What was said
What this says
Current to 13 Oct 26On the 17 Feb 2025 check-in, Imogen Hartley said about a dozen of forty seats are in daily use and that this is hard to defend to the board. She wants a manager training session and an honest usage summary before the renewal.
What happened: Daniel Okafor and Imogen reviewed usage on the Growth tier. Around a dozen people are active on a typical day, the same core group, with some longer-serving managers back on their own trackers.
Customer view: Imogen calls the account quiet and content with room to grow. She wants a short session for six or eight relationship managers, using their own schemes.
Commercial: The Growth renewal is £44k a year, with the term ending on 2 Apr 2025 and renewal on 3 Apr 2025. Douglas will want a short usage summary before he signs.
Watch: Imogen asked that the summary be honest about modest numbers. Seat count is the pressure point at renewal.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Who was there
BB-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Daniel Okafor to send Imogen two or three session times by the end of the week.
- Daniel Okafor to draft the usage summary for Douglas and send it to Imogen first.
- Imogen Hartley to compile the list of six or eight managers.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- About a dozen daily users against forty licensed seats makes the seat count hard to defend at renewal.
- Some longer-serving managers are drifting back to their own spreadsheets.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- A short training session for six or eight relationship managers on their own schemes could widen adoption.
- Douglas opening the session would give it senior sponsorship.
Transcript
- Daniel Okafor NoneHello Imogen, thank you for making the time. Can you hear me alright?
- Imogen Hartley NoneI can, yes. Good afternoon, Daniel. Sorry, I was just finishing something, I'm with you now.
- Daniel Okafor NoneNo rush at all. It's only the two of us today, I think, so we can take it at our own pace. How's Edinburgh? Still grey?
- Imogen Hartley NoneGrey and damp, as ever. I've stopped noticing. Honestly, the only thing that's changed is that the office heating has finally been fixed, so I'm not wearing a coat at my desk.
- Daniel Okafor NoneWell, that's progress. Right, I thought we'd do a proper check in, look at how the team is using the brain, and then just close the loop on the renewal, because it's coming up faster than either of us would like.
- Imogen Hartley NoneThat works. Let me set the context first, if that's all right. The real question for us at the moment is whether the relationship managers are getting something they'd miss. The trustees keep asking us to show service quality, and the brain is the nearest thing we have to one view of a scheme.
- Daniel Okafor NoneYes, that's what I remember from the start. Trustee calls, member queries and the fee invoices, all in one place, so a manager can walk into a meeting prepared.
- Imogen Hartley NoneExactly that. And I've seen this work. The managers who use it properly prepare in half the time and they stop being surprised in the room.
- Daniel Okafor NoneMm. Good. Let me pull up the usage view so we're looking at the same thing. Give me a moment.
- Imogen Hartley NoneTake your time. I'll look at my own notes while you do.
- Daniel Okafor NoneRight, I have it. So you're licensed for forty users on Growth, and over the last month we're seeing around a dozen people active on a typical day. That's very steady against the quarter before, a touch down if I'm honest, but nothing I'd call a movement.
- Imogen Hartley NoneThat matches what I see. It's the same core group, really. The people who got it early still use it every day.
- Daniel Okafor NoneAnd how is the team finding it, beyond that core? Is anyone drifting back to the old spreadsheets?
- Imogen Hartley NoneA few, yes. I won't pretend otherwise. Some of the longer-serving managers have their own trackers and they trust them. It's not a complaint about the brain, it's habit.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's fair, and it's very common. Habits take longer than software. So the headroom is there, you've got forty seats and only a dozen or so in daily use.
- Imogen Hartley NoneWhich is the thing I'd like to fix before the renewal, frankly. It's hard to defend forty seats to the board when so few people are on at once.
- Daniel Okafor NoneUnderstood. What would help? Is it a training question, or is it more that people don't have a reason to open it on a Monday morning?
- Imogen Hartley NoneA bit of both. I think a short session aimed squarely at the relationship managers, using their own schemes, would do more than anything. Not a feature tour. Show them one trustee meeting prepared in ten minutes.
- Daniel Okafor NoneI like that. Their own schemes, their own meeting. I can run that with you. I'll come back to you by the end of the week with a couple of times that suit my diary and see what works for yours.
- Imogen Hartley NoneLovely. Please keep it small. Six or eight people, otherwise they'll hide at the back.
- Daniel Okafor NoneSix or eight, noted. Now, tickets. We had one last month, and you didn't flag it as a worry, but just to close the loop, was it dealt with to your satisfaction?
- Imogen Hartley NoneIt was. I remember it being picked up quickly and I haven't heard about it since, which is the best sign. One in a month is hardly a burden.
- Daniel Okafor NoneGood. That's what I see too. Nothing open, nothing overdue on the invoicing side either, so on paper it's a quiet account.
- Imogen Hartley NoneQuiet is fine. Quiet is better than loud. Although, the real question is whether quiet means content or just means distracted.
- Daniel Okafor NoneHa, yes. That's exactly why I wanted this call. From what you're telling me, it's content with room to grow, and I'd say that's a reasonable summary.
- Imogen Hartley NoneI'd agree with that. Let's make it count, then. If we get the managers on board, the usage story takes care of itself.
- Daniel Okafor NoneRight. On the renewal. Your current term ends on 2 Apr 2025 and the renewal falls on 3 Apr 2025. It's on the Growth tier at £44,000 a year, same as now, and Nell looks after the commercial side.
- Imogen Hartley NoneYes. Nell and Douglas will need to speak, I imagine. Douglas will want a short summary of what we've had from it. He doesn't like to sign without something in front of him.
- Daniel Okafor NoneOf course. I'll put together a plain usage summary, who's asking questions, how it's been used, the support picture, and send it to you first so you can tell me if it says what you think it should.
- Imogen Hartley NoneThat would be ideal. And be honest in it. If the numbers are modest, say so, I'd rather make the case with the real picture and the plan for the managers.
- Daniel Okafor NoneAlways. Say what happened and say how we know, as Nell would put it. Is there anything else on your side before we finish?
- Imogen Hartley NoneOnly that I'd like a sponsor on the training session, ideally Douglas opening it for two minutes. People take it more seriously.
- Daniel Okafor NoneThat's a good idea, and I'll mention it when I write. So, to recap: I send you two or three times for the session by the end of the week, and I draft the usage summary for Douglas and send it to you first.
- Imogen Hartley NoneAnd I'll sort the list of six or eight managers. Perfect.
- Daniel Okafor NoneWonderful. Thank you, Imogen, and enjoy the heating. Speak soon.
- Imogen Hartley NoneCheers, Daniel. Bye for now.