When to build a custom web app

Our bread and butter is building custom web solutions for clients. However, we also turn away a lot of companies or help them implement a more generic solution if building a custom solution is not ideal for their situation. This article will talk about when clients should consider going down the route of developing their own system to a problem they may have within their organisation or for their clients.

Defining custom development

Custom development encompasses a large variety of projects. We view custom development as three distinctive levels.

1. Minor modifications to the layout and look of a website
2. Custom plugins and enhancements which solve a specific problem for you and or your clients.
3. Full bespoke web apps which provide solutions to you or your clients.

Let's dig into each of these three levels a bit more.

Level 1 - Minor modifications to the layout and look of a website

Level one development is where we will customise specific themes and websites for clients. Almost all clients require at least this level. Although website builders such as Wordpress, Squarespace and Shopify can often provide extremely effective websites without a single line of code modification, the majority of the time clients will want minor modifications to get the look and feel they exactly want. Examples of this are the modifications that may need to be made to size of components on the page or to get the website displaying perfectly across all devices.

Level 2 - Custom plugins and enhancements which solve a specific problem for you and or your clients.

We define level two as when we are building a custom component or feature for clients. Usually this will be in the form of a custom Wordpress plugin which solves a very specific problem or requirement of that website. For example we have built very specific custom quoting forms for clients as a Wordpress plugin whereby they can modify specific parts of the calculation when they need to change prices. Often calculations such as these, are specific to an organisation or business domain cannot be achieved though generic plugins.

This is a very common problem that we solve using Wordpress plugins. Clients which have a somewhat simple website but wish to have a specific part of the website performing a unique task. The advantage of doing this with a plugin is that if the client decides they wish to change the theme of their website the plugin will still work irrespective of the upgrade.

Level 3 - Full bespoke web apps which provide solutions to you or your clients.

Full bespoke web development is a speciality of ours here at Camino Dev. However, we are always very careful to ensure our clients understand both the upfront costs and ongoing costs of level three custom development. Examples of this level of development are bespoke Customer Relationship Management systems (CRMs). Although there are a number of very good of the shelf CRMs such as ZOHO CRM, often businesses have very specific needs. We have had a number of clients come to us after trying and failing to implement multiple off the shelf CRM.

Our process is to understand the client's problems and, if required, propose a specific custom solution for them. Then we design and build that solution in an iterative way with a very short feedback loop ensuring that we build a solution which fits their needs.

There is no two way about it, level three development is expensive. But the payoff can be massive. A recent client of ours with a sales team of seven was able to reduce their sales team from seven team member down to four. The total build cost, which was a significant at £30,000, was quickly paid off when reducing the size of a sales team by that number. This was mainly achieved through a number of automations of repetitive tasks but this system also provides this organisation with extremely detailed data about their sales and customers and importantly provides a better customer experience.

Other examples is when there is just not an off the shelf solution which even comes close to servicing a clients needs. This is often in niche sectors. Another client of ours, a legal firm, required the ability to manage clients contracts in an automated manner. Both giving the legal team the ability to manage these contracts but also individual organisations the ability modify and manage contacts (within a controlled space). Again this small legal team is able to service large numbers of clients without having to employ very expensive lawyers paying off the initial cost of development within months of the release.

How do you know when you need to build a bespoke system

We generally will sit down with our clients to understand their current problems and needs. But there are a few red flags which indicate that a custom system may be beneficial to an organisation.

• Large numbers of excel spreadsheets often with complex formulas.
• Multiple trials of off-the-shelf systems.
• Team member doing repetitive tasks.
• Potential client leads being wasted as a result of not having the resources to follow up.
• Double handling of information.
• Human error creeping into processes.

It is a big decision for any organisation to decide to build a bespoke solution. That is why at Camino Dev we first sit down with you, understand your problems and provide a high level quote of the costs. Then if you decide to move forward we provide a fixed price quote specifically outlining what we will develop. This ensures you know exactly what you will pay and can budget accordingly. We also provide payment plans to spread this cost over a period of time so you do not need to meet these costs upfront.

Feel free to contact us with any queries you may have, there are no expectations, no obligation and no initial costs.