The simple version: what is custom software?
Custom software is software written around one company’s own way of working. Off-the-shelf programs behave the same for everyone. When a company’s process does not fit that mold, the team starts adapting to the program and patches the gaps with spreadsheets and manual work. With custom software, the program is built around the business.
Not every business needs it. If an off-the-shelf tool does the job, we say so. Custom software makes sense where those tools fall short: connecting systems that do not talk to each other, a workflow specific to the company, or a new product for its customers.
How we work
1. Intro call (free). A short conversation about what the company is dealing with and whether custom software is needed at all.
2. Discovery (fixed price, about two weeks). We look at the software in use, the spreadsheets and the repetitive work. At the end there is a roadmap: what comes first, how long it takes and what it gains. The discovery fee is known upfront; if we move on to implementation, it is deducted from the implementation fee.
3. Implementation (module by module). We build the system piece by piece. Once a module is working and proving useful, we move to the next. Code and accounts stay with the company.
4. Maintenance. After launch we stay on: updates and new needs.
What we build
- Web applications and admin panels: Systems the team uses every day, or a single screen where a manager sees the whole company.
- Connecting systems: Bringing data from separate programs together automatically through an API (the way programs talk to each other). For repetitive work, see also our automation and integration service.
- Database and reporting: Collecting scattered data in one database (an organized store for data) and showing it according to permissions.
- Products for customers: Applications and platforms built for the company’s own customers.
- AI where it helps: When AI belongs in the system we add it, and when it does not we leave it out. Details on the AI consulting page.
A real example: Estanbul’s company intelligence
Estanbul runs an esports and gaming center with a café in Istanbul. Revenue sat in the gaming center software, café sales in a separate POS, and costs in the franchise system.
We built this for the company:
- Data from the gaming center software, the café POS, the franchise cost system and internal databases merges automatically every night into a single data warehouse (a shared store where all the data is collected) in the European Union region.
- 75 gaming PCs are monitored in real time.
- Who sees what is defined in one place: three roles, thirteen permissions.
- There is a written and voice AI analyst with read-only access.
The full story: One Venue, One Screen.
Other work
- OEMBuilder for MSI: A service that generates photorealistic images of assembled PCs from selected components using AI. Project page.
- ARU: A CRM (customer relationship) system built on the WhatsApp Business Platform, with appointment reminders and campaign management. Project page.
- CastHub: A self-hosted web dashboard for monitoring and controlling remote broadcast production. Project page.
Who does the work
At Uptake the work is done by our founder Cengiz Selçuk personally: 15+ years of experience in infrastructure, software and AI integration. Our corporate partnerships with MSI and Praxilla are ongoing. The person on the first call is the person who builds and runs the system; the work is not handed off to a separate team.
Frequently asked questions
What does custom software development cover? Looking at the company’s work to find what should become software, turning that into a roadmap, and building and running the system. The people who plan it also build it.
Is off-the-shelf software not enough? Often it is, and we say so. It starts to fall short when the business needs to connect to existing systems, run permissions by its own rules, or build a workflow specific to how it operates.
Who owns the code? Code and accounts stay with the company.
How long does it take? Discovery takes about two weeks. Implementation depends on scope; because we work module by module, the result of each module is visible with its own delivery.
How much does it cost? The intro call is free. Discovery has a fixed price, deducted if we move on to implementation. The implementation fee is set by the scope that discovery produces.
Is AI required? No. AI is added only where it is useful.
Let’s talk
Let’s talk through, in a short call, where off-the-shelf software falls short at the company. Contact or info@uptakeagency.com.