Brakkevoort Logistics / BG-Demo – QBR
Callcompleted
Brakkevoort Logistics · 26 Aug 2025 10:30
Pieter van Dam called the August usage dip seasonal and gave a one-sentence value line. He asked to hear any price change early and for Tom Ashdown to lead the commercial side of the 1 Apr 2026 renewal.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Pieter van Dam called the August usage dip seasonal and gave a one-sentence value line. He asked to hear any price change early and for Tom Ashdown to lead the commercial side of the 1 Apr 2026 renewal.
What happened: Marcus Bell reviewed usage, questions, tickets and the renewal with Pieter van Dam. Active users averaged eight or nine a day, below the end of July, and Pieter put the dip down to August holidays.
Customer view: Pieter described the value as shipper problems being seen before the shipper complains, though he cannot count it in money. He wants a one-page summary he can hand to his director.
Commercial: The call gave Growth at £44k a year, a term to 31 Mar 2026 and renewal on 1 Apr 2026. Pieter wants any price change raised early, and Tom Ashdown leads the commercial conversation.
Watch: Signed shipper contracts sit in a shared drive that is not connected, so the brain cannot read them. Marcus has to check feasibility with the engineers and promised no technical date. Pieter will also look at the planning team for more users, later.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
QBR, value and renewal planning
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 to check whether the contracts drive can be connected and reply early the following week.
- Marcus Bell to send Pieter a one-page summary of usage and example questions.
- Marcus Bell to put renewal planning in the calendar and introduce Tom Ashdown about three months before the end date.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Price change at renewal on 1 Apr 2026 could land late if not raised early, which Pieter has asked to avoid.
- Signed contract documents are not connected, so questions about shipper contracts cannot be answered.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Connecting the shared drive of shipper contracts, or a smaller folder start, would deepen use of the brain.
- Pieter will look at the planning team for more users, later.
Transcript
Pieter van DamMarcus, hello. I am in, can you hear?
Marcus BellLoud and clear, Pieter. Morning. Is it raining there as well? It's properly grey here.- Pieter van DamRotterdam, so yes. Always. Okay. Last time you promised me the summary for the shipper review, and the check of the seats. Did you do it?
- Marcus BellI did, both. I sent the summary the same week, and on the seats, you've got the people logging in well inside your 40 licensed users, so no pressure there. Did the summary land all right?
- Pieter van DamYes. It was used. Good. Please go on with the review.
- Marcus BellOkay, I'll share my screen. For the QBR I want to cover usage and what it tells us, what your team are getting out of it, then anything on tickets and service, and finally a look at the next few months, including the renewal. I've pulled the numbers so we're not guessing.
- Pieter van DamGood. Let's make it concrete. Start with usage.
- Marcus BellSo, active users. Over the last month it's averaged eight or nine a day. That's up on the quarter before by about a fifth. I do want to be straight with you though, it's a little lower than it was at the end of July, when we were nearer eleven.
- Pieter van DamYes, I know why. August. Half my team is on holiday. The Dutch go away, all at once. To be clear, it is not that they stopped. It is the calendar.
- Marcus BellThat's what I'd have guessed, and it's also what the shape looks like. The dip is mostly in the weeks you'd expect. But I'd rather ask than assume. Is there anything else behind it? A change in the review, or someone who was driving it and has moved?
- Pieter van DamNo. Same review, same people. The weekly shipper review is still on Monday. I open the brain on the big screen, they see the same thing. It has become normal. That is what I wanted.
- Marcus BellGood. Then I'd call it a seasonal wobble, not a trend. What I'd like to do is look again in autumn and see it come back.
- Pieter van DamYes. And if it does not come back, you tell me.
- Marcus BellI will. Promise.
- Marcus BellSo, questions. This is the page I find most useful, because it tells us what people actually want from it. Over the quarter there's a steady stream about shippers with repeat exceptions, about what was agreed on the last call, and a growing number of what I'd call prep questions, people asking for a briefing before a customer meeting.
- Pieter van DamThe prep. Yes. This is my favourite. An account manager has fifteen minutes before a meeting. He asks the brain. He is ready. Before, he was not.
- Marcus BellMm. And it's coming from several people now, not just one or two. I looked at who's asking and it's spread across your team, which is what you want. It's not leaning on one person.
- Pieter van DamI saw that also. Good. Do you have an example of a bad question? One where it did not answer well? I want to see where it is weak.
- Marcus BellThat's a fair thing to ask. A few where people asked for something the data doesn't hold, say asking about a shipper's contract in a source that isn't connected. The brain tells them it can't see it, which is right. It's more a gap in what's connected than a mistake.
- Pieter van DamWhich source? What is missing?
- Marcus BellIt's mainly the signed contract documents, as I understand it. If those live in a drive that isn't linked up, it can't read them. I don't want to run ahead of myself, though. Where do your shipper contracts live?
- Pieter van DamIn a shared drive. Legal keeps them. Not everything is organised. Some are in email only. It is a bit of a mess, I will be honest.
- Marcus BellRight, that's quite common, to be fair. Options are to connect the drive, or to start smaller with a folder for the biggest shippers. Either way I'd want to check with our side on what's feasible within your plan before saying yes.
- Pieter van DamWhat is the plan? Who checks, and when?
- Marcus BellI'll check. Give me until early next week. And I won't promise a date for anything technical until I've asked the engineers, I'd rather come back with a real answer.
- Pieter van DamOkay. That is honest. I prefer it.
- Marcus BellGood. Now tickets and service. You've raised nothing in the last month, nothing urgent, nothing at all. Invoices are all up to date on the finance side too, so nothing outstanding there.
- Pieter van DamYes. Finance pays on time. No problem there.
- Marcus BellNo. And the data freshness thing you mentioned last time, the Monday that looked like Friday. Did your manager ever send an example?
- Pieter van DamHe did not. I asked twice. I think he looked too early, like I said. It did not happen again.
- Marcus BellOkay. I'll leave it there then, but if it comes back, flag it straight away and I'll look at that day's records.
- Pieter van DamYes. Now. Value. My director asks me, what are we getting for this? I need one sentence. What do I say?
- Marcus BellGood question, and I'd rather you had it in your words than mine. From what I see, your account managers use it every week to see shipper accounts, exception tickets and calls together, and they use it to prepare before they meet shippers. The question volume has grown as more of the team picked it up. Does that match how you'd describe it?
- Pieter van DamYes. I would say it differently. Shipper problems are seen before the shipper complains. That is the value. I cannot count it in money exactly, but the managers say it.
- Marcus BellThat's a strong line. I'd keep it, honestly. If you want, I can put the usage pages and a short list of example questions into a one-pager you can hand over.
- Pieter van DamYes, please. Make it simple. One page. Not ten.
- Marcus BellOne page. Understood.
- Marcus BellWhich brings me on to the look ahead. You're on Growth, contracted at £44,000 a year, and that's what's being invoiced, so it all lines up. The contract runs to 31 Mar 2026 and the renewal date is 1 Apr 2026.
- Pieter van DamYes. I know. So what is the plan for the renewal? I want to know early. Last year I did not know who to speak to.
- Marcus BellFair. So, roughly, I'd start the renewal conversation with you about three months ahead of the end date, and I'll lead that from my side. On the commercial side, the terms, anything about price or users, that's Tom Ashdown, and I'd bring him in at that point. I don't do the price conversation myself, I'd rather you had the right person.
- Pieter van DamOkay. That is clear. Tom, then. And I want to say it now: if there is a price change, I want to hear it from you early. Not in the final week.
- Marcus BellUnderstood. I'll make sure it's raised early with you, and Tom will give you the detail. I don't want to guess at figures on this call.
- Pieter van DamGood. Let's make it concrete. Actions.
- Marcus BellSo from my side. One, check whether the shared drive with the contracts can be connected, or a smaller start, and come back to you early next week. Two, send the one-page summary of usage and questions. Three, put the renewal planning in the calendar, with Tom introduced about three months before the end date.
- Pieter van DamAnd mine. I ask legal what is in the drive and where. I tell you if the usage does not come back after the holidays. And I look at the planning team for more users, but later.
- Marcus BellPerfect. That's all I had. Anything else you wanted to raise?
- Pieter van DamNo. This was useful. Straight. Thank you, Marcus.
- Marcus BellThanks, Pieter. I'll send the notes over this afternoon. Speak soon.
- Pieter van DamGroet. Goodbye.
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