Web apps for the people who use them daily.
Helmsman designs and develops web applications and portals: browser-based products for your customers, dealers, partners and internal teams. Each one is connected to the systems behind it, so the orders, documents and figures people see are the ones your business actually holds.
From $3,000Typically $3,000 to $80,000See pricing
Last updated
Who needs a web application?
You probably need it if…
- Customers phone or email to ask about orders, documents or tickets they could check for themselves.
- Dealers and distributors still place orders by phone, by email and on spreadsheets.
- An internal tool has grown out of a spreadsheet, and too many people now depend on it.
- Your team works in a web app every day that slows them down instead of helping.
- You have an idea for an online product and need it designed, built and connected to what you already run.
What does a web application include?
- 01
Web applications
Browser products for daily use
Tools for people who open them every morning, designed around the tasks they repeat, so the common job takes the fewest steps.
- 02
Customer portals
Orders, documents and tickets
A secure place where customers see their own orders, download their documents and raise tickets without calling you.
- 03
Partner portals
Dealers and suppliers, self-served
Dealers and suppliers check orders, statements and documents on their own time, from the same record your office works on.
- 04
B2B platforms
Ordering networks for dealers and distributors
Ordering and partner networks that let dealers and distributors do business with you directly, with the right items and prices for each account.
- 05
Roles & permissions
Each user sees what is theirs
Customers, partners, staff and administrators each get the screens and data that belong to their role, and nothing else.
- 06
Admin & dashboards
Running the product behind the scenes
The admin screens and management dashboards needed to run the product, drawn from live data rather than exported reports.
- 07
Integrations
Connected to the systems behind it
Links to your ERP, accounts and other software, so a portal shows what the business actually has instead of a copy that drifts.
How does Helmsman deliver a web application?
The full approachA web application starts with the people who will sign in to it. Helmsman maps who uses it, what each of them comes to do and where that information lives today, then agrees in writing what the first release must handle before any screen is designed.
Screens and flows are designed around those roles and built in stages, with working software you can review as it comes together. The application is connected to the systems behind it, rolled out to its users, and kept evolving after launch as new roles, features and partners are added.
- 01UnderstandProcess map
- 02AnalyseRequirement document
- 03ArchitectSolution structure
- 04DesignScreens and flows
- 05DevelopWorking software
- 06ImplementLive system
- 07EvolveOngoing support
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Web apps questions, answered.
What is the difference between a website and a web application?
A website mainly tells visitors about your business. A web application is used to get work done: people sign in to place orders, check documents, manage records or run part of the business through it, often every day.
What is a customer portal?
A customer portal is a secure area where your customers sign in to see their own orders, documents and tickets. It answers the questions they would otherwise phone or email about, from the same data your team works on.
Can a portal connect to our ERP or accounting software?
Yes. Helmsman connects web products to the systems behind them, so what a customer or dealer sees is what your business actually has. System integration and API development are part of how these products are built.
Can different users see different things?
Yes. Roles decide what each person can see and do, so a dealer sees only their own orders and statements, while your staff and administrators see what their role needs.
Will we see the application before it is finished?
Yes. Development happens in stages, with working software you can review as it comes together.
How much does a web application cost?
From $3,000, and typically $3,000 to $80,000. Where it falls depends on how many types of user it serves, how many screens and workflows it needs and which systems it has to connect to. The scope is agreed in writing in the Analyse stage, and the price is fixed against it.