Follow-up from the quarterly review
Email thread Merriott Lyle Distribution · cs
After the quarterly review, Malcolm Ridgway, Chief Financial Officer, asked in writing how many of 200 licensed users are active and what £116k a year does to debtor days. Daniel Okafor promised written answers.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026After the quarterly review, Malcolm Ridgway, Chief Financial Officer, asked in writing how many of 200 licensed users are active and what £116k a year does to debtor days. Daniel Okafor promised written answers.
Ask: Malcolm wants a weekly active-user figure against 200 licensed users and a number he can show the board for the effect on debtor days. He asked for a short written answer.
Customer view: This is a value question from the finance lead, not a complaint. Daniel conceded active users are well below 200 and declined to claim a debtor-days effect that is not yet shown.
Next: Daniel will answer both in writing, propose a before and after comparison with Deepa Chauhan and Bernadette Lowry's team, and bring in Lewis Kerr, as the contract runs to 27 Feb 2026. The thread does not show whether the answers were sent.
The thread
Updated 9 Oct 26Messages
Daniel Okafor 8 Aug 2025 08:46Hello all, Thank you for your time yesterday. Just to close the loop, here is a short note of what we covered. Usage: the number of active people has risen sharply on the previous quarter, and the questions being asked are now coming from several teams rather than a handful of enthusiasts. There were two tickets in the last month, neither of them high priority. Next steps: - Tariq and I will go through the load log together for the connectors he raised. - Deepa will bring credit control and the regional directors into the next monthly account-data review. - I'll send a short usage summary, with the source of each number, so it can be shared internally. Lewis is copied so that he has the picture ahead of the renewal conversation later in the year. Best wishes, Daniel
Malcolm Ridgway 8 Aug 2025 11:33Daniel, Thanks for the note. Two questions. We have 200 licensed users. How many of them are actually using it in a normal week? We pay £116,500 a year. What does that do to debtor days, and can I show the board a number for it? Put it in writing, please. A short answer is fine. Malcolm Ridgway- Daniel Okafor 11 Aug 2025 15:33Hello Malcolm, Thank you, those are fair questions, and I would rather answer them properly than quickly. On users: the active number is well below the 200 you are licensed for. I read that as headroom rather than a problem, because it has been climbing steadily and there are branches and teams that have not started yet. I'll set out the weekly figure, and who is asking the questions, in the usage summary. On value: I don't want to claim an effect on debtor days that the evidence does not yet show. What I can do is work with Deepa and Bernadette's team to pick the accounts where disputes and ageing were previously reconciled by hand, and compare the before and after. That gives you something you can take to the board, with the base stated. I'll come back to you with both in writing by the end of next week. Lewis will join us for any commercial points, as your contract runs to 27 Feb 2026 and I'd like nothing about it to be a surprise. Best wishes, Daniel