Harrowden Foods / BG-Demo – Check In
Callcompleted
Harrowden Foods · 13 Jul 2026 15:15
Gemma Holt reported a clear retailer-review win and wider usage. She asked what adding the factory quality system would cost, and needs a one-page case for her director. Value is felt but not yet priced ahead of the 5 Jan 2027 renewal.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Gemma Holt reported a clear retailer-review win and wider usage. She asked what adding the factory quality system would cost, and needs a one-page case for her director. Value is felt but not yet priced ahead of the 5 Jan 2027 renewal.
What happened: Amara Obi ran a check-in with Gemma Holt on 13 Jul 2026. Usage is spread beyond account managers, both tickets from last month are closed, and the nightly refresh has landed on time.
Customer view: Gemma values the brain for time saved and confidence in retailer reviews. She says the real benefit is not being surprised by a retailer, which is hard to price.
Commercial: Gemma asked what it would cost to add the quality system the sites use, which is a connector question under Growth. She cannot approve it alone and wants one page for her director.
Watch: A large share of questions comes from Gemma and one account manager. The contract ends on 4 Jan 2027 with renewal on 5 Jan 2027, and the value one pager is promised before then.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Usage growth, quality system
Importance
upsell
Sentiment
positive
Voice
champion
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Amara Obi to send three slots for the customer service session this month.
- Amara Obi, with Lewis, to write a one-page note on adding the quality system: what it adds, what it costs and what Harrowden gets.
- Amara Obi to get the next QBR into the diary for early October and build a usage-based value one pager before renewal.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A large share of questions comes from Gemma and one account manager, so value would dip if either were away.
- Gemma cannot approve spend alone and her director wants one page, so the value case must stand on its own before renewal.
- Value is described as time and confidence, which she has not yet put a number on.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Adding the quality system the sites use would be a connector addition on Growth, linking complaints to factory events.
- Site managers and sales planning could be given access, using seats well inside the 60 licensed.
- A customer service session would spread usage and reduce key-person reliance.
Transcript
Amara ObiHello Gemma, can you hear me alright?
Gemma HoltYes, loud and clear. Can you hear me? I've got the new headset on and it makes me feel like I work in a call centre.- Amara ObiYou're coming through perfectly. Afternoon, by the way. Thanks for making time, I know this week is a busy one for you.
- Gemma HoltAfternoon! Yeah, it's chaos, but good chaos. Can I kick off with a quick win before we get into your charts?
- Amara ObiPlease do. I love a win.
- Gemma HoltSo one of the account managers had a retailer review on Thursday, and normally that's two or three days of me and her stitching things together. Complaints, order volumes, how we did against the service levels. This time she just asked the brain, got the whole picture in one go, and then spent her time working out what to say about it instead of hunting for the numbers.
- Amara ObiThat's exactly the thing we want. Did the retailer notice anything?
- Gemma HoltThey didn't notice, which is the point. Nobody got caught out by a question they couldn't answer. Honestly, the account managers love it, they're a bit smug about it.
- Amara ObiGood, they've earned it. Right, let me say how I'd like to use the time, because we've got twenty-six minutes. I'll share the usage numbers, we'll talk about the two tickets from last month, and then I want to hear what good looks like for you this quarter and through to the end of the contract. Does that work?
- Gemma HoltWorks for me.
- Amara ObiGreat. Let me share my screen. Can you see it?
- Gemma HoltNot yet. There. Yes, I can see it.
- Amara ObiOkay. So here's what the numbers say. Over the last month we're seeing about fourteen people active on a typical day. That's up by well over half compared with the quarter before. So that's a proper step up, not a wobble.
- Gemma HoltIs that all the account managers or is it spread?
- Amara ObiIt's spread, which is what I like. Account managers are still the biggest group, but there's a clear block from customer service now, and a few people from the planning side I didn't recognise. Did you put them on?
- Gemma HoltPlanning, yes, that was a favour. They kept asking me for order history, so I said just get on and ask it yourself. Is that okay? I wasn't sure about the seat count.
- Amara ObiThat's more than okay. You've got 60 licensed users and you're nowhere near it, so there's loads of headroom. Who else should have access, that's my question really.
- Gemma HoltHa, you always ask that. Honestly, probably the sales planning people, and maybe the sites. The two sites run quite separately and the people on the factory side don't really touch it yet.
- Amara ObiRight, and is that something they'd want, or something you'd want for them?
- Gemma HoltFair question. Bit of both. The site managers have asked me about complaint trends, because a complaint from a supermarket usually ends up being something that happened on the line. If they could see it themselves, they'd stop emailing me.
- Amara ObiThat's a good use. I'll note it. Let me flag something else on the chart though, because I don't like to let a number go by. Questions asked are up month on month, which is great, but a large share is coming from you and one of the account managers. If either of you were out for a few weeks, it would dip.
- Gemma HoltYeah, that's fair. I know I'm the heavy user. I'm trying to get people out of the habit of asking me to ask it.
- Amara ObiHa. That's the right instinct. Would a short session with customer service help? I can walk them through how to phrase a question, especially across complaints and orders together, because that's where it gets interesting.
- Gemma HoltYes, please, that'd be great. Can we do it before the summer holidays properly kick in? Half my team disappear from next week.
- Amara ObiI'll find a slot this month and send you two or three options. Who should I invite from customer service?
- Gemma HoltThe head of customer service is the one. They're already asking me about it every other day.
- Amara ObiPerfect. Okay, tickets. There were two last month, and both were marked high priority. I want to check with you rather than just read the status. Are you happy with how they went, and is there anything still open on your side?
- Gemma HoltNo, nothing open. They both got sorted. I'll be honest, one of them was only high priority because it landed the morning before a retailer meeting and I panicked a bit. The team were quick, though, I've no complaints. I'd just say a quick note when something's been fixed is always nice.
- Amara ObiNoted, and thank you for being straight about it. I'll make sure the updates reach you directly as well as whoever raised it.
- Gemma HoltBrilliant, thanks.
- Amara ObiOne more health check. The nightly refresh, has it been landing before your team start in the morning? Because a brain on stale data is the thing that quietly wrecks trust, and nobody complains until it's too late.
- Gemma HoltIt's been fine as far as I can see. I do look first thing on Mondays because that's when the weekend orders come through, and it's been there every time. If it wasn't I'd shout.
- Amara ObiGood, please do shout. So, what's feeding it today covers sales, orders and customer service. Is there a system the sites use that you'd want in there?
- Gemma HoltRight, so this is where my favourite question comes in. What would it cost to add the quality system the sites use? Because the complaint trends all start there. We can see the complaint at the retailer end and the order, but not what happened in the factory. If we could join those up it would be a proper answer to the retailer review before the retailer asks.
- Amara ObiI like that. I can't give you a figure today and I don't want to guess. It depends what's already connected and whether it would sit on top of the connectors you've got. Let me look at what you're using and come back to you with Lewis, who looks after the commercial side.
- Gemma HoltYes please. Just so you know, I can't say yes to anything on my own. It'd need to go to my director, so I'd want something short I can put in front of them, not a long document.
- Amara ObiTotally fair. I'll write it so it stands on its own: what it adds, what it would cost, and what you'd get out of it. No jargon.
- Gemma HoltPerfect. And keep it to one page, they don't read two.
- Amara ObiOne page. Noted. Now, can I ask something a bit awkward? When your director asks what the brain is actually worth to Harrowden, what do you say?
- Gemma HoltHa, yeah. Honestly? Time and confidence. The account managers aren't spending days pulling numbers, and they walk into reviews knowing the answer. I could put a number on hours if I sat down with it, but the real thing is we haven't been surprised by a retailer in months. That's hard to price but it's what I'd say.
- Amara ObiThat's a good answer, and I'd like to help you make it harder to argue with. Between now and the renewal, I'd like to build a simple one pager from your own usage: questions asked, who's asking, and the reviews it's supported. You tell me which wins I should include.
- Gemma HoltYes, I'll send you a few. There are a couple of others from the customer service side I can dig out too.
- Amara ObiGreat. And while we're on the subject, so it's no surprise to you: you're on Growth at £58k a year, contracted, and that matches what's been invoiced. The contract ends on 4 Jan 2027 with renewal on 5 Jan 2027. You've been with us since 5 Jan 2026, so it's nearly a year. I'll be in touch well before the formal notice goes out, ninety days ahead.
- Gemma HoltYep, that's fine. Who do I speak to on that, you or Lewis?
- Amara ObiMe first, I run the renewal conversation, and Lewis joins for the commercial terms. Nothing is going to land on you out of nowhere.
- Gemma HoltGood. I'm not planning anything dramatic, I just don't like surprises either.
- Amara ObiSame. And before I forget, back to what good looks like. Is it still more people on it, or is it the factory side?
- Gemma HoltBoth, really. More of the business on it and a retailer review where nobody has to ask me anything. If customer service are confident by the autumn, and the sites are at least looking, I'd call that a good quarter.
- Amara ObiThat's clear. So, next steps. I'll send three slots for the customer service session. I'll come back with a one page note on adding the quality system, with Lewis. And let's get the next QBR in the diary for early October.
- Gemma HoltOctober's fine. Send me a few dates and I'll pick one.
- Amara ObiWill do, today. And I'll pull together the usage summary from this call so you've got the charts.
- Gemma HoltLovely. Thanks Amara, this was useful. Have a good rest of the afternoon.
- Amara ObiYou too, Gemma. Speak soon. Bye.
- Gemma HoltCheers, bye.
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