Software and growth systems for small teams
Custom client portal development
Clients keep asking for updates because the information is spread across email threads. Your team resends documents, checks which version was approved and answers questions that a shared view could resolve. I build client portals for a defined service journey, with access boundaries designed around the organisations using it.
Build a business application — from £6,000 for a bounded scope. Requirements and acceptance checks determine the quote.
What the finished solution should accomplish
Give clients a secure place to see progress, exchange information and complete the next step, with a portal built around your service workflow.
What this could look like in practice
A consulting business might give each client a view of milestones, outstanding requests and approved deliverables. Staff manage work internally while customers see only the information intended for them. The first release could cover onboarding and document exchange, leaving billing in the existing accounting system.
Decisions to make before building
Define the difference between a user and a client organisation. Decide who can invite colleagues, what happens when a contact leaves and which internal notes must never appear externally. Email notifications should point to the portal rather than expose private documents. Retention, deletion and exports belong in scope alongside the screens.
When a simpler option is enough
Try the client-facing features of your existing project or document system first. A shared folder can be sufficient for occasional exchanges. Custom software becomes useful when the portal needs specific permissions, structured submissions or a service journey that customers cannot complete in those tools.
An initial scope could include
- Client and staff access model
- Branded portal and agreed customer workflow
- Notifications, access tests and handover
How we would check the work
- Attempt to access another client’s records directly
- Remove a user and verify access is revoked
- Complete onboarding on a narrow mobile screen
Can clients pay and upload documents in the portal?
Both can be scoped, but each adds requirements. Payments need a defined provider flow and reconciliation; uploads need file limits, private storage and retention rules. They are quoted as part of the agreed journey rather than assumed to be included.
Scope, ownership and working together
You work directly with Joel from discovery through implementation. We agree the outcome, exclusions and acceptance checks before a build. You receive access to the code, deployment and handover documentation. Hosting, third-party services and ongoing support are identified separately; owning the code does not make operating costs disappear.
Build a business application — from £6,000 for a bounded scope. Requirements and acceptance checks determine the quote. Permissions, migration, source-system access and the number of workflows affect scope. Hosting, maintenance and further milestones are agreed separately. Smaller extensions to existing infrastructure can receive a smaller quote.
Related next steps
Have a problem worth solving?
Tell me what you want to change, what is blocking it and the budget you have in mind. We can establish fit and agree the next step by email.
Send a project brief