Bespoke software development
We do bespoke software development for businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets, shared inboxes and off-the-shelf tools that only fit half the job. We design the system around how your work actually happens, build it in stages, then host it and look after it for as long as you use it.
You own the code and the data from the start, and you deal directly with Phil, our founder. We run software of our own as well as building it for others, so we design for what happens after launch: real users, real data, updates and change.
Signs you've outgrown the spreadsheet
- The same information is typed into more than one place.
- Only one person really understands the master spreadsheet.
- Customers ring to ask where their order or job has got to.
- Month end means a day of copying, checking and chasing.
- A simple question, such as how many jobs are late, needs a report built by hand.
When bespoke software is worth it
Bespoke software, also called custom software, is built for one business rather than sold to thousands. It earns its keep when the way you work is part of what makes you good, when you pay for several tools and glue them together by hand, or when the off-the-shelf option forces your team into workarounds every day.
It isn't always the answer. If a well-run product already does what you need, we'll say so. Often the right result is a smaller system that sits beside the software you already have and does the part it can't.
What we build
Operations platforms
One place for the jobs, orders or bookings that now live across spreadsheets and email: who is doing what, what stage it's at, and what's late.
Customer and supplier portals
Customers place orders, book, pay, upload documents or check progress themselves, and suppliers confirm orders and dates, so your team stops passing messages along.
Internal tools
Admin screens, approvals and dashboards for the jobs your team does every day, in your terms and following your rules.
A CRM built for your trade
When a general CRM doesn't fit how you sell, a system that holds customers, quotes and jobs the way your business thinks about them.
Booking, quoting and stock systems
Pricing rules, availability, quotes that turn into orders, and stock that updates itself when something is sold or delivered.
Replacing an old system
Moving off an Access database, a workbook full of macros or a system nobody can update any more, with the data moved across and checked.
Build, buy, or both
Buy when the job is common and the product fits: payroll, email, mainstream accounting. Nobody gains an edge by rebuilding those, and a good product improves every month without you paying for it.
Build when the job is how you win work or keep customers, when no product fits without daily workarounds, or when the cost of several subscriptions and the hours spent between them adds up to more than a system of your own.
Most of the time the answer is both: keep the products that work, and build the part that's specific to you, connected to them. That's usually smaller, quicker and cheaper than replacing everything.
How a project runs
Every project starts with a written scope: what the software will do, in plain words, and what it won't. We build in stages, each at a fixed price, and you try working software early in each stage rather than waiting for a big reveal.
When it's ready we move your data across, show your team round and switch it on. After that we host it, back it up, keep it updated and fix what breaks, for a monthly fee. Bigger changes are quoted before we start them.
Software we built and still run
Our own products, live today. We designed, built and host every one of them.
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StoreBay
Self-storage management software we designed, built and run: bookings, billing, Direct Debit, late-payment chasing, licences signed online and a customer portal, with each operator's data kept apart by the database itself.
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Add to CRM
A Chrome extension and web app that works with 29+ CRMs, each with its own API and limits. About 900 integration tests run on every change we make, so an update to one part doesn't quietly break a connection.
Industries we build it for
Questions
How long does bespoke software take?
It depends on the scope, so we don't guess before we've seen it. We split the work into stages and keep the first one small, so something useful is in your hands early. Each stage has its timeline in the written scope before you commit.
How is it priced?
Each stage has a fixed price, agreed before it starts and based on the written scope. After launch, a monthly fee covers hosting, updates, backups and small fixes. Changes beyond small fixes are quoted first.
Can it work with the software we already use?
Usually. Most accounting, CRM, ecommerce and payment systems have an API, and where one doesn't we can work with exports, email or files. We check before we quote.
Who owns it?
You do: the code, the data and the designs. We host it by default, and if you'd rather host it yourselves or move to another developer, we hand everything over.
What if we're not sure what we need yet?
Start with a conversation. We'll ask how the work happens now, where the time goes and what goes wrong, and suggest the smallest thing worth building. Sometimes that's a change to the process, or better use of software you already pay for.
Tell us what you want to build
A few lines is enough to start. Phil replies within one working day.
Start a project