Custom software
Zenjoy develops custom software for organisations in Flanders that are stuck with Excel, an ageing package or separate tools that don't talk to each other. We build web applications, integrations, dashboards and apps that follow your business processes instead of the other way round.
No specification or tender document yet? We start from the way you work today and decide together what comes first.
What is custom software?
Custom software is built around the way you work, instead of bending the way you work to fit what a package allows. It pays off as soon as an off-the-shelf package no longer fits, or your processes end up scattered across Excel and separate tools that don't talk to each other. Zenjoy designs and builds that software, and maintains it once it is live.
An off-the-shelf package works fine as long as you work the way the package expects. It starts to chafe as soon as your business processes are specific to your organisation: you fill the gaps with Excel, you copy data from one system into another, and you pay licences for modules nobody opens.
At that point custom software is often the cheaper choice. Not because bespoke work is cheap, but because you stop doing the same job twice, stop making mistakes in manual handovers and stop waiting for a supplier who never puts your feature on the roadmap. The efficiency you gain pays back the build.
If this sounds familiar, custom software is worth considering:
Sometimes the answer is: stick with your package and automate something around it. We will say so. A software company that always recommends bespoke work is not a good adviser.
Four types of application come back most often. In a single project we usually combine them.
An application your team, your customers or your members log in to: tracking files, submitting requests, managing schedules. One portal, for your team or as a customer portal, instead of email traffic and shared folders. Works in the browser, on desktop and on mobile.
We connect your application to what you already use: ERP, CRM, accounting, email, Mollie for payments. Data flows through automatically, so nobody has to retype it and your figures match everywhere.
Figures that sit in three separate exports today come together in one dashboard. You see what is going on as it happens, and your reporting rolls out without manual work.
For people on the road, in the warehouse or out visiting customers. An app for iOS and Android on the same data as your web application, with a screen that suits what that person has to do.
We start with an exploration: which business process is stuck, who works with it, and what has to be different six months from now. That leads to a first version with a tight scope, not a list of everything that might one day be useful.
After that we work agile, in short sprints. At the end of every sprint there is something you can use and respond to. That way you watch your custom software grow instead of waiting for one big delivery, and priorities can shift along the way without the project derailing.
We keep the overhead low: short stand-ups, one point of contact, and a demo as soon as there is something to show. No ceremony for the sake of ceremony.
Custom software is only finished once it is running with your people. We put it live, write the documentation you need to manage it, and stay available for maintenance, updates and new features.
The code and the data are yours. You get access to the repository and to your database, so you are never tied to a single supplier. If you later want to manage it yourself or hand it over to another team, you can.
For each project we pick what fits your question, the systems you already have and the team that will manage the software later. Never a technology just because it is new.
Web applications and portals that feel fast, even on a slow connection.
Apps for iOS and Android, cross-platform or native where that works out better.
The engine under your application: logic, integrations and data that scale along with your usage.
Hosting, deployment and monitoring, so your software runs and keeps running.
The main difference between software engineering and software development is the scope and approach to the work. Software development mainly focuses on programming and developing functionalities based on specific requirements. Software engineering is broader and covers the whole process of design, development, testing, implementation and maintenance of software systems, with a strong focus on robustness, scalability and long-term maintainability.
Zenjoy's team consists of a mix of both profiles. We have engineers to whom you can submit a rough idea, after which they get to work and come back with a software product and architecture that offers a sustainable solution to your problem. We also have developers who work closely together to turn our engineers' vision and design into innovative applications. Add to that our designers and you get a cross-pollination of disciplines resulting in a successful end product.
Our programmers have experience with a very wide range of programming languages. For front-end projects, JavaScript and TypeScript are most commonly used. The back-end for our websites and web applications is often built with Node.js, Ruby or Elixir. Commonly used frameworks in this respect are Ruby on Rails and Phoenix. For software in the cloud and our work with Kubernetes operators, we usually use Go. For all development and research in artificial intelligence and machine learning, we naturally work in Python, which has a vibrant community of open-source code in this domain.
At Zenjoy, we work according to an Agile-like methodology, inspired by Scrum. We embrace core Agile principles such as flexibility, transparency and close collaboration with our customers. This allows us to respond quickly to changing requirements and priorities.
We tailor the Scrum methodology in our development process to our context of a small, agile team. For example, we hold regular short stand-up meetings to discuss progress and identify and resolve any obstacles in a timely manner. We work in short sprints, delivering a working aspect of the product, adding value and collecting feedback at the end of each sprint.
Although we follow the essence of Scrum, we try to avoid unnecessary overhead and formalities as much as possible. We focus on the aspects that add most value, such as delivering incremental improvements regularly, engaging stakeholders and continuously improving our processes.
The price depends on a handful of factors: how many processes the software has to cover, how many types of users work with it, which systems it has to link up with, whether a mobile app is part of it, and how strict the requirements are around security, availability and reporting.
That is why we work in phases. A first working version with a tight scope costs a fraction of the full picture, and gives you something you can work with straight away.
Every project starts with an hour-long exploratory conversation. After that you get a tailored quote with a fixed scope: you know up front which processes we tackle, what is in the first version and what we build in later phases.
Yes. API links are a large part of our work. We connect to ERP and CRM systems, accounting packages, payment providers such as Mollie and to internal applications you have been using for years.
If the system has an API, we connect to it. If there is no API, we find another route: a scheduled export, a database link or a layer in between that translates both ways. Either way, we first agree which system is the source of truth, so data does not drift apart in two places.
You do. The source code of your custom software is your property and sits in a repository you have access to. Your data sits in your database and you can export it at any time.
We work with mainstream technology and document what we build, so another team can take it over. We want to earn your continued business — not force it with a lock-in.
You work directly with the people who build. We first take the time to understand your organisation and your business processes, and we say so when bespoke work is not the best choice.
As a software company we have been building custom applications for more than ten years: web applications, API links, dashboards and mobile apps. You can see it in software that is still running years later and can still be extended calmly.
We think beyond delivery. Maintenance, updates and new features are part of it, and your code and your data stay yours. That way working together stays a choice, not an obligation.
