Custom management systems

A custom management system pays off when your business works with several programs, spreadsheets and email threads today that are held together by hand. B&S turns them into one system that maps your processes, connects to Lexware Office, your online store and your warehouse, and grows in stages. The first stage goes into daily use based on a proposal.

What problem does a custom management system solve?

In many companies, a single order lives in three tools at once: in email, in a spreadsheet and in accounting. Every change is entered three times, and anyone who wants to know the status asks a colleague. Off-the-shelf software helps as long as your process matches what the vendor had in mind. If it differs, the business adapts to the software, not the other way around.

A custom system reverses that. It maps the process the way it actually runs in your business and connects the tools you want to keep. You get one place where the status of every order, every item and every vendor is visible, with roles that define who can see and change what.

What do you get? The modules

Each module stands on its own. The first stage usually covers one or two of them, and the rest are added once the first one runs in daily use.

Orders

Inquiry, quote, order, delivery and invoice as one continuous case. Every step has a status, an owner and a deadline. Recurring orders are created from a template, and questions and documents are attached to the case instead of sitting in inboxes.

Inventory with integration of logistics providers

Stock levels per item, variant and location, goods receipt and goods issue, minimum stock levels with alerts. If a logistics provider runs the warehouse, the system exchanges stock levels, orders and shipment status through that provider's interface. We run this setup for our own online stores with warehouses in Lithuania and Hong Kong.

Vendor or creator portals

If partners, suppliers or creators need access to your system from outside, they get their own login with sign-up, contract acceptance, file upload and an overview of their statements. This includes identity verification through a specialized provider, approvals by your team and payouts with traceable statements. Portals like these run in our portfolio companies every day.

Team and roles

Who can see, create, change and approve what? Roles are set up to match your organization, not a predefined scheme. Every change can be traced by date and person. Boards for inventory, mail, applications and tasks show every employee what is due today.

CRM

Contacts, call notes, follow-up dates and the history of every customer in one place, linked to that customer's orders and invoices. Emails from the inbox are assigned to the contact. Following up becomes a scheduled task instead of something to remember.

Accounting integration with Lexware Office

Lexware Office, formerly Lexoffice, offers a public API. Through it, the system creates contacts, transfers receipts and invoices and reads back the payment status, so the order shows whether it has been paid. Where the API falls short, such as individual journal entries, we use exports that your tax advisor can import directly.

When does custom pay off, and when does off-the-shelf software?

Off-the-shelf software is the right choice when your process matches what many businesses do: accounting, payroll, email, calendar, an online store without special rules. These programs are mature, affordable and maintained without any effort on your part. Building custom here would bring no advantage, and we tell you so in the intro call. What can pay off then is connecting these programs to the rest of your business.

A custom system pays off if one of these points applies: Your process differs from the norm and the off-the-shelf software forces you into workarounds. Several tools are connected by hand, usually through spreadsheets and email. License fees per user grow with every new hire. External parties such as suppliers, partners or creators need their own access. Or the process is the reason customers buy from you, and you do not want to hand it over to a software vendor.

Often the answer is a mix: accounting stays in Lexware Office, the online store stays where it is, and the custom system connects both with the process that only runs this way at your company. More detail under Custom management system or off-the-shelf software?

How does the build work?

B&S Ventures from Hannover builds management systems the same way it built the systems of its own portfolio companies: in stages, each of which is usable in daily work. In the free intro call, you describe the process that costs time. During the call or shortly afterward, you get an initial direction on whether a custom system, off-the-shelf software or a mix is the right fit, also free of charge. Then you receive a proposal for the first stage. It goes into real daily use, your employees work with it, and we make improvements. Further stages follow, with response times agreed in writing. Source code, documentation and access credentials stay with you. The goal is more time for your team, not fewer people. More in-depth consulting is available on request and when booked. The individual steps are listed in the overview of services.

What do you need to contribute?

One person in the company who knows the process, answers questions promptly and signs off on the first stage. Access to the systems that need to be connected, such as Lexware Office, your online store and logistics. Existing data in whatever form it is in today. And the willingness to use the first stage in daily work before it looks finished, because that is where the bugs show up that nobody sees beforehand.

What does it cost?

The price depends on four things: the number of processes, the number of interfaces, the number of roles and whether existing data has to be migrated. After the intro call, you receive a proposal for the first stage. What to expect and which types of cost there are is explained under What does custom software cost an SMB?

Frequently asked questions about management systems

What does a custom management system cost?

That depends on the number of processes, interfaces and roles, and on whether existing data has to be migrated. After the intro call, you receive a proposal from B&S for the first stage.

How long does it take until the first usable version?

We scope the first stage so that it covers one process completely and can be used in daily operations. How long that takes depends on the interfaces and the data migration, and it is stated in the proposal.

Can existing data from spreadsheets and legacy systems be migrated?

Yes, from spreadsheets, exports and databases. The effort depends on the quality of the data. We clean up duplicate and outdated records before the migration, not after.

Can the system be connected to Lexware Office (Lexoffice)?

Yes. Lexware Office offers a public API for exchanging contacts, receipts, invoices and payment status. What the API cannot do, such as individual journal entries, we handle through exports.

Who owns the source code, and what happens if B&S is no longer available?

The source code, the documentation and all access credentials belong to you. Every system is documented so that another developer can take it over. For ongoing operations, we agree on response times in writing.

Related services: AI assistants that enter inquiries directly into the system, and consulting if you first want to know which process is worth it.