Custom Web Applications

There is a difference between an off-the-shelf product and business software made to measure. A custom web application is designed to suit the way your organisation operates, not the other way round. I put together bespoke Laravel applications for UK companies — be they portals, dashboards or CRMs — that are all about giving you full control of your systems and cutting out the manual labour.

What kinds of web applications do you build?

Put simply, if it can run in a browser, I can make it. I have delivered everything from customer and supplier portals to internal dashboards that consolidate data into a single view. You will find quoting and invoicing tools, booking systems, and workflow engines among my projects. None of them are forced into some rigid template; they are shaped by how your team does things and what you actually need.

Some of the more common work includes:

• Portals for partners and customers with role-based access and secure logins

• Reporting and management dashboards

• Bespoke CRMs and scheduling

• Tools for document generation, invoicing and quoting

• Approval and workflow engines to take the tedium out of admin

Should you build custom or buy off-the-shelf?

If your requirements are fairly standard and a well-known product serves them, then off-the-shelf is fine. But custom software is worth it when your process is a competitive edge, or when you are tired of paying for superfluous features and having to manually stitch different tools together. With a bespoke app there is no friction; the software conforms to your process rather than your team having to work around its shortcomings.

How do you approach a build?

I will map your process and the data model and determine how every screen should function first, as that is where most project risk lies. Then I move in short stages so you can see working software and offer feedback while it is still inexpensive to make changes. It is a transparent way of working that means the final product is right for your workflow from day one, without the need for rework down the line. I also ensure there is good documentation and automated tests in place so any developer can pick up on it later.

Can it connect to your existing systems?

Absolutely. Most of my clients’ applications need to interface with payment providers, accounting packages, email and shipping services. If there is an API I will use it; if not, I can usually put a bridge in place so the data moves on its own and does not have to be re-keyed. See my page on API development and integration for more on that side of things.

Do you own the finished software?

The hosting accounts, the database and the code are yours. There is no lock-in to me or a particular platform, so you are at liberty to change hosts or direction whenever you like. In that sense the investment is an asset, not a subscription you are stuck with. I make sure the handover is straightforward so your people know how to update and run what has been built.

What does a custom application cost, and how long does it take?

A simple tool may come in at the Starter level within my packages, but a sizeable system will be in the Growth bracket or above. I do not start work until after a discovery phase and you have a fixed, itemised quote in hand. I am Watford based but serve the whole of the UK. Have a look at the portfolio for recent examples or get in touch via the contact page. For those in Hertfordshire you can also check my local Hertfordshire web development page.