# Why did we lose the customers we lost, and who looks like them now?

*Claude, Ask B's real answer through the relay (claude -p with the B-Brain tools). Figures as at Fri 9 Oct 2026.*

**What B-Brain did:** Counting in SQL → counting in SQL → counting in SQL → checking the money facts (renewals_due) → counting in SQL

**We lost 16 customers, and the CRM's own loss reasons are budget (6), in-house build (6), acquired by a competitor (3) and customer insolvent (1).** These are CRM lost-reason codes on the renewal deals and are the brain's record of why, not what the customers told us. The ARR lost totals £0.5m in all, with 14 of the 16 gone since August 2025, per contracted ARR as at 9 Oct 2026.

**The pattern in who left**
- **Usage did not collapse before most left.** Active users were flat or rising for most of them in the months before the loss. Calderbrook Housing is the clear exception: about 7.9 active users fell to 3.6 before it left in July 2026. Lornefield and Delancey Haig also slipped.
- **Size.** All 16 were UK or EU, mostly small, at £17.6k to £48.5k ARR each.
- **Sector.** Several sit in clusters: pensions administration (Ardenmore, Kelvinhaugh, Lornefield), housing associations (Tidecombe, Calderbrook), insurance broking (Saltdean Hart), B2B software (Skovdal, Penmaen, Tannahill) and logistics (Marchbank, Stainmore).
- **Timing.** In-house build losses at Tidecombe, Delancey Haig and Calderbrook all fall in 2026, so it is a growing reason.

**Who looks like them now**

These are the renewals in the next 180 days, as at 9 Oct 2026. The signals come from `renewals_due`. I have not yet checked whether the lost accounts showed the same signals before they left, so treat this as a resemblance, not a proven predictor.

- **Starter-tier accounts facing a 12.8% price rise, matching the budget losses:** Fulford Ings Software (20 Oct), Silverbeck Energy Services, Quaystead Marine Services, Hollins Tarrant and Tarnbeck Insurance Brokers. Fulford Ings and Hollins Tarrant are also software or similar small firms, like Skovdal.
- **Champion gone and one admin left:** Clonvara Insurance Services (£46.8k, renews 1 Nov), Dunholm Precision (£51k, 1 Dec) and Brackwell Freight (£44k, 1 Dec). Brackwell also has active users down 30% in four months.
- **Falling usage plus stalled data:** Carnmoor Fleet Leasing (£41.8k, 2 Dec) and Hollins Tarrant (£19.5k, 4 Jan 2027). Both show active users down 30% over four months and records indexed flat.
- **Champion left at larger accounts:** Thackwray Logistics (£110k, 4 Apr 2027) and Maelbeek Assurances (£22k, 1 Feb 2027).
- **Acquisition exposure:** I cannot see this from the signals. Three losses were to a competitor that acquired the customer, so any pensions, travel or insurance-broking account is worth watching.

Say if you want the pre-loss signals checked on each lost account, or a deck of this.

**Sources**
[1] Query over CRM deals (lost reasons, renewals) - 9 Oct 2026
[2] Query over ARR moves (lost logos) - 9 Oct 2026
[3] Query over usage, active users by month - 9 Oct 2026
[4] [Renewals due, next 180 days (facts)](demo/index.html#renewals-90d) - 9 Oct 2026

*claude-sonnet-5-5 · 22.4 s · SQL, facts*