Custom business software
Custom software for businesses that don't fit the standard template.
If the way you do things is part of what makes your business work, your software should fit around you, not the other way round. We design and build software that runs in a web browser, shaped around how your business really works and the people in it.
Software should fit the business.
When custom software makes sense
Custom software is the right answer less often than most sellers will tell you.
It's a real investment, so it should solve a problem that matters. Sometimes the better answer is a ready-made product, linking up what you have, or a smaller change. We'd rather tell you that at the start than find out halfway through.
The way you handle orders, approvals or pricing is specific to your business, and staff keep it running with spreadsheets and memory.
This is where custom software is worth the money. The parts of your business that make you different finally get a proper home.
Usually means: Custom software
A ready-made product handles the routine work well, but one important part of the job happens outside it.
Build only the missing part, and link it to the product you already use. Replacing everything is rarely needed.
Usually means: Custom software
Several programs hold the same customers, orders or stock, and nobody fully trusts the numbers.
Link up what you already have before building anything new. That alone may solve most of the problem.
Usually means: Link what you have
Older software still runs important work, but it's hard to change and depends on one or two people.
Keep the rules it holds and upgrade it step by step, so the business keeps running throughout.
Usually means: Upgrade step by step
A well-known product already fits the way you work, with a few settings changed.
Use the product. Custom software would cost more and give you little extra. We'll tell you so.
Usually means: Ready-made software
You need a simple company website, a one-off design job, or developers on loan to your own team.
Those are real needs, but they're not what we do. Someone who specializes in that will serve you better.
Usually means: Not custom software
Problems we solve
Same work. A lot less hassle.
Good software rarely changes what your business does. It changes how much effort it takes, and how easily you can see what's going on.
Today: Order status lives in someone's inbox or memory.
With custom software: Every order has a visible stage, an owner and a history.
Today: Approvals happen over phone calls, chat and email.
With custom software: Each approval goes straight to the right person, and the decision is recorded.
Today: Month-end reports take days of copying between spreadsheets.
With custom software: Reports come from one place, ready whenever you need them.
Today: Customers and dealers call to ask where things stand.
With custom software: They log in and see it for themselves, so nobody needs to call.
Today: The same details are typed into three different programs.
With custom software: Information is typed once and shows up wherever it's needed.
Today: Only one person can safely change the old system.
With custom software: Software that's easy to look after and can keep growing with the business.
What we build
Different kinds of software. One starting point: your problem.
These aren't separate products to pick from. One project often mixes several, for example an approval system with a customer login, linked to your accounts. The way you work decides what gets built.
01Business software
Software built around your own rules and the words your team uses: orders, jobs, batches, dealers, schemes, whatever your business runs on.
Typically replaces
Shared spreadsheets and general tools stretched past their limits
02Workflow automation
Clear steps, a named person for each, and automatic reminders, so work moves on without anyone chasing it and problems get noticed.
Typically replaces
Follow-up calls, reminder emails and status meetings
03Portals
A secure login for customers, dealers, suppliers or field staff to check progress, place requests and share documents.
Typically replaces
Status calls and documents sent back and forth by email
04Integrations
Links between your accounting, stock, email and other software, so information is typed once and matches everywhere.
Typically replaces
Retyping, exporting, importing and cross-checking
05Upgrading older systems
Older software rebuilt or extended step by step, keeping the rules and data it holds, while the business carries on as normal.
Typically replaces
Fragile systems that only one person understands
06Internal systems
Tools for approvals, management reports and keeping daily operations on track, designed for the people who use them every day.
Typically replaces
Email chains, paper registers and reports put together by hand
How we build it
Built to follow your business.
Your team won't see this part. You'll notice it years later, when the business changes and the software can change with it.
- 01
Understand the business first
The software is organized the way your business is: your customers, orders, approvals and exceptions. Screens come after.
- 02
Rules that can change without a rebuild
Limits, price rules and who-approves-what can be changed in settings, so the software keeps up as the business changes.
- 03
Everyone sees what they should
Staff, managers, customers and suppliers each see what they need, and nothing more. This is planned from day one, not bolted on.
- 04
Link up, don't duplicate
Software you have that works stays. The new system links to it, so nobody copies data across by hand.
- 05
Useful at every stage
Each stage gives you something you can use straight away, so you see benefits early and the risk stays small.
- 06
Easy to look after
Neatly built in a standard way, so any good developer can support it and add to it for years to come.
How we work
From conversation to working software.
At every step you get something real to look at, so decisions are based on what you can see, not on guesswork.
- 01
Understand
We talk to the people who do the work, to understand how things run, the exceptions, and what's really going wrong.
You getA plain-English description of how the work flows and what the problem is
- 02
Define
We pick the part where software will help most, and agree a first piece of work that's realistic.
You getA clear first stage, with agreed priorities
- 03
Design
We sketch the screens, the information to be stored, who can do what, and the rules, and go through it all with your team before building starts.
You getScreens and steps your team has seen and agreed
- 04
Build
We build and test it in small pieces you can try out, and adjust based on what the people using it tell us.
You getWorking software, introduced to your team with them
- 05
Evolve
We improve and add to the system as you use it and as your needs change.
You getSoftware that keeps up with your business
Under the hood
Technology that suits your business.
Nearly 25 years of hands-on software work, from older systems to modern web software, means we're comfortable with whatever you have today and careful about what comes next.
We choose tried-and-tested technology over the latest fashion. The aim is software you can rely on and keep running for years, not something to show off.
Application platforms
- ASP.NET
- Classic ASP
- JavaScript
- Modern web technologies
Data
- SQL Server
- Relational database design
- Management reporting
- Data migration
Architecture
- Web application architecture
- REST APIs
- Role-based access
- Workflow & approval logic
- Audit trails
Integration & legacy
- System & database integration
- Legacy application support
- Phased modernization
Common project scenarios
What these projects tend to look like.
Typical situations where custom software helps. They're made-up examples based on common problems, not stories about particular clients.
Manufacturing
Production planning that outgrew the spreadsheet
- Situation
- Orders, capacity and shift plans are tracked in a large shared workbook that only the planner fully understands.
- Approach
- A planning system that keeps orders, machines and schedules in one place, with an Excel import so the team can move across gradually.
- Outcome
- Sales and the factory floor can both see the plan, and it no longer depends on one person.
Trading & distribution
Dealers who call for every update
- Situation
- Dealers phone or message the sales team to check order status, pending dispatches and outstanding invoices.
- Approach
- A dealer login linked to the existing order and accounting data, where each dealer sees only their own records.
- Outcome
- Dealers find the answers themselves, and the sales team gets its time back.
Business services
Approvals scattered across inboxes
- Situation
- Taking on a new client needs several sign-offs, collected over email, and nobody can see what's stuck where.
- Approach
- A simple approval system with clear steps, rules for who signs off what, and a full record of every decision.
- Outcome
- Every request has a status and a person responsible, and delays get spotted before the client notices.
Internal operations
An older application that still runs the business
- Situation
- Software built 15 or 20 years ago holds years of business rules, but every change to it feels risky.
- Approach
- Write down what it does, then replace it one section at a time while the old system keeps running.
- Outcome
- The valuable rules are kept in software that's easy to look after, with no risky all-at-once switch-over.
FAQ
Questions worth asking first.
If your question isn't here, just ask. A first conversation doesn't commit you to anything.
How much does custom software cost?
It depends on how much the software needs to do, how many people will use it, and what it needs to link to. Rather than throw out a number blindly, we first understand the problem and agree a small, useful first stage. You get a clear price for that before you commit to anything more.
How long does a project take?
We agree timelines once we understand the work. We deliberately keep the first stage small, so you can start using something useful as early as possible, and then build on it.
Do we need a detailed specification before we contact you?
No. Just tell us, in your own words, how things work today and what's going wrong. Working out the details is part of our job, and we do it with you.
Can you work with the systems we already use?
Yes. Most projects involve accounting software, stock systems or older programs you already have. If they work well, we link to them instead of replacing them.
What if a standard product would suit us better?
Then we'll tell you. Custom software is only worth paying for when it solves a problem ready-made software can't handle well.
Do you provide developers to join our team?
No. We don't hire out staff. We take responsibility for understanding your problem and delivering software that solves it.
What happens after the software goes live?
Your business keeps changing, so the software should too. We can keep supporting it, improving it and adding to it, so it goes on fitting the way you work.
Who owns the software we commission?
Who owns the software, and who gets the underlying code, is written clearly into the contract before work starts, so there are no surprises later.
Software should fit the business
Tell us how your business works.
You don't need to know anything about technology. Tell us what you're trying to get done, and we'll help you work out the right approach.
Write it in your own words. A real person reads every enquiry and replies honestly, even when custom software isn't the answer.