MadeBookable
Our own booking and operational management platform, built for businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets and disconnected systems.
Apps & Portals
Portals and applications that give people the right view of the business
A portal removes the back and forth. Customers can see their own information without emailing to ask, and staff can work from one place instead of several. We build secure, mobile-friendly applications around the way your organisation actually operates.
- Customer portals and secure account areas
- Staff systems, internal tools and admin dashboards
- Role-based access for different types of user
- Works on a phone without needing an app store download
You may not need an app in an app store
"We need an app" often turns out to mean "our customers and staff need access to something on their phone". Those are different problems with different costs. A well-built web application works on every device immediately, needs no download, no app store approval and no separate version for each platform — and it can still be added to a home screen and opened like an app.
There are genuine reasons to build a native mobile app: offline use, push notifications, camera or device hardware, or an app store presence that matters commercially. Where those apply we will say so. Where they do not, a web application usually gets you a better result sooner and for less.
Either way, the useful question is not which technology to use. It is who needs to see what, what they need to do with it, and what should happen next.
Capabilities
What we build
Customer-facing
- Customer portals and secure account areas
- Booking portals and self-service journeys
- Order, booking and document history
- Payment and invoice views
- Branded portals that match your website
- Progressive web applications that install to a home screen
Staff and internal
- Staff portals and internal tools
- Admin dashboards and management screens
- Operational dashboards for day-to-day work
- Task, job and workflow interfaces
- Data entry screens that replace spreadsheets
- Mobile-friendly tools for people working away from a desk
Access and structure
- Role-based access and permissions
- Multi-user and multi-team systems
- Separate views for customers, staff and administrators
- Audit trails of who changed what
- Secure sign-in appropriate to the sensitivity of the data
- Account management and user administration
Reporting and visibility
- Reporting interfaces and summaries
- Filtered views and saved searches
- Exports for finance and operations
- Live status views for teams
- Notifications and alerts
- Dashboards designed around real decisions, not vanity figures
In practice
What a portal typically replaces
Portals rarely replace nothing. They usually replace a collection of workarounds.
Customers emailing to ask for an update
A self-service view of their bookings, orders, documents or account status, available whenever they want it.
Staff working from a shared spreadsheet
A proper multi-user interface with permissions, validation and a record of changes, so two people can work at once without overwriting anything.
Information scattered across systems
One screen that brings together what a person needs to do their job, pulling from the systems that already hold the data.
Paperwork completed away from the office
A mobile-friendly form or checklist that works on site and syncs when there is a connection.
Process
How we approach a portal project
Identify the users
Who will use it, what each type of user needs to see and what they need to be prevented from seeing.
Map the tasks
The specific jobs people need to complete, and how they do them today.
Design the interface
Screens designed around those tasks, tested on the devices they will actually be used on.
Build in stages
The most valuable area first, so people can start using it while the rest is developed.
Test with real users
Real staff and, where appropriate, real customers, doing real tasks.
Launch and support
Training, a supported launch, and continued development as needs become clearer through use.
Our work
Apps & Portals projects
Selected work in this area. Case studies are added as clients confirm the details.
Booking and allocation system
A bespoke booking and allocation system covering availability, capacity and resource assignment. Case study in preparation.
Questions
Common questions
What is the difference between a portal and an app?
In practice, very little from the user's point of view. A portal is usually a secure area of a website that people sign into. An app is normally downloaded from an app store. A well-built portal can be added to a phone's home screen and opened like an app, which covers most needs without app store overheads.
Can it connect to the systems we already use?
Yes. Portals are often most valuable precisely because they bring together information that currently sits in separate places — accounting software, a CRM, a booking system or a spreadsheet.
How is access controlled?
Through roles and permissions, so each type of user only sees what they should. We will design the access model around your organisation and discuss what level of sign-in security is appropriate for the data involved.
Can we start small?
That is usually the sensible approach. Building the highest-value area first means people can start using it sooner, and what they learn from using it shapes what gets built next.
Related services
Often part of the same project
Most projects touch more than one of these. We can handle the whole thing or just the part you need.
Custom Software
Bespoke booking systems, operational platforms, management software, workflow tools and replacements for spreadsheets or outdated systems.
Automation & Integrations
Connections between existing platforms, automated processes, data flows, APIs and the removal of repetitive manual work.
Ongoing Support
Maintenance, updates, monitoring, fixes and continued development for websites, stores and software — arranged around how much you rely on them.
Need to give customers or staff their own view of the business?
Tell us who needs access, what they need to do and how it works at the moment. We will help work out whether a portal, an application or something simpler is the right answer.