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Custom business tools

Custom business toolsthat give you hours back.

Iselia Projects builds custom business tools — internal apps, client portals, dashboards and automated reports — when no off-the-shelf software fits the way you work. Connected to your data, they replace spreadsheets, copy-paste and follow-up emails: 0.6 to 8.3 hours back per week depending on the industry (indicative estimate), and code that belongs to you.

Estimate my hours back

Free 30-minute assessment · No commitment · You own everything

Example · Marketing & creative agencies

8.3 h

back per week · this family alone

Indicative estimate, default assumptions

This family in numbers

9

industries concerned

industry pages with tasks in this family

11

typical tasks costed

volume × minutes × automatable share

8.3 h

back per week, at the top end

Example: Marketing & creative agencies, 15 people, 20 retainer clients

Indicative estimates based on the default assumptions of our industry pages. These are not client results.

Definition

A custom business tool, explained.

Custom business tool An application designed for one specific process in your business — case tracking, client portal, job management, dashboard — rather than generic software you have to work around. It plugs into your existing tools, automates what can be automated and belongs to you: code, data and future changes.

Today

  • Shared spreadsheets that contradict each other
  • Clients calling to ask where their case stands
  • Reports compiled by hand every Monday
  • Software paid for, 20% of it used

Automated

  • One source of truth, updated in real time
  • A portal where clients follow everything themselves
  • Live dashboards and reports that send themselves
  • A tool that does exactly what you need, and belongs to you

Automatable tasks

What we build, and the time it gives back.

Focused tools, built around one process, that make coordination and reporting work disappear.

  1. 01

    Client portals

    Clients follow progress, upload their documents and find their invoices without calling you.

  2. 02

    Internal apps

    Case tracking, job management, back office: the tool that replaces the shared spreadsheet and follow-up emails.

  3. 03

    Dashboards

    Figures from all your software brought together on one screen, updated in real time.

  4. 04

    Automated reports

    Weekly reporting, owner statements, project updates: generated and sent without anyone lifting a finger.

  5. 05

    Time and budget tracking

    Time spent, budgets sold and consumed reconciled automatically, with alerts before overruns.

  6. 06

    Connectors between systems

    Tools that don’t talk to each other finally share their data, with no exports and no re-keying.

  7. 07

    Mobile field tools

    Forms, checklists and reports designed for the field, usable even with a weak connection.

  8. 08

    Search across your documents

    An assistant that finds information in your files, procedures and contracts, with the source cited.

How it works

From idea to tool in production, in short steps.

No hundred-page specification: a useful first tool quickly, then improvements driven by real use.

  1. 01

    Scoping

    We look at the real process, the spreadsheets and the back-and-forth it creates, and cost the time it takes.

    Assessment

  2. 02

    Prototype

    A first clickable version is validated with the people who will use it every day.

    Your users

  3. 03

    Build & integration

    The tool is developed, connected to your software and data, tested, then rolled out gradually.

    A few weeks

  4. 04

    Improvements

    We measure usage and hours saved, then evolve the tool with you.

    Ongoing support

Examples of tools we connect to

  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • SharePoint
  • Xero
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage
  • Odoo
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
  • Stripe
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • Notion
  • Airtable
  • PostgreSQL
  • Looker Studio
  • Power BI
  • Slack

Examples of possible integrations. Brands belong to their respective owners; no partnership is implied.

Task → time saved

What reporting and tracking cost, industry by industry.

For each industry, the most time-consuming reporting or tracking task, costed with the default assumptions of its page. A custom tool often makes it disappear.

Indicative estimate: the most time-consuming task in this family for each industry, using the default assumptions of its page (typical business). These are not client results. Hours/week = Σ (volume × minutes × automatable share) ÷ 60 · hours/year = hours/week × 47 · Methodology
Task Volume / wk Time per unit Automatable Saved / wk
Marketing & creative agencies Produce client reports 10 reports 45 min 70 % 5.3 h
Accounting firms Produce monthly client management reports 15 reports 20 min 60 % 3.0 h
Recruitment agencies & HR Produce role progress reports 12 reports 20 min 70 % 2.8 h
Training providers Collect evaluations and compliance evidence 8 courses 25 min 70 % 2.3 h
Insurance brokers Reconcile commission statements 10 statements 20 min 60 % 2.0 h
Hotels & restaurants Produce the daily report 7 reports 20 min 80 % 1.9 h
E-commerce Produce the weekly report 1 report 120 min 80 % 1.6 h
Law firms Capture billable time and prepare invoices 50 time entries 3 min 60 % 1.5 h

Why no total? Each row comes from a different industry, so adding them up would be meaningless. Your own total is what the calculator gives you.

Run the numbers with my volumes

Industries concerned

9 industries where a custom tool makes the difference.

Client reporting, dashboards, time tracking, quality evidence: each page covers what that industry gains from having its own tool.

All industries

Estimated hours for this task family only, for the typical business of each industry page.

Where we come from

Portals, apps, dashboards: our original craft.

Before automating tasks, Iselia Projects built custom business applications. That know-how now serves your hours: when an automation needs an interface, we build it. Our own client area — projects, quotes, e-signature, invoices — is built exactly this way.

Client portals

A secure space where your clients follow their projects, exchange documents, sign and pay.

  • Real-time progress tracking
  • Document upload and e-signature
  • Online invoices and payments

Internal apps

A back office shaped around your process, instead of generic software everyone works around.

  • Roles and permissions
  • Approval workflows
  • Connectors to your software

Dashboards & reports

Your KPIs in one place, and reports that go out on their own to the right people.

  • Data from all your tools
  • Threshold alerts
  • Scheduled delivery

Guides

Building a business tool without nasty surprises.

Total cost, technical debt, security, team adoption: our guides to designing and evolving a business tool.

All articles

Human oversight & compliance

Your tool, your rules, your code.

A business tool carries your data and your processes. It is built to last, built securely, and it belongs to you.

  • GDPR
  • EU AI Act
  • EU hosting available
  • Every action logged

Code ownership

Source code, data and documentation are yours. You can evolve the tool with us or with another team.

Security and access

Authentication, roles and permissions, encryption, backups: standard practice from the very first version.

GDPR and EU AI Act

Data minimisation, easier processing records, EU hosting available; AI features are documented and supervised.

Monitoring and maintenance

Uptime monitoring, security updates and improvements, through a support plan if you want one.

Comparison

Off-the-shelf, no-code or custom: the right call for each case.

Standard software is often the right starting point. Custom makes sense when the way you work is your edge.

Custom tool

Iselia Projects

Fits your process
YesDesigned around the way you work
Integration with your software
YesAny, via API or export
Time to go live
PartlyA few weeks for a first version
Ownership
YesCode and data are yours
Cost over time
YesNo per-user licence
Holds up at scale
YesSized for your volume

Off-the-shelf software

Standard SaaS

Fits your process
PartlyYou adapt to the tool
Integration with your software
PartlyConnectors chosen by the vendor
Time to go live
YesImmediate
Ownership
NoLicence, vendor lock-in
Cost over time
PartlySubscription grows with the team
Holds up at scale
YesYes, for its intended use

In-house no-code

Airtable, Notion, advanced spreadsheets…

Fits your process
PartlyYes, up to a certain complexity
Integration with your software
PartlyConnectors, often fragile
Time to go live
YesFast for a prototype
Ownership
PartlyData sits with the platform
Cost over time
PartlySubscriptions and in-house upkeep
Holds up at scale
NoLimits reached quickly

If off-the-shelf software covers your needs, we will tell you. Custom work often complements it rather than replacing it.

FAQ

Custom business tools: your questions.

Can’t find yours? Ask us — you’ll get an answer within one business day.

What is a custom business tool?
It is an application designed for one specific process in your business — client portal, internal app, dashboard, field tool — rather than generic software. It plugs into your existing tools, automates what can be automated and belongs to you.
When should we choose custom over off-the-shelf software?
When no software covers your process without workarounds, when your data is spread across tools that don’t talk to each other, or when the way you work is a competitive advantage. If standard software is enough, we will recommend it.
How much does a custom business tool cost?
The price depends on the scope, the number of integrations and the security requirements. After the free assessment, you receive a costed proposal in stages, to weigh against the estimated hours you would get back. There is no per-user licence.
How quickly can a first tool be in production?
A useful first version is usually live within a few weeks. We deliver in short stages: a prototype validated by users, a first version, then improvements driven by real use.
Who owns the code and the data?
You do. The source code, the data and the documentation belong to you. You can evolve the tool with us, with another team or in-house.
Can the tool connect to the software we already use?
Yes: accounting, CRM, ERP, industry software, email, file storage, payments, and any tool with an API or an export. That is at the heart of most projects.
Who looks after maintenance once it’s live?
We offer support plans — monitoring, security updates, adjustments and new features — with no obligation. You remain free to bring maintenance in-house.
Can AI be built into a business tool?
Yes, when it brings a concrete gain: reading documents, searching your files, drafting reports, classifying. AI features are documented, supervised and compliant with the EU AI Act.

Keep exploring

The other families, and our guides.

Free assessment · 30 minutes

A tool built for you, hours in return.

In 30 minutes, we look at the process that costs you the most time, the tools it runs through, and what a custom tool could give you back.

Estimate my hours back

Reply within one business day · No commitment