The stock list lives in an Excel file, the credit book under the counter, the day's takings on a calculator... Most small businesses run like this — and up to a point it works. The problem is that as the business grows, this system invites mistakes and forgotten tasks.
When does Excel stop being enough?
- You notice an item has run out only when a customer asks for it
- Two people can't open the same file, and nobody can check it from a phone
- There's no answer to "who changed what"
- Credit accounts are split between a notebook and a spreadsheet
- Working out the day's takings takes half an hour
What does a panel give you?
A panel built around your business pulls all of this into one screen: it warns you when a product drops below its critical level, everyone logs in from their phone with their own permissions, credit accounts sit in one list and the end-of-day report is one tap away.
- Low-stock alerts — you know before it runs out
- Customer credit / accounts in one place
- Daily revenue and expense reports
- Works on phones, tablets and computers
- Staff permissions: everyone sees only their own screens
Off-the-shelf software or a custom panel?
Ready-made software starts cheap but is usually more complex than you need: hundreds of features, a monthly license and screens that don't fit how you work. A custom panel has only the screens you'll actually use, and it changes as your needs change. For small businesses the biggest difference is that the panel is built around the way you already work.
How does the switch work?
Want to see what it could look like? Try the business panel demo we built using a corner-shop example.
- First we listen: where do you keep what, and what do you want to track?
- We import your existing Excel lists and records — you don't start from scratch.
- While you use the panel, we simplify the screens based on your feedback.
Let's talk about your business
Tell us what you need and we'll draw up a tailored roadmap for your site or panel.