Only when an existing product does not fit

Custom SaaS and internal platforms

A custom SaaS is a web platform built for one specific workflow: user accounts, roles, business rules, and connections to the tools already in use. Abel Agency builds one only when an existing product genuinely does not cover the need — otherwise configuring an existing tool is faster and cheaper, and we will say so.

Describe your project

When a custom platform is justified

  • The workflow is specific to your business and no product covers it
  • Several roles need different views of the same data
  • The process already exists and is stable enough to be encoded
  • Existing tools are used mainly as a workaround

When it is not

If the need is covered by an existing tool, building a platform adds cost and maintenance for no gain. If the process is still changing every month, encoding it too early produces software that is obsolete on delivery. In both cases we recommend waiting or configuring an existing product.

How it works, step by step

  1. 1Online qualification and description of the current workflow.
  2. 2Written functional scope: roles, screens, rules, data.
  3. 3Build of a first usable version covering the core workflow.
  4. 4Testing with real cases and adjustments within the approved scope.
  5. 5Go live, then optional maintenance and evolutions.

What is included

  • Accounts, roles and access control
  • The business rules described in the approved scope
  • Connections to your existing tools where an API allows it
  • Data export

What is not included

  • Features outside the approved scope
  • Third-party licences and hosting subscriptions in your name
  • Any guarantee of adoption by your teams

Hypothetical use cases

The situations below are illustrations built to explain how the system works. They are neither client references nor results obtained.

Use case — internal workflow spread across spreadsheets

Hypothetical illustration, not a client reference: a recurring internal process is handled in several spreadsheets with manual copies between them. A single platform holds the data once, with a distinct view per role.

Use case — client-facing portal

Hypothetical illustration, not a client reference: clients need to consult their own files without emailing for every update. A restricted area exposes only their data.

Questions to ask before choosing

  • Has the option of an existing product been seriously examined first?
  • Is the functional scope written down before development?
  • Is the data exportable and documented?
  • Are maintenance and evolutions priced separately and clearly?

Limits and conditions

  • A custom platform requires maintenance over time; that cost is part of the decision and is priced separately.
  • No numeric commercial result is guaranteed, and we do not publish performance averages you could not verify yourself.
  • Ownership of accounts, content and access, support terms and termination conditions are defined in the quote approved before work starts.

The role of Abel Agency

Abel Agency assembles connected digital systems: website, acquisition, CRM, automation, integrations / API and measurement. Each block is added only when it serves the objective described during qualification, and the scope is written before production. We work remotely, for companies based in France.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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Describe your project

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