a bell?
- Liam DohertyYeah, that was me, I think. A small thing. I'd rather ask than guess. It got sorted anyway, so no complaints.
- Marcus BellGood. That's all I wanted to check. And on the finance side, I can see nothing overdue, so no loose ends there either.
- Liam DohertyOur finance team would be mortified if there were. They're very good about paying on time. Almost annoyingly.
- Marcus BellNot annoying for us. Okay. So, the numbers look healthy. But I always like to hear it from you. What's it actually done for you in the last few months? Not what the chart says.
- Liam DohertyOkay, so, go on, I'll give you a proper one. A few weeks back one of our retail contracts started going sideways. Delivery exceptions piling up, a couple of grumpy calls. Before, I'd have heard about it when the customer rang our MD.
- Marcus BellMm.
- Liam DohertyThis time I saw it first. Exceptions and calls in one place, and I could see the pattern building. I rang the depot account manager, we sorted it, and the customer never had to chase us. That's what I bought it for, that exact thing.
- Marcus BellThat's a great example. Do you mind if I note that down? It's the sort of thing I like to be able to say back to our own team.
- Liam DohertyCourse. Put it in. Just don't name the customer.
- Marcus BellNo, no, I'd keep it general. Thanks. Right, let me move on to the renewal, and I'll be upfront about what I can and can't say, because the commercial side sits with Tom.
- Liam DohertyTom Ashdown, yeah. I know. Go on.
- Marcus BellSo you're on Starter, with 15 users. The order form says £19,500 a year, and that matches what's been invoiced, so everything lines up on our side. The term ends on 30 Nov 2024 and the new one would start on 1 Dec 2024.
- Liam DohertyOkay. And what happens on price? I'm not trying to get a number out of you, I just need to know whether to warn our finance director.
- Marcus BellFair question. I don't want to say anything on price that turns out wrong, so that's Tom's to confirm. What I can do is make sure he has the usage picture and your feedback before he sends the paperwork.
- Liam DohertyFine. That's fair. I'd rather hear it from the person who knows. Will he send it over soon?
- Marcus BellSoon, yes. I'll ask him to get it to you early next week, so you've got time to read it properly and not do it on a Friday afternoon.
- Liam DohertyLove that. Thank you.
- Marcus BellNow, the seats thing. You said you're about half used. I wouldn't change anything on the plan today. Starter's got room. The better move is to fill what you've got before anyone talks about more.
- Liam DohertyYeah, that makes sense to me. I'd feel daft asking for more when half are sat there. But if we do get all six depots going, would we run out?
- Marcus BellIt's possible. It depends how many people at each depot actually need it. Do you have a feel for that? Roughly how many account managers at each site?
- Liam DohertyA couple at most sites, a few more at Trafford Park. So, probably not far off what we've got, honestly. It's the connectors I'd worry about more than seats, if we start adding things.
- Marcus BellRight, yes. Starter has a fixed number of connectors, so it's worth having a think about which systems you'd actually want next. Is there something in mind?
- Liam DohertyNothing firm. I keep saying I want the finance data in there so we can see which contracts are actually worth the hassle, but that's a conversation with our finance director, not something I can promise today.
- Marcus BellThat's a good thing to take to him. I'd say, bring it to the renewal conversation with Tom, and he can tell you what's possible within the tier and what would be a step up.
- Liam DohertyOkay. I'll float it internally first. No point asking for a thing and then finding out nobody wants it.
- Marcus BellSensible. Back to the depots, then. What do you think is stopping them?
- Liam DohertyHonestly? Time and habit. They're in the cab or on the dock half the day. They've got a way of doing things that works. If it's not easier in the first thirty seconds they go back to what they know.
- Marcus BellThat's the pattern with most logistics teams I look after. They don't want a training course. They want to ask one question and get an answer.
- Liam DohertyYes. Exactly that. If someone can show them, say, how to ask for every open exception on one customer, in one go, that'd convert them. Show, don't explain.
- Marcus BellSo here's a thought. I'm happy to jump on a call with the depot managers. Short one, thirty minutes, on their own data, with questions they'd actually ask. Shall we book thirty minutes?
- Liam DohertyYes, please. Could you do it as one session with all the depots on, or would you do it site by site?
- Marcus BellI'd say one session to start with. Everyone sees the same thing, and people ask questions the others wouldn't have thought of. If a site needs more after that, we can do a second one for them.
- Liam DohertyBrilliant. I'll get the depot account managers in a room. Well, a call. I'll pick a slot that doesn't clash with the morning runs. Next week, or the week after?
- Marcus BellNext week would be ideal, ahead of the renewal. Then Tom can see the extra use coming through when he looks at the account. But whatever works for them. Don't force it.
- Liam DohertyNo, that's good thinking. I'll try for early next week and send you a couple of options.
- Marcus BellPerfect. And would it help if I pull together a short list of the five or six questions people asked most, so I can use real examples on the session?
- Liam DohertyThat'd be great. Use the ones the Trafford Park team ask. The others will recognise them.
- Marcus BellWill do. I'll tidy them up so nobody's embarrassed by their spelling.
- Liam DohertyHa, I'm the worst one.
- Marcus BellNoted. Anything else on your side before we wrap up? Anything not working that you've been putting up with?
- Liam DohertyNot really. I mean, the only thing is I'd love the morning data to be there a bit earlier some days, but, no, I'm being picky. It's fine. It's there when people need it.
- Marcus BellIf it's been late on specific days, tell me which ones and I'll look into it properly. I don't want to wave it away. I can't promise a fix myself, but I can get it in front of the right people.
- Liam DohertyOkay, I'll make a note when it happens and send you a couple of examples. Not a big deal. Just so you know.
- Marcus BellThat's helpful. Thank you. Last thing. You've been the one pushing this from the start. Is there anyone else who could stand in for you if you were off, or on holiday? Somebody who knows how it's set up?
- Liam DohertyGood question. Not really, no. It's mostly me. There's a couple of the account managers who are pretty good, but I'm the one who knows where everything is.
- Marcus BellOkay. It might be worth thinking about, not because of anything urgent, just so it isn't all sitting with one person. Could one of those account managers be a second pair of hands?
- Liam DohertyYeah. I'll pick one and bring them to the depot session so they see how it's done. Then they've got a bit of ownership.
- Marcus BellLove that. That'd make me feel better, honestly. Right. Let me recap so we're on the same page.
- Marcus BellI'll send you a short usage summary after this call, with the numbers I've just shown you, so you can use it internally. I'll ask Tom to get the renewal paperwork across early next week. You'll line up a slot with the depot managers, early next week if you can, and send me a couple of options. And you'll float the finance data idea with your finance director.
- Liam DohertyAnd I'll send you a note on when the morning data is late. And pick someone to be my second pair of hands.
- Marcus BellExactly. That's everything I've got.
- Liam DohertyCan I ask one more thing? Quick one.
- Marcus BellOf course.
- Liam DohertyWhen the depots do start using it, is there a way to see who's asking what? Not to spy on anyone. Just so I know where to put my effort.
- Marcus BellYes, I can show you usage by person. I'd add that to the summary, so you can see who's active and who isn't. It's a useful way of knowing who to help, rather than who to chase.
- Liam DohertyPerfect. That's the kind of thing I'm after.
- Marcus BellDone. I'll include it.
- Liam DohertyRight, then. Honestly, Marcus, this has been a good one. I came in thinking it'd be a status update and I'm leaving with a plan.
- Marcus BellThat's the best way to leave a check-in. And it's your numbers that did it. Three quarters up is a big move for a team that wasn't sure at the start.
- Liam DohertyYeah. We weren't, to be fair. I had a few people who said it was just another dashboard. They don't say that now.
- Marcus BellGood. Hold on to that. When Tom talks to you about the renewal, that's the story to tell.
- Liam DohertyWill do. Oh, and Marcus, the bit about the second pair of hands. I should have done that months ago. Thanks for nudging.
- Marcus BellNo problem. It's just good practice. Anyone I look after, I say the same.
- Liam DohertyFair enough. Well, I should get back before somebody takes my cupboard.
- Marcus BellHa. Go on, then. Have a good weekend, and I hope the exceptions stay quiet.
- Liam DohertyTouch wood. Cheers, Marcus. Speak soon.
- Marcus BellThanks, Liam. Speak soon. Bye.
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