Harcastle Environmental / BG-Demo – Renewal
Callcompleted
Harcastle Environmental · 24 Feb 2026 09:15
Renewal call on 24 Feb 2026. Andrew Sugden is not unhappy with the product but will not sign until Nicola Brearley writes a one-page business case. Seven of forty Growth seats are active and the renewal is quoted at list.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Renewal call on 24 Feb 2026. Andrew Sugden is not unhappy with the product but will not sign until Nicola Brearley writes a one-page business case. Seven of forty Growth seats are active and the renewal is quoted at list.
What happened: Lewis Kerr set out the Growth renewal, contracted at £40k and open at £44k list. Andrew asked what the subscription is worth before looking at the number.
Customer view: Andrew is content with the product but wants the value written down. Nicola admitted the benefit is not measured formally and the rollout is unfinished.
Commercial: Lewis declined to sell more seats and said the first-term discount ends at renewal. Nicola asked whether the price could hold and was told no.
Watch: Nicola, with two account managers, asks most of the questions, a key-person risk. The order form target is 17 Mar 2026, with the contract running to 10 Apr 2026.
Themes
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Theme
Growth renewal business case
Importance
renewal
Sentiment
mixed
Voice
decision-maker
Who was there
BG-Demo
CRMmade from
Them
CRMmade from
Follow-up
Next steps
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Lewis Kerr to send the Growth renewal quote on 24 Feb 2026, with the VAT position and both billing options.
- Marcus Bell to send Nicola a month-by-month usage summary and set up a short rollout and dashboard session.
- Nicola Brearley to draft the one-page business case for Andrew Sugden ahead of the 17 Mar 2026 signature target.
Risks
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Andrew will not decide until the business case is written, so signature by 17 Mar 2026 is not assured.
- Only about seven of forty Growth seats are active, and the price returns to list at renewal.
- Nicola and two account managers ask most of the questions, so usage depends on a few people.
Opportunities
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026- Roll the brain out to the account managers, collections planners and customer service team to raise value per seat.
- The dashboards builder is included in Growth and unused, and Marcus Bell offered to build the first view with Nicola.
- An on-site training day is an optional add-on Lewis would quote on a separate line.
Transcript
Marcus BellMorning all. Can everyone hear me alright? I've got Lewis on from his end, and Nicola and Martin, I think. Andrew, are you with us yet?
Nicola BrearleyMorning Marcus. Yes, loud and clear. Andrew's finishing something off, he said to start without him for a couple of minutes.
Lewis KerrMorning, both. Good to see you.
Martin FirthMorning. Sorry, my camera's being slow. Can you see me now?- Marcus BellNot yet. There you are. Perfect.
- Nicola BrearleyRight, worst complaint of the week, since I always start there. A customer rang on Monday about a missed collection and honestly it was sorted before lunch. Which depot, which round, we had the answer within the hour, from one screen. So that's me almost smiling, which is unusual.
- Marcus BellThat's good to hear. Honestly that's the sort of thing I want to hear on these calls. I'll share my screen in a second and say what I want to cover, but let's give Andrew another minute.
- Lewis KerrWhile we wait, Marcus, I'll just say, I'm happy to follow your lead on the usage side and then pick up the commercial bit after.
Andrew SugdenSorry, sorry. Morning everyone. I'm here. Headline please, what are we deciding today?- Lewis KerrMorning, Andrew. Headline is that your Growth subscription comes up for renewal, the contract runs to 10 Apr 2026 and renews from 11 Apr 2026. What I want to confirm today is whether you want to renew on Growth, and roughly by when you'd like it signed. Our internal target is 17 March 2026, but that's our date, not yours.
- Andrew SugdenRight. And in money terms?
- Lewis KerrTo put a number on it, you're currently contracted at £39,600 a year, and that's what has been invoiced. The renewal deal I have open is £44,000, which is the Growth list price. I'll send the full quote over today with the VAT position written out, so you're not working from what I say on a call.
- Andrew SugdenSo it goes up.
- Lewis KerrIt does, yes. The discount you had in the first term applies to the first term only, so at renewal you come back to list. It's the same list price you'd have seen when you signed, there's no new price book in play for this renewal.
- Andrew SugdenOkay. I'd rather understand what we get for it before I look at the number. What's the margin on that? Meaning, what's it worth to us.
- Marcus BellThat's a fair place to start, and it's what I wanted to cover. I've pulled the numbers, so let me share my screen. Can you all see it?
- Nicola BrearleyYes, I can see the usage page.
- Martin FirthSame here.
- Marcus BellGreat. So, three things. First, how much it's being used. Second, whether anything has been going wrong. Third, what I think is the gap, which is where the licences are against who's actually in there. Is that okay as an order?
- Andrew SugdenFine. Keep it short.
- Marcus BellWill do. Usage first. Over the last month, the average number of active people is around seven. That's up a little on the previous quarter, so it's moving in the right direction, not dramatically but steadily. Records indexed are still growing, so the nightly refresh is doing its job and the connectors are all loading.
- Nicola BrearleyWhich will be the account managers mostly. A few of us on the commercial side, plus the customer service lead who looks at the missed-collection history.
- Marcus BellYes, that matches what I see. The questions are mostly about a single customer, pulling collections, tickets, calls and invoices together before a conversation. Which is exactly what it was bought for.
- Andrew SugdenHow many customers does it touch?
- Nicola BrearleyIn principle all of them, Andrew. We have about thirty thousand business customers. In practice the account managers use it for the ones who are complaining, or who are up for renewal, or who are about to be. Which is the set that costs us money if we get it wrong.
- Andrew SugdenRight. And is anyone measuring that? Fewer complaints, fewer losses?
- Nicola BrearleyNot formally. And I'd rather be honest about that. I can tell you anecdotally that the time to answer a complaint has dropped, because people aren't hopping between four systems. But if you want it in the plan, I'd need to write it up properly.
- Andrew SugdenI would. I don't sign anything without the business case written down. It doesn't have to be long. One page.
- Nicola BrearleyUnderstood. I can do that. Marcus, can you help me with the usage side of it?
- Marcus BellOf course. Happy to jump on a call with you after this, and I'll send over a usage summary you can lift straight into it. Month by month, so you can see the trend rather than one number.
- Andrew SugdenGood. Anything going wrong? Marcus, you said that was number two.
- Marcus BellYes. Honestly, very little. No tickets raised in the last month, so nothing high priority either. Nothing overdue on invoices as far as I can see, but that's Martin's side, not mine.
- Martin FirthCorrect. Everything has been paid on time. Nothing outstanding that I'm aware of. The only thing I'd say is that the invoicing has been smooth, I've had no queries from anyone in my team.
- Marcus BellThat's good. Nobody likes a quiet account that goes silent, so I'll say that no tickets isn't a worry here. I've seen the usage, and people are still using it. If it was the other way round, I'd be asking you a different question.
- Nicola BrearleyI should say, if something was broken, I'd be on the phone to you within the hour. We would not sit on it overnight.
- Marcus BellI know, and I appreciate it. Okay, third thing. You're licensed for forty users on Growth, and about seven are active on average. So there's plenty of headroom, which is the good news and the awkward news. Good, because nobody is going to be told they can't have a seat. Awkward, because Andrew, you're paying for a lot of seats that aren't in use.
- Andrew SugdenThat's what I was going to ask. Why forty?
- Nicola BrearleyBecause that's the Growth tier, isn't it. It came with forty. The plan at the time was to roll it out across the account management teams and customer service, and honestly we got part of the way and then the winter peak landed.
- Andrew SugdenSo it's a rollout we haven't finished.
- Nicola BrearleyIt's a rollout I haven't finished, yes. That's fair.
- Lewis KerrCan I come in on that, Andrew? From my side I'd rather not talk you into anything the usage doesn't support. Forty seats is what Growth includes, and it's not something you can reduce within the tier. So the choice at renewal is really Growth as it is, or a conversation about whether another tier fits, and I don't think the numbers say you should move. Starter is for one team and fifteen users, and you have more than one team using this.
- Andrew SugdenSo I either pay for it or go down a tier that doesn't fit.
- Lewis KerrThat's a fair way to put it, yes. What I'd say is that the cost per active person goes down if you roll it out further, and that's an adoption question, which is Marcus's side. I'm not going to suggest you buy more. You've got more than you're using.
- Andrew SugdenAppreciated. Most people would be selling me more.
- Lewis KerrNot when you've got that many seats spare. It wouldn't last past the next renewal.
- Marcus BellIf it helps, what I can do is take Nicola through who's got a seat and who's logged in, so she can say who is next to come on. Then the business case has a rollout plan in it, not just a usage chart.
- Nicola BrearleyYes, please. Three groups, I think. The account managers who are already on, the collections planners, and the customer service team who handle the missed-collection tickets. That's the list of three.
- Andrew SugdenAnd what does that cost me? Training, connectors, anything extra. I don't want an integration cost turning up that isn't in the plan.
- Marcus BellNothing extra for the seats, they're within the forty. If you wanted something like an on-site training day, that is an add-on and Lewis would quote it. But I don't think you need it. A couple of sessions on the call is enough for the groups Nicola described, I'd say.
- Lewis KerrAnd if you did want it, it would be on a separate line in the quote so you could see it and strike it out. I won't bundle it in.
- Andrew SugdenGood. Put it in the plan as optional.
- Martin FirthCan I ask a practical question about invoicing? Is it annual in advance again?
- Lewis KerrAnnual in advance is the default, on thirty-day terms. If you'd prefer quarterly, we can do that on request. I'd put both options in the quote so you can see them side by side, and say which VAT treatment applies to each.
- Martin FirthQuarterly would be easier for cash flow, but Andrew, that's your call as much as mine.
- Andrew SugdenWhat's the difference in cost? If quarterly costs more I'd rather pay once.
- Lewis KerrI'm not going to quote that from memory, Andrew. I'll put it in the quote today, whichever way it falls, and you can see it written down. I'll say now that I don't want to give you a number and then have it be wrong.
- Andrew SugdenFine. That's the right answer.
- Nicola BrearleyCan I ask something slightly different? On the renewal itself, is there any chance of keeping the number where it is? Not asking you to argue it now, Lewis, just whether it's even a conversation.
- Marcus BellI'll hand that one straight to Lewis, if that's okay. Price is his side, not mine.
- Lewis KerrThanks, Marcus. Nicola, honestly, the first-term discount is a first-term discount, and the list price is the list price. What I can do is make sure the quote is clean and co-termed to your renewal, so you're not paying for any period you're not using. Beyond that, I'd rather be straight with you than promise something and come back to it.
- Nicola BrearleyThat's fair. I had to ask.
- Lewis KerrOf course you did.
- Andrew SugdenI'll say where I am. I'm not unhappy with the product. Nicola's team like it, and nothing is on fire. What I can't do today is say yes, because I don't have the case written. So the order of work is the business case, then the quote, then I decide.
- Lewis KerrThat works. Quote goes out today so you've got it to build against. Then if the case is ready in time, we can aim to have the order form signed by 17 March 2026, which leaves a good margin before the contract ends on 10 Apr 2026.
- Andrew SugdenWhat happens if we're a week late?
- Lewis KerrNothing bad. The contract carries on until 10 Apr 2026. I'd just rather not leave it to the last week, because that's when people go on leave and signatures get stuck.
- Martin FirthWho needs to sign on our side? I'd want to make sure the right person has the order form, not just Andrew.
- Andrew SugdenIt's me. I signed the original. If I'm away, I'll say so.
- Martin FirthOkay. Then I'll just make sure the invoice contact is right on your side, Lewis. It's still my team, accounts payable, same inbox as last year. Nothing has changed.
- Lewis KerrThanks, Martin. I'll check that against what's on the order form and tell you if there's a difference.
- Marcus BellCan I just come back to one thing before we finish, because I think it matters for the case. Nicola, who asks most of the questions in there? Because if it's mostly one person, that's a risk for you, not for us.
- Nicola BrearleyMostly me, if I'm honest. And two of the account managers. That's the thing I don't love.
- Marcus BellYeah. That's what I see too. It's not a problem yet, but if you were away for a month the numbers would drop, and Andrew would ask why. So part of the rollout is spreading it, so it doesn't depend on you.
- Andrew SugdenThat goes in the case too. Name the risk and how we're dealing with it.
- Nicola BrearleyYes. Okay. It'll be a bit more honest than I'd planned, but fine.
- Andrew SugdenHonest is better. I'd rather read it now than find out in a year.
- Marcus BellWhile I've got the screen up, do you want to see the dashboards page? Because I noticed nobody's built any recently, and for Growth that's one of the things you've got that you might not be using.
- Nicola BrearleyGo on. I know we've got it. I just haven't had the time.
- Marcus BellHere. So this is the builder. You can take the question you ask most often, say missed collections by round for a customer, and pin it as a view. Then the account managers open that instead of typing the question each time.
- Nicola BrearleyOh, that would be useful. Which depot, which round, in one tile.
- Marcus BellExactly. If you like, I'll build the first one with you next week and you can see how long it takes. It's not long. Half an hour, I'd say.
- Andrew SugdenDoes that go in the case as a thing we've started using, or a thing we plan to?
- Nicola BrearleyA thing we plan to, and I'll date it. Better than pretending.
- Andrew SugdenGood. Anything else before I go? I've got another call.
- Lewis KerrOnly a recap, if I may. I'll send the renewal quote today, Growth, with the VAT position and both billing options. Marcus sends the usage summary to Nicola, month by month, and they spend a short session on the rollout and the first dashboard. Nicola drafts the one-page case and gets it to Andrew. Andrew decides. Martin confirms the invoice contact. Target is signature by 17 March 2026.
- Marcus BellThat's right. I'll get the summary to you by the end of the week, Nicola, and I'll put a session in the diary, half an hour to start with.
- Nicola BrearleyPerfect. I'll have a draft to Andrew in good time, not the night before.
- Andrew SugdenI'll hold you to that. Thanks all. Speak soon.
- Martin FirthThanks everyone. Bye.
- Lewis KerrThank you, all. Kind regards. Quote this afternoon.
- Marcus BellCheers, everyone. Nicola, stay on a moment if you've got a minute, I'll book that half hour while we're both here.
- Nicola BrearleyYes, go on. Thursday morning would be best for me, before the planners start ringing.
- Marcus BellThursday morning. I'll send the invite now. Thanks, Nicola. Speak soon.
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