We never undertake a project without first analysing the business requirement in depth. Our first duty to you, as a prospective customer, is to give you our opinion of the viability of the project. You'll also find that we talk your language, and not technological gobbledygook.
We provide a complete one-stop service, from the initial analysis of your business requirements through implementation to on-going support. Our aim is to deliver systems that will work to the benefit of your business. If we don’t think that a project is viable, then we will say so.
Our experience spans many sectors, from accountancy to manufacturing and from the legal profession to event management companies. The systems that we have developed cover most aspects of any businesses, from sales and marketing, through planning, production, stock control, field servicing to invoicing and accounts. Although websites are primarily a marketing tool, they are of most benefit in this role when based on a thorough understanding of the business and its objectives.
Websites & Mobile Applications
The development of a bespoke website starts with a definition of its objectives, layout and required functionality, etc. Although a website tends to evolve during its development, it is essential that the groundwork be properly laid at the outset.
We start by researching the customer’s business and any existing websites that they may have prior to meeting the customer. The first purpose of the first meeting is to obtain a briefing from the customer of their specific requirements.
If we consider the proposition to be a viable one and that there is likely to be a successful outcome, then we take the business analysis one stage further and produce a proposal on that basis. We normally expect to start with a sufficiently well-defined requirement for the website that we are also able to quote a fixed price for its development.
Return on Investment
The three main factors that determine the value of any website are the extent to which the products or services addresses a niche market, the geographic size of its target market, and the price of the products or services.
To put this in practical terms, a website is of little value to a hairdresser that serves a local community alongside several other competitors. At best, it will tell visitors the opening hours and provide a contact telephone number. A very rudimentary off-the-shelf template based website containing a two or three pages will suffice. At the other extreme, a manufacturer might be looking to target overseas markets with very specialised and high value products. In this case, the website plays a vital role in gaining access to this market.
There is a broad spectrum of website applications between these two extremes. Each requirement should be individually assessed at a business level in order to determine its viability. This is most commonly measured in terms of the return on investment that might be expected, but other factors, especially the existence of competitor’s websites, also have to be taken into account.
Bespoke Online Business Software
The early stages of an online business software development are much more rigorous. The focus is less on the viability of the project, because that is normally self-evident, than ensuring that it has been fully specified at the outset. Price is obviously a dominant consideration for the customer, so we also endeavour to provide estimates as early as possible in the development process.
The first steps, in terms of meetings, analysing the business requirements and an initial proposal are similar to those for a website. It then perges, because the next stage for a business system is the preparation of a statement of requirements and an initial system specification. We normally charge for this service, but the customer is the free to use this information to obtain competitive quotations for the development of the system.
In practice, these documents are not cast in stone. Being fully bespoke, the requirements for the system evolve during its development, and more detailed specifications tend to be produced prior to each aspect being developed. The cost of this type of development work can normally only be estimated, with the estimate being revised as the project develops. The development work is then paid for as it is incurred.