Custom web applications
A web application is a tool your team opens in a browser, from anywhere, working on the same data for everyone at the same time. FastSolve builds one when the shared file has reached its limits.
Several people on the same file
Four situations mark the moment a shared file stops being enough.
- Two people open the same document and the second works on a copy without realising. By evening somebody has to decide which version is right.
- The file lives on an office computer. Nobody can look at it from a site, a train or a client's premises.
- Every new arrival receives a different version, and nobody knows which one is authoritative.
- Fear of losing the file has produced seven dated copies. That settles the fear, not the question of where the correct information is.
What these share is not the complexity of the calculation, it is the number of people and places. A file is made for one person at a time; beyond that, something else is needed.
Four recurring uses
Most of the requests we handle fall into one of these uses.
1. Working together on the same data
Everyone sees the real state at the moment they look, and two simultaneous edits do not overwrite each other. That is the fundamental difference from a file, and it is almost always the first reason behind the request.
Typical case. A repair service kept its schedule on a shared spreadsheet. Two jobs were promised for the same slot. The tool now refuses the double booking at the moment of entry.
2. Entering data from the field
A form opened in a phone browser replaces the note taken on site and copied out in the evening. The data arrives once, in the right place, with its date and its author.
Typical case. A maintenance team wrote readings on paper before re-entering them. They are now entered on the spot, with photographs, and the evening re-entry is gone.
3. Tracking a process with stages
A request that passes through five stages and three people gets lost in an inbox. An application shows where each file stands and who has to act now.
Typical case. A laboratory tracked its analyses through internal emails. Every file now carries a stage and an owner, and internal chasing has dropped sharply.
4. Replacing an assembly of three tools
Many businesses run on a spreadsheet, a shared folder and a group chat. It works, but the information sits in three places and nobody has the full picture.
Typical case. A trading firm used a spreadsheet for orders, a folder for documents and a chat for urgent matters. The three were brought together, and the time spent searching was the first visible gain.
What a web application will not do
It replaces the shared file, not your accounting software.
- It does not replace regulated software. Statutory accounts, payroll and certified invoicing follow rules a custom tool has no business reproducing.
- It is not an app installed on the phone. It opens in the browser and adapts to the screen, which is enough in most cases but gives no icon and no offline working.
- It does not work without a network. If your teams work in areas with no coverage, that has to be said during scoping, because it changes the nature of the project.
- It does not clarify a vague process. If nobody knows who approves what, the tool will make the disorder visible rather than resolve it.
The gain is in working together and in access from anywhere, not in your regulatory obligations.
Frequently asked questions
How does this differ from an online shared spreadsheet?
An online spreadsheet solves sharing, not structure. It still lets any cell take anything, it cannot prevent two bookings in the same slot, and it does not distinguish who may see what. An application enforces those rules at the moment of entry. As long as sharing is enough, the spreadsheet remains the right answer, and we say so.
How much does a web application cost?
The amount depends on the number of screens, the number of distinct roles and the rules the tool has to enforce. A collection form with a list and a five-stage tracking application with differentiated rights are in no way comparable. The price is set after scoping. As a guide, excluding VAT, most web applications fall between 3,000 and 10,000 euros. An application with several roles and workflows can reach 15,000 euros.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The display adapts to the screen, and field entry is designed in from the start when that is an expected use. It is different from an app installed from a store, which belongs to another service.
How many people can use it?
There is no per-user licence. What matters during scoping is the number of different roles and how many people work at the same time, because that shapes the design, not a per-seat price.
What happens to my current data?
It is carried over if it exists in an exportable form, including an imperfect spreadsheet. Migration is priced separately and raised during scoping, since its cost depends mostly on the state of the data.
Who manages access and content afterwards?
You do, if that is planned. An admin interface lets you create accounts and adjust rights without going through us. If your clients also need to log in, a client portal is what to look at.
Tell us which file you no longer dare share
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