Calderbrook Housing Group / BB-Demo – Onboarding
Callcompleted
Calderbrook Housing Group · 2024-10-01 11:00
Helen Marsden and Paul Rigby want one traceable source for the board pack. Double-counted repairs jobs are the worry. Callie Brennan set out access, mapping and refresh steps, with the call recorder left until last.
What was said
What this says
Current to 13 Oct 26Helen Marsden and Paul Rigby want one traceable source for the board pack. Double-counted repairs jobs are the worry. Callie Brennan set out access, mapping and refresh steps, with the call recorder left until last.
What happened: Callie Brennan walked Helen Marsden and Paul Rigby through sources, mapping and a five-step build order. Paul shared a repairs export showing the same job reference on two lines since the housing system upgrade.
Customer view: Helen wants the brain to be the one place where every number shows its source. She said the board will ask, and the arrears section is built off a finance file, so the brain could be right and the pack still look wrong.
Commercial: Helen asked what the Growth tier covers and was told £44k a year with forty users included. Only a couple of people are active, so adoption depends on the numbers holding up first.
Watch: The high priority ticket on double-counting is open and Callie would not give a cause. The call recorder is held back pending the data protection officer.
Themes
Current to 9 Oct 26Theme
Onboarding, repairs data trust
Importance
neutral
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
champion
Who was there
BB-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
Current to 9 Oct 26- Callie Brennan sends the written plan, connector one-pagers and the Snowflake permissions list.
- Paul Rigby sends the spreadsheet of double-counted jobs and signs off what counts as completed.
- Helen Marsden sends the board-pack wording, IT approval and speaks to the data protection officer.
Risks
Current to 9 Oct 26- Duplicate repairs jobs since the housing system upgrade could leave the board-pack figures wrong.
- Access approvals from IT and the data protection officer could delay the first refresh.
- Only two people are active and the first wave of seats waits on the numbers looking right.
Opportunities
Current to 9 Oct 26- A reconciled repairs and arrears view for the board pack would show value to the director.
- Opening the remaining Growth seats once the numbers hold up would deepen adoption.
Transcript
Callie Brennan NoneHello, hello. Can you both hear me all right? I've got the recording going, so if anyone's mic is odd, shout.
Helen Marsden NoneYes, I can hear you fine. Good morning, Callie.
Paul Rigby NoneMorning. Can you hear me? I've got the headset on, the laptop one's rubbish.- Callie Brennan NoneLoud and clear, Paul. Lovely. Right, it's Tuesday, so I hope the week's been kind so far.
- Helen Marsden NoneBusy. We've had the committee papers going out, so everyone's a bit frazzled. But we're here.
- Paul Rigby NoneSame. Rain's coming down in Leeds like it's got a grudge.
- Callie Brennan NoneHa, it's the same down here. Okay, so let me give you the plan for the next forty minutes, and then you can tell me if I've got it wrong. First, I want to go through the sources we're going to connect and who owns the access for each one. Second, the field mapping, especially the repairs data, because I know that's where you've had trouble. Third, what the first refresh looks like and when. And then last, who does what by when, so nobody leaves the call guessing.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's helpful. Can I state the thing I'm chasing before we start, just so it's on the table?
- Callie Brennan NonePlease do.
- Helen Marsden NoneThe repairs figures in the board pack don't reconcile to the housing management system. The completed jobs number in the repairs section is higher than what operations quote, and the board will ask. I don't want the brain to be a second source that disagrees with the first. I want it to be the one place where we can show the source of every number.
- Callie Brennan NoneThat's exactly the right thing to want from it, and I'll be straight with you: that's what the mapping step is for. What I need from your side is a clear idea of which system is the system of record for each figure. Then we can trace each one back, row by row.
- Helen Marsden NoneRight. And can you show me the source for any figure once it's in? Not just a total.
- Callie Brennan NoneYes. Every answer in the brain links back to the records it came from, so you can click through. I'll show you that on your own data once the first refresh has landed, not before. I don't want to show you a screen of someone else's numbers.
- Paul Rigby NoneCan I share my screen? It's easier than describing it.
- Callie Brennan NoneGo for it.
- Paul Rigby NoneCan you see that? That's the repairs jobs export from last week. Double-counted again. Look at these two rows. Same job ref, same address, same operative, two lines. Since the housing system upgrade it does that on a chunk of the jobs.
- Callie Brennan NoneYes, I can see it. Two lines, same job reference. Is there anything that differs between them, a status, a timestamp?
- Paul Rigby NoneTimestamp's a few seconds apart. Status is the same. That's all I can tell you. I'm not going to guess why.
- Callie Brennan NoneFair enough, and I won't guess either. I haven't checked that mapping yet, so I'm not going to say it's fine. What I can tell you is how we'd handle it. We treat the job reference as the unique key for a repairs job, and before we switch on the refresh I'll run a check for any reference that appears more than once, and show you the list.
- Paul Rigby NoneSo you'd flag them, not just quietly drop one?
- Callie Brennan NoneFlag them. You'll want to see what's being treated as a duplicate and decide the rule. It's your data and your numbers going in front of the board, so I'd rather you sign off the rule than have me invent one.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's what I'd want. Paul has a spreadsheet of every case. It might be useful to you.
- Paul Rigby NoneAye, I keep one. Every job ref where it's happened, with the date. I raised a ticket on it with you already.
- Callie Brennan NoneI saw that one come through. One ticket so far, and I've read it. Could you send me the spreadsheet? That would save us a lot of time, because then I'm testing against real cases instead of a sample.
- Paul Rigby NoneI'll send it this afternoon. Job ref attached, like always.
- Callie Brennan NoneBrilliant, thank you. Stop sharing whenever you like, Paul. Okay, so, sources. Let me read out what I have from the scoping notes, and correct me.
- Paul Rigby NoneRight, stopped sharing.
- Callie Brennan NoneSo I have the housing management system for tenants, tenancies and rent accounts. The repairs system for jobs and operatives. The helpdesk for complaints and repairs tickets. And the call recorder for the tenant calls. Is there anything missing, or anything on that list you'd rather leave until later?
- Helen Marsden NoneThe arrears data comes out of the housing management system, doesn't it, Paul? It's not a separate thing?
- Paul Rigby NoneNo, arrears is in the rent account tables. But the finance team keep a separate monthly file for the board, and that's where some of the differences come from. I think. I'm not sure.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's one of the things I'm worried about. The arrears section of the board pack is built off the finance file, not the system. So the brain could be right and the pack could still look wrong.
- Callie Brennan NoneGood catch, and I'd rather we found that now. So the way I'd put it: we connect the system tables first, and the finance file we treat as a later step, as an extra source, once we know the system side is clean. Otherwise we'd be trying to reconcile two things at once and not know which one moved.
- Helen Marsden NoneYes. One thing at a time. That suits me.
- Callie Brennan NoneGood. Now, the part I always push on: access. Before we switch on the refresh, I need written access for each source. A named service account, with read-only rights, and an email from whoever owns that system saying it's approved. I don't start a connector on a verbal yes.
- Paul Rigby NoneThe repairs system is mine, more or less. I can get you that. The housing management system sits with IT.
- Helen Marsden NoneI'll ask our head of IT today. I know he'll want to know exactly what the account can see. Can you send something in writing that says what it reads and what it doesn't write?
- Callie Brennan NoneYes, I'll put that together. A one-pager for each connector: what it reads, how often, and confirmation that nothing is written back. That's usually what a security person wants. And remember, everything runs inside your own Snowflake account, so the data doesn't leave your environment. That tends to make the conversation with IT shorter.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's the point I'll lead with. Who sets up the Snowflake side? Is that us?
- Callie Brennan NoneIt's a joint thing. Your IT team creates the database and the role in your Snowflake account, I give them the exact permissions list, and then I do the build inside it. I'll write the steps down so whoever does it can follow them without me on the phone.
- Paul Rigby NoneIs that the same list I need for admin?
- Callie Brennan NoneDifferent. You'll have admin rights inside the brain itself, to manage connectors, users and what shows on the dashboards. Snowflake permissions are separate. Helen, I've got you down as the champion, so you decide who gets seats, and Paul runs it day to day. Does that sound right?
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's right. Although I'd like Paul to be the person who signs off anything on repairs data. He knows it better than I do.
- Paul Rigby NoneFine by me.
- Callie Brennan NoneGood. I'll note that. Now users. You're licensed for forty users on the Growth tier, so that's the number we're working to. At the moment I can see only a couple of people active, which is normal at this point. Do you have an idea of the first wave?
- Helen Marsden NoneMy team first, the BI analysts. Then a few people from repairs and from income and arrears. I don't want to give it to everyone until the numbers hold up. If the first people we show it to find a wrong figure, we lose them.
- Callie Brennan NoneThat's sensible, and it's what I'd advise. A small group, a real question each, and everyone knows who to tell when something looks off. We can open it out to the rest of the forty once you trust it.
- Paul Rigby NoneCan I ask something about the mapping? When you say you map the fields, who decides what a completed job is? Because in our system there are about three statuses that could mean completed.
- Callie Brennan NoneYou do. I'll list every status value I find in the repairs data, with counts, and you tell me which ones count as completed for the board pack. Then I write the definition down and it stays fixed. If someone later asks why the number is what it is, there's one place to point at.
- Helen Marsden NoneCan that definition be the same as the one in the board pack? Word for word? Because the board will ask.
- Callie Brennan NoneIf you send me the wording, yes. I'd rather copy yours than write mine. Even if it's a bit clunky, it's the one the board has already seen.
- Helen Marsden NoneI'll find it. I'll send you the definitions for completed jobs, and for arrears, as they're written.
- Callie Brennan NonePerfect. Okay, so that maps cleanly in principle. Let me say what I think the order of work is, and then the dates. Is that all right?
- Paul Rigby NoneGo on.
- Callie Brennan NoneSo. Step one, access: written approval and service accounts for the housing management system, the repairs system, the helpdesk and the call recorder. Step two, I build the connectors in a test area, with no refresh switched on. Step three, I run the duplicate check on repairs and the status list, and send both to Paul. Step four, you two agree the rules. Step five, we switch on the nightly refresh and I check the first one with you the next morning. If we get access by the end of this week, I'd aim for that first refresh landing early the week after next.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat's quicker than I expected.
- Callie Brennan NoneIt depends entirely on the access. If that slips, the date slips with it, and I'll tell you straight away rather than letting it drift. The connectors themselves are not the slow part.
- Paul Rigby NoneWhat time does the refresh run? Because the stand-up's first thing and I want the dashboards right before then.
- Callie Brennan NoneOvernight, and it's complete by 07:00 on business days, every tier. So by the time you're at your desk and before the stand-up it should be there. If one morning it isn't, that's something to raise with us at once, because that's a commitment, not a nice-to-have.
- Paul Rigby NoneGood. I'll hold you to that.
- Callie Brennan NonePlease do.
- Helen Marsden NoneCan I come back to the contract for a moment? I want to be sure I understand what we've bought, because I'll be asked. We're on Growth, and it's forty-four thousand a year. Is that right?
- Callie Brennan NoneYes, forty-four thousand, £44k a year, for the Growth tier, and the forty users are included in that. The order form is what governs it. Your account owner, Tom Ashdown, is the person for anything commercial, and Daniel Okafor is your customer success manager once we're through onboarding. I'll hand over to Daniel properly, with a setup note, so you won't have to explain yourselves twice.
- Helen Marsden NoneGood. We signed on 2 Sep 2024, so we're not far in. I just want to be able to say to the director that we know what's being delivered and by when.
- Callie Brennan NoneUnderstood. I'll put the plan we've just talked through in writing today, with dates against each step, so you can forward it as it is.
- Paul Rigby NoneAny update on the ticket I raised? I know it's early. It's the high priority one.
- Callie Brennan NoneI looked at it before the call. It's the double-counting, and it's with us, but I don't want to give you a cause I haven't confirmed. What I'll do is tie it into the duplicate check, so it gets answered with evidence from your spreadsheet. I'll update the ticket once I've run that, not before.
- Paul Rigby NoneThat's all I wanted to hear. Cheers.
- Helen Marsden NoneOne more thing from me, and it's about the call recordings. The tenant calls. Are we sure about what's allowed to be pulled in? We have recordings that include people's personal circumstances, and our data protection officer will have a view.
- Callie Brennan NoneGood question, and I'd want your data protection officer in the loop before I connect that source. I'm happy to leave the call recorder until last, and start with the three systems that hold structured data. That way the board-pack work isn't held up while that conversation happens.
- Helen Marsden NoneYes, let's do that. I'll speak to her this week and come back to you.
- Callie Brennan NoneLovely. And if she wants to see what the brain does with that data, or how it's stored, I'm glad to join a call with her and walk her through it.
- Paul Rigby NoneHow will I know if a connector breaks? Say they change something in the repairs system and it stops loading.
- Callie Brennan NoneIn the admin area you'll see each connector, when it last loaded and how many records came in. If the record count goes flat for a few days when you'd expect it to move, that's your sign. I'll show you where to look when we do your admin walkthrough, and I'll write it into the setup note so it's not just in my head.
- Paul Rigby NoneRight. And if we change something, like another upgrade, should I tell you first?
- Callie Brennan NoneYes, please. A heads-up before a system change saves everyone a morning. Just a line to us or to Daniel, and we'll check the mapping before it goes in rather than after.
- Helen Marsden NonePaul, that's one for you to put in your calendar, honestly. Every time there's a release.
- Paul Rigby NoneNoted. I'll add it.
- Callie Brennan NoneOkay. Let me recap the actions, because I think we've covered what I wanted. Is that all right? I've been talking a lot.
- Helen Marsden NonePlease. I'd like to write them down.
- Callie Brennan NoneSo, from me: today, I send the written plan with dates, the one-page connector summaries, and the Snowflake permissions list for your IT team. Next week, after access lands, I send Paul the duplicate check and the list of status values. From Paul: the spreadsheet of double-counted jobs this afternoon, and sign-off on what counts as completed. From Helen: the board-pack wording for completed jobs and arrears, the approval from IT, and a word with your data protection officer about the call recorder. Did I miss anything?
- Helen Marsden NoneI'd add the first wave of names for the seats. I'll send those once the numbers look right, not before.
- Callie Brennan NoneYes, good. I'll keep that open on my list until you're ready. No pressure on that one.
- Paul Rigby NoneSame time next week for a catch-up? Or is it as and when?
- Callie Brennan NoneI'd suggest a short check-in once the access is through, and then another the morning after the first refresh, so we look at the real numbers together. I'll send invitations. Keep them short, half an hour at most.
- Helen Marsden NoneThat works. Thank you, Callie. This has been more useful than I expected. I came in a bit anxious about the repairs figures.
- Callie Brennan NoneThat's understandable, and it's better to name it now. We'll get the numbers in front of you and you can check them against the system yourselves. If they don't reconcile, we'll find out why, together.
- Paul Rigby NoneAye. Right then. Spreadsheet's coming this afternoon.
- Callie Brennan NoneThank you both. Speak soon. Cheers, bye.
- Helen Marsden NoneBye, thank you.
- Paul Rigby NoneBye.
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