Lornefield Pensions Administration / BG-Demo – Renewal
Callcompleted
Lornefield Pensions Administration · 7 Jan 2026 09:45
On the 7 Jan 2026 renewal call, Douglas Baird said supplier arrangements are under review and he needs to show the trustees what the brain does. Usage is down, though no service problem sits behind it.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026On the 7 Jan 2026 renewal call, Douglas Baird said supplier arrangements are under review and he needs to show the trustees what the brain does. Usage is down, though no service problem sits behind it.
What happened: Daniel Okafor and Nell Ashcombe met Douglas Baird, Imogen Hartley and Morag Lindsay on 7 Jan 2026. Douglas said the group is looking at supplier arrangements, and stressed this was not a comment on the service.
Customer view: Imogen admitted her team may have drifted back to spreadsheets. Douglas expects the trustees to ask who uses the tool and whether idle seats are being paid for.
Commercial: Daniel confirmed the Growth order form at £44k a year for 40 users matches the invoice. Active users are down roughly a third, and a small group asks a good share of the questions.
Watch: Douglas would commit to nothing for the group. The evidence does not show the renewal outcome.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Renewal review, adoption slipping
Importance
renewal
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- Daniel Okafor to send usage by team and by person to Imogen and Douglas before the end of next week.
- Imogen Hartley to send Daniel the names of managers for adoption sessions the next day.
- Daniel Okafor to confirm the contract period wording for Morag Lindsay.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- The group is reviewing supplier arrangements and Douglas will not commit before the trustees see a clear account of value.
- Active users are down roughly a third, so idle Growth seats may be challenged at renewal.
- A small group asks a good share of the questions, which is a key-person risk.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Senior sponsorship in meetings could restore the habit, and Nell offered to join a session.
- Usage by team and person gives Douglas a basis for a trustee-ready value case.
Transcript
Daniel OkaforMorning, everyone, and thank you all for making the time. Let me just check who's joined. Douglas, Imogen, Morag, and Nell is here with me. Is anyone still to come?
Douglas BairdGood morning, Daniel. Thank you for arranging this. I believe that's all of us from our side. Do say if my microphone drops out, it has been a little temperamental.- Daniel OkaforYou're coming through clearly. Imogen, can you hear us all right?
Imogen HartleyYes, fine. It's bitterly cold in Edinburgh this morning, so I'm on my second coffee already.
Nell AshcombeSame in London, just wetter. Before we start, can I ask what each of you needs to leave with today? It'll help us pitch the next forty minutes properly.- Douglas BairdThat's a very fair question, Nell. Perhaps I might summarise where things stand, and the others can correct me. The current term runs to 2 Apr 2026, the renewal falls on 3 Apr 2026, and the group's position is that supplier arrangements are being looked at carefully in the new year. In fairness, that is not a comment on the service. I would simply welcome a conversation that lets me give the trustees a clear account of what the brain does for us.
- Nell AshcombeUnderstood, and thank you for putting it plainly. So the thing you leave with is something you can show the trustees.
- Douglas BairdPrecisely so.
Morag LindsayFrom me, it's more modest. For our records I'd like to confirm the contract period on the current invoice, and what the renewal invoice would say if we went ahead. Nothing is outstanding on our side, but I like the period written on the page.- Daniel OkaforOf course, Morag. Just to close the loop on that one, the order form is Growth at forty-four thousand a year, forty licensed users, and the invoiced amount matches it. I'll make sure any renewal paperwork carries the dates in full.
- Morag LindsayGood. Thank you.
- Imogen HartleyAnd from me, I'd like to be honest about usage, because I know you can see the numbers. The real question is whether the brain is still the first place my team goes, and over the last few weeks I'm not certain it has been.
- Nell AshcombeSay what happened, say how you know. What are you seeing?
- Imogen HartleyFewer people logging in, mostly. The scheme-relationship managers used to open it before every trustee call, and I think some of them have drifted back to their own spreadsheets. Part of it is the time of year, with the festive period and people away. Part of it, I suspect, is that nobody has been nudging them. I don't want to pretend I know the whole answer.
- Daniel OkaforThat matches what I see, Imogen. Active users are down by roughly a third on the previous quarter, so it's more than the holidays. We have forty licensed seats and on a typical day well under a quarter of them are in use. How is the team finding it, from what you hear?
- Imogen HartleyThose who use it still like it. The member-query view in particular. But the habit has slipped.
- Douglas BairdIf I may, Daniel, that is precisely the sort of thing the trustees would ask me. Whether the tool is being used, and by whom, and whether we are paying for seats that sit idle.
- Nell AshcombeThat's a reasonable thing to ask, and I'd rather we answer it than dodge it. What would the brain say? Daniel, is there a view of questions asked by team?
- Daniel OkaforThere is. I can pull questions by team and by person, and the share asked by the top few users. I haven't sent it yet because I wanted you to hear the shape of it first rather than receive a table cold.
- Imogen HartleyI'd welcome that. If it turns out two or three people carry most of it, I'd rather know now.
- Daniel OkaforI'll be straight with you, that is part of the picture. A small group asks a good share of the questions. It's worth a conversation about who else should be in the habit.
- Morag LindsayCan I ask about tickets? I saw one come through finance for a data question. Is that resolved?
- Daniel OkaforYes. There was one ticket in the last month, a how-to question, answered inside the response time for Growth, and nothing high priority. So no service problem sitting behind the usage dip, as far as I can tell.
- Morag LindsayThank you. I'll note that for our records.
- Douglas BairdThat is reassuring, in fairness. It suggests the difficulty is one of adoption rather than the product. Would you agree, Imogen?
- Imogen HartleyI would. I've seen this work when somebody senior asks for the brain's answer in a meeting. Then the habit comes back quickly. Without that, it fades. Let's make it count.
- Nell AshcombeThat's a fair read, and it's partly on us as well. We should have been closer to your managers in the autumn. I'm not going to give you a feature date or a promise I can't keep, but I can say Daniel will put time with the team in the diary, and I'll join one session myself if that helps with the trustees.
- Douglas BairdThat would be most welcome, Nell. I should be careful, though. I can't make any commitment on the group's behalf at this stage. What I can do is carry a clear picture upward.
- Nell AshcombeOf course. We'd want you to have that, not a sales line.
- Daniel OkaforSo, just to close the loop. I'll send the usage by team and by person to Imogen and Douglas. Imogen, you tell me which managers should be in the sessions. Morag, I'll confirm the contract period wording. I'll come back to you with all of that before the end of next week.
- Imogen HartleyI'll send you names tomorrow. Better to do it while it's fresh.
- Douglas BairdThank you, all of you. I'd welcome a further conversation once the figures are with us, and I won't hurry the decision.
- Morag LindsayThanks, everyone. That's all from me.
- Daniel OkaforThank you all for your time. Speak soon, and stay warm in Edinburgh.
- Nell AshcombeCheers, all.
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