Delancey Haig / BG-Demo – Onboarding
Callcompleted
Delancey Haig · 30 Jul 2024 10:45
Second Delancey Haig onboarding call. First wave fixed at three connectors, client matching to be done by hand, and Saskia Mendes raised the overdue first subscription invoice. Usage is still only a few people against forty licences.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Second Delancey Haig onboarding call. First wave fixed at three connectors, client matching to be done by hand, and Saskia Mendes raised the overdue first subscription invoice. Usage is still only a few people against forty licences.
What happened: Callie Brennan and Delancey Haig agreed a first wave of CRM, helpdesk and accounting connectors. Finance will see invoice number, client, amount, date, status and dispute flag, with no contractor rates.
Customer view: Saskia raised the overdue first subscription invoice unprompted and blamed the missing purchase order on Delancey Haig. She put it at forty-one thousand eight hundred a year and did not want it hanging over the project.
Commercial: Usage is Saskia, Holly Tranter and perhaps one other against forty licences. Saskia is on the hook internally for what the company has got for the money.
Watch: The CRM and accounting systems share no reliable client key, and Holly is the only systems person. Callie committed to weekly update emails and suggested a second admin.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Onboarding access and matching
Importance
neutral
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
champion
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Callie Brennan to send the field note, setup checklist, matching sheet layout and introduction to Daniel within the hour.
- Callie Brennan to tell Priya and Daniel about the overdue invoice and its purchase order.
- Holly Tranter and Saskia Mendes to secure CRM access by Friday and IT and finance sign-off by the end of the following week.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- The first subscription invoice is overdue because of a missing purchase order, and the sponsor does not want it hanging over onboarding.
- Usage is a few people against forty licences, and the directors will give the first refresh only one or two tries.
- CRM and accounting have no reliable shared client key, and Holly Tranter is the only person who does systems.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- A first group of directors seeing real invoices and complaints on a client page would give the sponsor a visible result.
- A second admin and later mailbox connectors could deepen use once the first three connectors are stable.
Transcript
Callie BrennanHello, hello. Can you both hear me all right? I can see Saskia, I think Holly's just joining.
Saskia MendesLoud and clear. Morning. Sorry, I'm walking to a room, give me ten seconds, there's a recruiter on a call in every meeting space on this floor.
Holly TranterMorning, both. Can you hear me? I've got the headset on today, it's a bit temperamental.- Callie BrennanYes, you're fine, Holly. Take your time, Saskia.
- Saskia MendesRight, I'm in. Door shut. Okay, quick story before we start, because it's exactly why I wanted this call. One of our client-account directors went into a review on Friday and the client opened with a complaint about a contractor invoice. Three weeks old. She had no idea. It was sitting in a mailbox in another team.
- Callie BrennanOh, that's not a good place to be, walking in cold.
- Saskia MendesNo. And she was lovely about it afterwards but, you know. The directors need this. That's the whole reason we bought it.
- Callie BrennanThat's useful context, and honestly it gives us the order for today. So here's the plan for the next forty-odd minutes. First, where we are with access to your systems. Second, the connectors we switch on first and what order. Third, field mapping, because that's where the client picture either holds together or doesn't. Then who does what on your side, and a short look at users. Does that work?
- Saskia MendesThat works. Holly's the one who knows where everything lives, so I'll mostly be nodding.
- Holly TranterMostly nodding and then interrupting, in my experience.
- Saskia MendesFair.
- Callie BrennanGood. So, access first. What I need from your side is written access for each source, an account or a service user with read rights, sent to me before we touch anything. I don't start a connector without it, so that's not me being fussy, it just protects you. Holly, where are we on that?
- Holly TranterRight. Honest answer: partly. The CRM I can do myself, I'm an admin there, so I can set up a read-only user today. The helpdesk is held by a colleague in IT and they want the request in writing with a reason. The accounting system is finance, and finance want to know exactly what fields you can see.
- Callie BrennanThat's reasonable, actually. I can send you a one-page note listing every field each connector reads, so finance and IT can sign against something concrete. Would that help?
- Holly TranterThat would help a lot. They keep asking what it reads and I keep saying everything we've agreed, which isn't an answer.
- Callie BrennanRight, I'll send it today. Plain language, one line per field, and which of them are read only. Saskia, can I check something? Your plan covers up to eight connectors. Do you want to use them all in the first wave?
- Saskia MendesNo, and I'd rather not. Can we make it simpler? CRM, the accounting system, the helpdesk. That's the client view the directors want: vacancies, placements, invoices, complaints. Everything else can wait.
- Callie BrennanI like that. Three, get them clean, then add. A good first refresh matters more than a wide one. Holly, does that match how you see it?
- Holly TranterYes. Vacancies and placements are in the CRM, invoices are in accounting, complaints are in the helpdesk. Well, most complaints. Some come in by email to the account director and never get logged.
- Saskia MendesWhich is the other half of the story I just told you. That one was never logged.
- Callie BrennanOkay. Mailboxes are a later wave, we can pick them up through Microsoft 365 once the first three are stable, but I'd want a conversation about consent first. Let's park it and not lose it. I'll put it in the setup note.
- Saskia MendesPark it, yes. Sorry, can I raise something awkward before we go further?
- Callie BrennanOf course.
- Saskia MendesOur finance team have told me there's an invoice of yours that's overdue. I've seen it. It's the first one, for the subscription. It got stuck in our approvals because the purchase order wasn't attached, which is our fault, not yours. I've chased it, but I didn't want it to be a surprise.
- Callie BrennanThank you for saying. I'll be straight, I'm on the implementation side so I don't see billing, and I don't want to say something wrong. What I'll do is tell Priya and Daniel today, so the right person gets in touch with your finance team with whatever they need. Is the purchase order the only thing missing?
- Saskia MendesAs far as I know. It's the forty-one thousand eight hundred a year, so it's not small and I don't want it hanging over this.
- Callie BrennanUnderstood. I'll flag it straight after this call. And it won't hold up the setup on my side, to be clear. But I'd like it cleared, for your sake as much as ours.
- Saskia MendesYes. Thanks. Right, back to the fun part.
- Callie BrennanOkay, I'll share my screen. This is the mapping sheet for the CRM connector. Can you see it? Left column is what's in your CRM, right column is where it lands in the brain.
- Holly TranterI can see it. The text is a bit small but yes.
- Callie BrennanI'll zoom. There. So, accounts map to clients, contacts map to people, and placements and vacancies come across as linked records. That maps cleanly. What I'm less sure of is the client identity. Is there one reliable client number that your CRM and your accounting system share?
- Holly TranterAh. No. Not reliably. That's the honest answer. Sales set up the client name one way in the CRM and finance set up the customer name another way. Some of them match, plenty don't. We've got trading names, parent companies, a few where there are two accounts for the same client because of different divisions.
- Callie BrennanRight. Thank you for being upfront, that's far better to know now than after the first refresh. So before we switch on the refresh, we need a bridge. Either a shared key we add, or a matching table that you and I build by hand for the clients that matter most. How many clients are we talking about, roughly?
- Holly TranterActive ones, a few hundred. The ones the directors really care about, probably a fraction of that. I could do a first pass on the top accounts in a spreadsheet.
- Saskia MendesCan I suggest we do the top accounts by directors first? Each director gives Holly their ten or so most important clients, she matches those, and we see the brain working for them before we go wider. They'll tell us quickly if it's wrong.
- Callie BrennanThat's a sensible way to do it, and it gives you a quick win to show people, which I think you need. Holly, are you happy with that? I don't want to pile work on you without checking.
- Holly TranterIt's doable. It's a few days of effort, if I'm not pulled onto something else. I'm the only person who does systems here, so, you know. If a recruitment drive goes sideways I'm the one fixing the spreadsheets.
- Saskia MendesI'll protect your time on this. I'll say it to Rupert if I have to.
- Callie BrennanThat's good to hear, because the single most useful thing for a clean start is one named person with time. Let's write that down as the owner on your side, Holly, with Saskia as the sponsor. Is that fair?
- Holly TranterFair.
- Callie BrennanGood. Now the helpdesk mapping, let me scroll. Complaints are tickets, tagged by category, linked to a client by the requester's organisation. Holly, is the organisation field filled in on those tickets, or is it often blank?
- Holly TranterI'd have to look. I think mostly filled for client contacts, but for candidates and contractors it's usually blank, because they aren't attached to an organisation. Let me check while we talk. Give me a minute.
- Saskia MendesWhile Holly's looking, Callie, can I ask about users? We have forty licensed and I'm slightly embarrassed to tell you what's actually using it.
- Callie BrennanGo on, I've seen the numbers so you won't shock me.
- Saskia MendesIt's me, Holly, and maybe one other person on a good day. We did a launch email and nobody has anything to log into yet, because there's no data. So of course nobody logs in. I don't want to pretend it's better than it is.
- Callie BrennanNo, and thank you for saying it that way. It's not unusual at this stage, with nothing loaded there's nothing to ask. But it does mean the first refresh has to be good, because the directors will give it one or two tries. If the first thing they ask comes back wrong, they won't come back. So I'd rather we go slower and get it right.
- Saskia MendesYes. Slower and right. Though I'll say, I'm on the hook for a number of people internally who are asking what we've got for the money.
- Callie BrennanWhich is fair, and that's why I'd suggest we agree a small, visible target. Say, the directors in your first group can each pull up a client page with real invoices and real complaints. If we get that, you have something to show. Would that satisfy the people asking?
- Saskia MendesIt would. What did the client actually say, that's the question my directors ask. If the page answers that, I'm happy.
- Holly TranterOkay, I've had a look. Organisation is filled in on most client tickets, but a good share of the complaints from last year have it blank, because they came in through a shared inbox before we set the forms up. So those wouldn't attach to a client.
- Callie BrennanRight. So two things. For new tickets, we map on organisation as planned. For the older ones, we either leave them unattached for now or you do a one-off tidy for the top clients. I wouldn't promise the brain can guess a client from the wording, and I don't want it guessing wrong on a complaint.
- Saskia MendesNo guessing on complaints. Absolutely not.
- Holly TranterI'd rather leave the old ones for now and revisit. I'll note which clients have the most gaps.
- Callie BrennanPerfect. I'll add a column to the sheet for that. Okay. Let me move to the accounting side. I need to know which of the invoice fields finance are comfortable with. Do you know yet?
- Holly TranterNot yet. They've been happy with the invoice number, client, amount, date and status. They're twitchy about line-item detail, because that includes what we pay contractors, and margin is sensitive.
- Callie BrennanUnderstood. For your purpose, the directors want to see what was invoiced to a client and whether it's paid, and presumably disputes. They don't need what each contractor is paid. We can leave the contractor-cost lines out of the first wave and that should be a much easier conversation with finance. Does that sit right with you, Saskia?
- Saskia MendesYes. Although, contractor-invoice disputes are one of the things I care about, so I'd want the status and the dispute flag even if not the pay rates.
- Callie BrennanGot it. Status and dispute flag in, rates out. I'll write that into the note so finance see exactly that.
- Holly TranterThat'll go down much better. Honestly that's what was blocking it.
- Callie BrennanGood. Then let me set out the timing, and tell me if any of it is unrealistic. Today I send the field note and the setup checklist. By Friday, you get written read-only access for the CRM, Holly, and I start that connector the moment I have it. IT and finance sign-offs, can you realistically have those by the end of next week?
- Holly TranterEnd of next week is optimistic for IT. They're slow on anything involving a third party. If the note is clear I'd say the week after is safer.
- Saskia MendesI can lean on IT. I'll message their lead this afternoon and say it's on my list. Let's keep end of next week as the target and see.
- Callie BrennanOkay. Let's say target end of next week, and I'll plan on the week after as the fallback so nobody's surprised. And I'd rather you tell me early if it's slipping than late. That's the one thing that hurts an onboarding.
- Holly TranterFair. I'll tell you on Monday where IT are.
- Callie BrennanBrilliant. Now, handover. By the end of this, I want you, Holly, able to run the brain without me. That means you know how to check a refresh landed, how to see which connector failed, and who to ask if it did. I'll leave a setup note covering every connector, every mapping decision we made today, and the open questions. Does that sound useful?
- Holly TranterVery. I'm always the one explaining why something broke six months after the person who built it left.
- Saskia MendesWhich is exactly the thing I'm nervous about too. If Holly's off sick or leaves, what then?
- Callie BrennanGood question, and the answer is you shouldn't be reliant on one person. I'd suggest a second admin, even someone who only checks things. It's a small training session. Do you have anyone in mind?
- Saskia MendesLet me think. Possibly one of the operations team. I'll come back to you with a name by next week.
- Callie BrennanLovely. And just so it's said aloud, I'll copy Daniel on the notes. He's your customer success manager and he'll be the person looking after adoption once I've handed over, so he should see the picture from the start.
- Saskia MendesGood. I've not spoken to Daniel yet, I think it's been Priya all the way through the sale.
- Callie BrennanYes, Priya did the commercial side, and Daniel picks up from here. I'll introduce you by email today. Same email where I flag the invoice.
- Saskia MendesPerfect, thanks.
- Callie BrennanOkay, I'll recap what I've got, because I have a lot of notes and I'd like you to correct me. First wave is three connectors: the CRM, the helpdesk and the accounting system. Holly owns it on your side, Saskia sponsors. Written access by Friday for the CRM, IT and finance by the end of next week with the following week as a fallback. Finance see only invoice number, client, amount, date, status and dispute flag, no contractor rates. Client matching is done by hand for each director's top clients first. Older tickets without an organisation stay unattached for now. Mailboxes are a later wave. Have I missed anything?
- Holly TranterThat's right. One thing, the matching spreadsheet. Can you give me the layout you want so I don't build it twice?
- Callie BrennanYes, it goes in the same email. Three columns: the name as it appears in the CRM, the name as it appears in accounting, and a note. That's all. Don't make it prettier than that.
- Holly TranterHa. Okay. I can do ugly.
- Saskia MendesCan I add one thing? I don't want the directors to hear about this as another system they have to feed. If we go to them with, here are your top clients, tell us if anything's wrong, that's the ask. Nothing more.
- Callie BrennanThat's exactly right. They give a list, they get a page back. I'd say that in those words. If it asks them to do more than that, it'll die.
- Saskia MendesRight. Yes. It'll die.
- Callie BrennanLast point from me. I want to be honest about risk. The thing that worries me most isn't the technology, it's the gap between now and the first useful page. If access drags and the directors hear nothing for a month, the story becomes that this didn't deliver. So I'd like a short update from me every week, even if the update is we're waiting on IT. Is that a good rhythm?
- Saskia MendesIt is. Short and honest, please. If we're stuck, say we're stuck.
- Holly TranterWeekly's fine. Put it in an email so I can forward it.
- Callie BrennanDone. Every week, by email, and I'll keep it to a few lines. Anything else before we stop? We've a few minutes.
- Holly TranterOnly a small thing. When the first refresh runs, how long does it take, and does it affect people using the CRM?
- Callie BrennanIt reads, it doesn't write, so nobody should notice. The first load is the longest, then it's a nightly refresh and it's finished before people start work. I'll tell you before I switch it on so you can warn anyone who might be doing a big import.
- Holly TranterGreat. That's all from me.
- Saskia MendesNothing more from me. Thanks, Callie, this was useful. Honestly I came in worried we'd be told it's all fine, and you've been quite direct about what isn't.
- Callie BrennanI'd rather tell you now. Thanks, both. I'll send the note, the matching sheet layout and the introduction to Daniel within the hour. Speak next week.
- Saskia MendesBest of luck with the corridor, Holly. Bye both.
- Holly TranterHa, thanks. Bye.
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