Custom software
Custom software built around how your business actually runs
When off-the-shelf software forces your team into workarounds, we build the system that fits. Web apps, phone-friendly tools for staff in the field, client portals, internal dashboards and SaaS products.
Today
- Job details written on paper or in a notebook
- Typed into a spreadsheet back at the office
- Customer phones to ask for an update
- Someone searches files and inboxes for the answer
With the system
- Job captured on a phone at the point of work
- Office and managers see it immediately
- Customer checks progress in their portal
- Everyone works from the same up-to-date record
01
The problem
Custom software does not have to mean a huge, risky project. We start with the one process that causes the most pain, build a focused first version and get it into your team’s hands quickly. From there, it grows with the business.
- You have tried generic software, but it only does half of what you need, so the other half still lives in spreadsheets.
- Your staff work on phones, on site or on the shop floor, and the tools you have were designed for someone sitting at a desk.
- Customers phone or WhatsApp to ask for information you already have, because there is no way for them to see it themselves.
- Important information is spread across files, inboxes and people's heads, so nobody has the full picture.
02
What we build
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Web applications
Browser-based systems your whole team can use from any device, with the right access for each role, and nothing to install.
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Field and shop-floor tools
Mobile-friendly progressive web apps (PWAs) for capturing inspections, job cards, checklists and photos, that keep working when signal drops and sync when it returns.
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Client portals
A secure place for your customers to see their orders, jobs, documents and statements, submit requests and download what they need without calling you.
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Internal dashboards
The figures you check every day in one screen, pulled live from your systems instead of copied into a spreadsheet each morning.
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SaaS products
If you have spotted a problem that other businesses in your industry share, we can help you turn your solution into a subscription product.
03
Typical deliverables
- A working web application, hosted and ready for your team to use
- Mobile-friendly screens designed for the people who will use them most
- User accounts, roles and permissions
- Data imported from your existing spreadsheets or systems
- Automatic backups and secure hosting
- Short, practical training and written guides for your team
- Clear documentation of how the system works
04
What changes for your business
Every project is different. These are the kinds of results this work is designed to deliver.
- Staff capture information once, at the point where the work happens.
- Managers see what is happening today without waiting for a report.
- Customers help themselves to the information they need, so there are fewer "just checking" calls.
- The business no longer depends on one person's spreadsheet.
Common questions
Why custom software instead of an off-the-shelf package?
If a package does what you need, we will tell you to buy it. Custom software makes sense when the package forces workarounds, when you are paying for many features you do not use, or when the way you work is part of what makes your business better than competitors.
Will it work on our staff's phones?
Yes. We design mobile-first, because many of the people using these systems are on a phone or tablet. Where signal is unreliable, we build the app to keep working offline and sync later.
Who owns the software and the data?
The software is licensed to your business, and your data is always yours. The licence terms are agreed in writing before the build starts.
How much does custom software cost?
It depends on what the system needs to do, so we quote per project after a free process review. Building in phases keeps each step affordable and lets you stop or change direction between phases.
What happens after it goes live?
Most clients move onto a monthly support retainer that covers hosting, monitoring, backups, fixes and time for improvements.
Other services
Not sure where to start?
Book a free process review. We will look at one process that costs you time and tell you honestly what we would do about it.