What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Kickoff for Growth customer Delancey Haig. Saskia Mendes wants one page per client after a director was blindsided by a complaint. Anjali Desai gates access and free text on a written note. No go-live date was promised.
What happened: Callie Brennan walked through sources, access, mapping and first users on the 9 Jul 2024 kickoff. Saskia described a director hearing of a complaint for the first time in front of the client's finance people.
Customer view: Saskia wants vacancies, placements, invoices, disputes and complaints on one client page. She calls the team cautiously keen and says they will be sold when it saves someone from a morning like that.
Security: Anjali Desai asked for read-only access, named accounts and quarterly rotation. She wants complaint free text held back until she has reviewed the set-up, and will proceed once she has the access note.
Watch: Holly Tranter is the admin, has not set up a connector before, and is the only active user. Complaints are logged in less than two thirds of cases, so the brain may show an incomplete picture at first.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Who was there
BG-Demo
Them
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Callie Brennan sends the access note to Anjali Desai the day after the call.
- Daniel Okafor sends the plan with dates to Saskia Mendes before the end of that week.
- Saskia Mendes chooses the first group of directors by the end of the following week.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Complaint logging is patchy, so the first client pages may not show what directors expect.
- Anjali Desai's written sign-off on access and free text gates the timeline.
- Holly Tranter is the sole admin and new to connector set-up.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A working client page that stops directors being blindsided would give the Growth subscription a clear value case.
- The shared mailbox is a second-step source once the complaints log is connected.
Transcript
- Daniel OkaforGood afternoon, everyone, and thank you all for making the time. Just to check who has joined: I can see Saskia and Holly, Callie is here with me, and I think Anjali is just coming in.
- Anjali DesaiI'm here. Sorry, the meeting link wanted to update something first.
- Daniel OkaforNo trouble at all. Can everyone hear me properly? Holly, you were a bit quiet when we tested earlier.
- Holly TranterBetter now, I've switched headsets. Is that any good?
- Daniel OkaforLoud and clear. Saskia, how has your week been?
- Saskia MendesOh, you don't want to know. Well, you do, actually, it's relevant. One of our client-account directors went into a review yesterday and the client brought up a complaint she had never heard about. It had been sitting with the delivery team for a fortnight. She found out in the room, in front of the client's finance people. That's why the directors need this.
- Daniel OkaforThat is exactly the sort of thing we want to stop. I'm sorry, that's an uncomfortable way to find out.
- Saskia MendesIt was. Anyway, good story to start with.
- Callie BrennanThanks, Daniel, and thanks, Saskia, that's a useful place to start. So, the plan for the next hour, if that works for everyone. First, a few minutes on what you want the brain to do for the directors, so I build towards the right thing. Second, the list of sources and who owns each one. Third, access and security, which Anjali, I know you'll want to dig into. Fourth, what happens before we switch on the refresh, with a date against each step. And last, users, training and who does what next. Does that sound right?
- Saskia MendesSounds right. Can we keep the first bit short, though? I could talk about it all day.
- Callie BrennanShort is fine. One sentence each, if you like. What should a director be able to do on the day this is live?
- Saskia MendesOpen one page for a client and see the whole picture. Open vacancies, placements made, what we've invoiced, what's been disputed, and any complaints. No chasing three different people the night before. And if a contractor invoice is being queried, I want to know early, not when the client mentions it.
- Daniel OkaforAnd that's the reason Growth made sense for you, with the directors across several teams looking at the same client. Just to close the loop on the commercial side: you're on Growth at £41,800 a year, forty users, and the term runs to 2 Jul 2025. I'll come back to the renewal much nearer the time, I only mention it so everyone knows the shape of it.
- Holly TranterForty is plenty for us at the start. We'll have the directors and a few people from operations, and that's about it.
- Callie BrennanGood. Right, sources. Holly, you're the person who knows where everything lives, so can I ask you to talk me through it and I'll write it down as we go?
- Holly TranterYes. So, vacancies and placements are in the main recruitment system, that's the one everyone lives in. Invoices are in the accounting system, which finance owns. Complaints are the messy one. They come in a few different ways and some of them end up in a shared mailbox before anyone logs them.
- Callie BrennanMm. Okay. Is there a single place a complaint is meant to be recorded, even if people don't always do it?
- Holly TranterThere's a log, yes. In theory. In practice it's about two thirds of them.
- Saskia MendesLess than two thirds, if I'm honest. Which is partly why yesterday happened.
- Callie BrennanRight, that's worth knowing. What I'd suggest is we connect the log first, because that maps cleanly, and then look at the shared mailbox as a second step once we've seen what the first refresh brings in. I don't want to promise that the mailbox gives us everything until I've seen it.
- Saskia MendesCan we make it simpler, though? Could we just ask people to log everything in one place from now on?
- Daniel OkaforThat would help the brain a great deal, and it's a decision for you rather than us. But I'd say do both: ask the team to use the log, and let us read the mailbox as well, so you're not relying on everybody's habits changing overnight.
- Saskia MendesFair. I'll have that conversation with the delivery leads this week.
- Callie BrennanLovely. So I've got three sources for the first pass: the recruitment system, the accounting system and the complaints log, and the mailbox as a second step. Holly, who owns the credentials for each?
- Holly TranterRecruitment system is me, I'm the admin there. Accounting is our finance team, I'd have to ask them, and I don't want to promise on their behalf. The log is just a shared file, I can sort that.
- Callie BrennanThat's fine. What I need from your side is a named person for each one, and the access in writing before we switch anything on. I don't start a connector without written access, I'm afraid, it's a rule I keep for everyone.
- Anjali DesaiGood, because that's where I'd like to come in, if I may. Can I ask a few questions about where the data actually goes?
- Daniel OkaforPlease do, Anjali. That's what this part of the call is for.
- Anjali DesaiSo. When the brain reads our recruitment and finance data, where does it sit? Is it in your environment, or ours, or somewhere else?
- Callie BrennanIn yours. The brain is built and run inside your own Snowflake account, so the copies of the data and the index sit there, under your controls. We don't take it out to a separate platform of ours.
- Anjali DesaiOkay. And who at BG-Demo can see it?
- Callie BrennanOnly through the access you give us. During setup that's me, and I'd want that to be a named account that you create and can switch off, not a shared login. When we hand over, the access goes back to whatever you decide.
- Anjali DesaiRight. I'll want that in writing too. And read-only on the source systems, please. I don't want anything writing back into recruitment or finance.
- Callie BrennanRead-only is the default. I'll put it in the access note so it's explicit, and you can tell me if the wording needs to be tighter.
- Anjali DesaiGood. Next one. The complaints will have personal details in them, candidates and client contacts. Is there a way to leave some fields out?
- Callie BrennanYes, we choose which fields to bring in, field by field, when we do the mapping. My suggestion is that we start with the minimum the directors need: the client, the date, the category and the status. If you want the free text of the complaint, we can come back to that once you've seen what the pages look like.
- Anjali DesaiI'd prefer to start without the free text. Much easier to add than to take back.
- Saskia MendesHang on, the directors will want the actual wording, though. What did the client actually say? That's the question I get every time.
- Anjali DesaiI understand, and I'm not saying never. I'm saying let me see how it's controlled before it goes in.
- Daniel OkaforI think that's a sensible order, if I may. Start with the fields Callie listed, Anjali reviews the set-up, and then the free text becomes a decision with her sign-off and not an assumption. Saskia, does that get you what you need quickly enough?
- Saskia MendesAs long as it's weeks and not months. Yes. Fine.
- Anjali DesaiIt will be weeks. I just need to see the access note first.
- Callie BrennanLet me share my screen for a moment so you can see what I mean by the mapping. Bear with me. Can you see it?
- Holly TranterYes, I can see a spreadsheet.
- Callie BrennanThat's the mapping template. On the left is the field as it appears in your system, in the middle is what the brain calls it, and on the right is who has signed it off. A date goes against every row, and nothing is switched on until the right-hand column is filled in. So for vacancies it's the client, the role, the status and the date opened. Holly, does that read sensibly to you?
- Holly TranterIt does. Though we call the status something different. Ours says live and filled, not open and closed.
- Callie BrennanThat's very helpful. I'd rather find that now than after the refresh. Could you send me the list of status values as they actually appear?
- Holly TranterYes. I'll pull them out of the system and send them across tomorrow.
- Callie BrennanBrilliant. Thank you.
- Callie BrennanSorry, I was just writing that into the template. Right. Placements next. Is a placement one record for the person and the client, or one record for each month a contractor works?
- Holly TranterBoth, depending on whether it's permanent or contract. A permanent placement is one record. A contractor has a placement and then timesheets and invoices hanging off it.
- Callie BrennanMm, that's the thing I wanted to ask. So the invoices from the accounting system would join back to the contractor's placement. What's the key that links them? Is there a shared reference?
- Holly TranterThere's a placement reference that finance put on the invoice. Most of the time. Sometimes they type the client name instead.
- Saskia MendesWhich is exactly where the disputes come from. Wrong reference, wrong client, wrong amount. And then it's two weeks of emails.
- Callie BrennanOkay. I won't say it'll be fine, because I haven't seen the data. What I'd do is match on the reference where it exists, and give you a list of the invoices that don't match, so your team can see how big that group is. That list is useful in itself.
- Saskia MendesOh, I like that. That's a thing I'd show the finance director.
- Daniel OkaforIt's often one of the first things customers notice, actually. The unmatched list becomes a piece of housekeeping in its own right.
- Anjali DesaiCan I go back to access for a second? The finance system. Who on your side would hold the account, Callie, and does it expire?
- Callie BrennanIt would be an account your team creates, with the permissions you choose, and it would only be as long lived as you set it. If you'd like it to be rotated on a schedule, tell me the schedule and I'll build it into the handover note so Holly can run it.
- Anjali DesaiQuarterly would suit us. Is that a problem?
- Callie BrennanNot at all. I'll write it down: quarterly rotation, owned by Holly, with you as the approver.
- Holly TranterOkay, that's me then. Fine.
- Daniel OkaforHolly, can I ask, how are you feeling about being the admin? I want to be sure that's a role you're comfortable with, not one that landed on you.
- Holly TranterHonestly, a bit of both. I like the work. I just haven't done a connector set-up before, so I'd like to understand it properly and not just be handed a login.
- Callie BrennanThat's what I'd like too. My aim is that by the end, you can run things alone. So I'll do the first connector with you watching, the second with you driving and me watching, and you do the third on your own. And I always leave a setup note, so none of it lives only in my head.
- Holly TranterThat would be great. Thank you.
- Daniel OkaforAnd I'll be around in between, Holly. If you're stuck, don't wait for the next session, just send me a line.
- Saskia MendesRight, timing. When do I actually see something? Because I've told the directors it's coming.
- Callie BrennanFair question. The order is this. This week, Holly sends the status values, finance confirms the account for the accounting system, and Anjali has the access note from me. Once the written access for the first source is in my hands, I connect it and we run the first refresh, and nothing goes live for users until we've looked at it together.
- Saskia MendesAnd roughly how long from access to the first page I can show a director?
- Callie BrennanI don't want to guess a day I don't own, because it depends on how quickly the access arrives. What I can say is that the first refresh is quick once access is in, and the mapping is what takes the time. I'll put dates against each step in the plan I send after this call, and you can hold me to them.
- Daniel OkaforJust to add to that, I'd rather we gave you an honest date next week than a hopeful one now. I'll come back to you by the end of this week with the plan and the dates once Callie has the access note out.
- Saskia MendesOkay. I don't love it, but I'd rather that than a date that slips.
- Callie BrennanIt's the right call, I think. Before we switch on the refresh, the three things I need are access in writing, the status values, and a named owner for each source. If those three are in, I'm moving.
- Holly TranterCan I ask something about users? We're at forty. Does everyone get the same view?
- Daniel OkaforAt the moment it's really just you in there, Holly, isn't it? One active user so far, which is what you'd expect at this stage. Everyone with a seat sees the same pages, and the dashboards builder is there on Growth, so you can build a view for the directors that's different from the one for operations.
- Holly TranterYes, it's just me and a bit of poking around. Okay, that's good, the dashboards. Directors will want one client at a time and operations will want the whole book.
- Saskia MendesAnd I'd start with the directors only. Not forty people on day one. Eight or so of them, get it right, then everyone else after.
- Daniel OkaforI think that's wise. I'd suggest a small group first, so you can watch which questions they actually ask. Then we run a short training session for the next group once the pages are settled.
- Saskia MendesI'll pick the first group by the end of next week. Can I send you names?
- Daniel OkaforPlease. Send them to me and Callie both, so nobody has to forward anything.
- Anjali DesaiOne more from me, then I'll let you get on. When people ask the brain questions, is that logged? I'd want to know who asked what.
- Callie BrennanYes, questions are recorded against the person who asked them, and your admin can see that. Holly would be the one looking at it, and it's worth agreeing between you who is allowed to.
- Anjali DesaiGood. Then I'm happy to proceed once I have the note. I'll review it within the week of receiving it.
- Callie BrennanPerfect. I'll send it tomorrow, so you have time with it.
- Daniel OkaforLet me just close the loop on who does what, so we all leave with the same list. Holly sends the status values to Callie tomorrow and finds out from finance who holds the accounting account. Callie sends the access note to Anjali tomorrow, and the plan with dates goes out before the end of the week. Saskia talks to the delivery leads about the complaints log and chooses the first group of directors by the end of next week. Anjali reviews the note and approves access in writing. Have I missed anything?
- Holly TranterI think you have it all. I'd add that I'll ask finance this afternoon, so we're not waiting.
- Saskia MendesThat's all I've got. Thank you, all of you. It's the first time this has felt real.
- Daniel OkaforThat's lovely to hear, Saskia. How is the team finding it so far, in general, the idea of it?
- Saskia MendesCautiously keen. They've seen tools come and go. I'd rather say that now than pretend everyone is sold. They'll be sold when it saves one of them from a morning like yesterday's.
- Daniel OkaforThat's honest, and it's the right bar. We'll aim for exactly that.
- Callie BrennanThanks, everyone. Speak soon. Callie.
- Holly TranterThanks. Bye for now.
- Anjali DesaiThank you. Bye.
- Saskia MendesBest, Saskia. Speak soon.
- Daniel OkaforThank you all again. Best wishes, Daniel.