Apps for your business
Apps for your business: booking, ordering, training and dashboards
Everyday apps for the way your business already runs: booking and reservations, taking payments online, staff training, stock and orders, or a dashboard that puts your figures on one page. If an off-the-shelf app will do, I'll help you choose it. If not, I'll build one that fits how you work.
What you get
Sometimes the answer is an app you can buy today. Sometimes it's one built for you.
- An honest first step: if an off-the-shelf app does the job, I'll say so and help you set it up
- Booking and reservation systems, online food ordering, and ways to take payments or deposits online
- Staff apps for training, stock and orders, so your team has what it needs on their phones
- Dashboards that bring figures from different places into one clear view
- Apps that open from a QR code or a link, with nothing to download, tested on real phones
- Simple ways for you and your staff to keep things up to date yourselves
- Training at launch, with support afterwards quoted separately
Apps aren't part of the free first website offer, so each one is quoted separately, and so is support after launch. A typical booking or ordering system takes three to six weeks.
Who it's for
- Pubs, restaurants and cafés whose menus, drinks or events change every week
- Businesses juggling bookings, orders or deposits across phone calls, emails and paper
- Teams who need training or checklists in their pocket, signed off and recorded
- Advisers who want a client's pensions, ISAs and savings on one page, ready to talk through at a meeting
- Anyone from sole traders to limited companies. I work with businesses only, and I'm happy to meet if you're nearby, or to work remotely with businesses anywhere in the UK.
How it works
You always know what's happening, what's next and what it costs.
- Talk it through. A free, no-obligation conversation over coffee or a call about your business, customers and goals.
- A clear plan. You get a clear timeline and a written quote before any work starts.
- Design and build. I build the app and show you how it's coming along as I go, in plain English, testing it on real phones.
- Launch. Your app goes live, with training so you and your staff are confident from day one.
- Keep improving. Changes and advice when you need them, with a quote before any bigger job.
Apps I’ve built
Real apps for real businesses.
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Drinks board app for a hospitality client
Barrel
A live drinks board app I built for a client in hospitality: one QR code, no app to download, and it keeps working when the signal drops.
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Pub game for the same client
Barrel Run
An arcade game I built for the same client as Barrel, so pub-goers have something fun to play on their phones, straight from the drinks board.
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Staff training app
A kitchen training app for a busy restaurant
A phone app that helped a restaurant consultant train a busy kitchen team of 24 on every dish on the menu.
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Client dashboard
A pension dashboard for a pensions adviser
A one-page dashboard for a pensions adviser, showing every pot in one clear view, with a weekly news briefing to talk through.
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Pub website and staff app
The White Swan
A new website for a village pub, plus a phone app the staff use to keep the beer boards and live music up to date.
Questions about apps
Do I need a custom app, or will an off-the-shelf one do?
Often an off-the-shelf app is enough, and I'll tell you if it is. I'll help you choose one and set it up. When nothing fits how you work, I'll build something that does.
Will my customers or staff need to download anything?
Usually not. The apps I build open from a QR code or a link, so there's nothing to install. Barrel, the drinks board I built for a hospitality client, even keeps working when the signal drops.
Can you help with booking systems and online ordering?
Yes. I set up booking and reservation systems, online food ordering and ways to take payments or deposits online, plus other everyday apps such as staff training, stock and orders, or dashboards. These aren't part of the free first website offer, so I'll give you a clear quote first.
How long does an app take?
Booking and ordering systems usually take three to six weeks, depending on scope. You get a clear timeline before any work starts.
Can my staff keep it up to date themselves?
Yes, that's usually the point. At The White Swan, the staff keep the beer boards and gig list current from a phone, and at the Thai restaurant the owner changes dishes and prices himself.
More answers about costs, timescales and how I work are on the FAQ page.
Got a job an app could take off your hands?
Tell me how things work today and what's getting in the way. The first chat is free, with no jargon and no hard sell, and I reply to every enquiry within 24 hours.
Need a website as well? See how I build websites, see more of my work or read the answers to common questions.