Case Studies: Custom systems & consulting

Real business problems, solved with software.

A selection of systems we've built for small businesses across England, including booking platforms, databases, internal tools and e-commerce automation. Clients are anonymised; the problems, and the results, are real.

Case 01
REMOVALS & STORAGE · OXFORDSHIRE

Logistics & inventory tracking for a multi-depot removals firm

PROBLEM

A household removals and storage company running several depots around Oxford managed its jobs, crews, vehicles and stored goods on paper inventories, whiteboards and disconnected spreadsheets. Locating a customer’s items across sites was slow, and scheduling crews and vans between depots was a daily scramble.

SOLUTION

An end-to-end logistics platform with barcoded tracking for every container and item in storage, real-time visibility of what is held at each depot, job scheduling with crew and vehicle allocation, and a customer portal showing exactly what is in store and where. Every movement between depots is logged and fully auditable.

TECHNOLOGY

Cutting-edge full-stack build using natively compiled Windows desktop clients for depot terminals, an open-source PostgreSQL backend, and barcode scanning with label printing.

RESULT

Any item located in seconds across every depot; double-booked crews and vans eliminated; a complete audit trail for goods in storage.

What this demonstrates: tracking physical assets across multiple sites with hardware-integrated, resilient software built to run reliably on-site.
Case 02
SPECIALITY MANUFACTURING · SOUTHAMPTON

A custom ERP for a speciality fertiliser blender

PROBLEM

A Southampton manufacturer producing custom-blended fertilisers for export and the UK wholesale horticulture market had outgrown its spreadsheets, but quotes from the big ERP vendors and consultancies ran into six figures, with heavy ongoing per-seat licensing the owner-managed business could never justify.

SOLUTION

A bespoke ERP built around how they actually operate: blend formulation and recipe management, batch production with full lot traceability, raw-material and finished-stock control, and sales orders for both wholesale and export, including the documentation export shipments require. One system, owned outright, with no licence fees.

TECHNOLOGY

Modern full-stack architecture built on natively compiled Windows executables for factory and office, an open-source PostgreSQL database, and no recurring licence costs.

RESULT

Enterprise-grade ERP capability at a fraction of the SAP or Dynamics cost; formulations, batches and export paperwork in one place; nothing paid to Microsoft, SAP or a big consultancy.

What this demonstrates: delivering genuine ERP capability (formulation, traceability, stock and orders) without enterprise-vendor pricing or lock-in.
Case 03
LEGAL SERVICES · SOUTH EAST ENGLAND

Practice management software for a four-office regional law firm

PROBLEM

A regional law firm operating from four offices across the South East ran on fragmented systems. Matters, client records and documents lived on local file shares at each site, while all client and office accounting sat in a bespoke legacy package the firm was required to retain for regulatory reasons (the Solicitors’ Accounts Rules). Staff couldn’t see a matter opened at another office, and re-keying between systems was constant.

SOLUTION

A custom practice management platform covering matter and case management, client and conflict-of-interest checking, document and correspondence management integrated directly with Microsoft Office (Word and Outlook), and time recording and billing. A dedicated integration layer kept the regulated legacy accounting system as the book of record, while every office worked from a single, centrally hosted database.

TECHNOLOGY

Cutting-edge full stack built on natively compiled Windows desktop clients on the firm’s Windows desktops, with the application and database services consolidated on a central Windows Server running an open-source PostgreSQL backend. The branch offices connect to the central server securely over VPN and RDP, so all four sites work from one live database. Microsoft Office integration via the Outlook and Word APIs, plus a purpose-built adapter bridging the legacy accounting system.

RESULT

One firm-wide view of every matter, document and time entry across the four offices; the regulated accounting system retained and kept in sync automatically; duplicate data entry eliminated.

What this demonstrates: integrating modern software with constrained, regulated legacy systems, and keeping multiple offices working from one central source of truth.
Case 04
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES · MANCHESTER

A content & SEO platform for lead generation

PROBLEM

An independent firm relied entirely on referrals and paid ads, with no organic presence and no way to capture or track enquiries.

SOLUTION

A fast, content-led site with location and service landing pages, structured data, and a tracked enquiry pipeline feeding a simple CRM.

TECHNOLOGY

Astro web framework with static-first rendering, schema.org structured data, and analytics & CRM hooks.

RESULT

Steady organic enquiries within months; reduced reliance on paid ads.

What this demonstrates: content-led SEO and lead routing, the same playbook now powering Housey.
Case 05
HOMEWARE BRAND · GUILDFORD

E-commerce automation for a growing Shopify store

PROBLEM

Stock was sold across a Shopify store, a marketplace and in person, with manual updates causing oversells and constant firefighting.

SOLUTION

A custom Shopify integration syncing inventory in real time across channels, with automated low-stock alerts and supplier reorder drafts.

TECHNOLOGY

Shopify Admin API, webhooks, scheduled sync jobs.

RESULT

Oversells eliminated; hours of manual stock admin removed weekly.

What this demonstrates: deep Shopify and API integration work, the foundation behind Review Multiplier.
Case 06
WHOLESALE BAKERY · LEEDS

An internal admin tool replacing a tangle of spreadsheets

PROBLEM

Daily orders from cafés and shops were juggled across email, phone and a fragile shared spreadsheet, making production planning a nightly guessing game.

SOLUTION

A web admin tool with standing orders, cut-off times, automatic production sheets and delivery run lists generated each morning.

TECHNOLOGY

Laravel, role-based access, printable PDF run sheets.

RESULT

Order errors sharply reduced; planning time cut from hours to minutes.

What this demonstrates: designing internal tools around a real operational rhythm, not a generic template.

Have a problem like one of these?

If a manual process is slowing your business down, there's usually a practical system that fixes it.

Discuss a project