Software shaped around your business, not the other way round.
For established businesses that have outgrown generic software, or pay for several tools that each do part of the job. We design and build CRMs, portals, dashboards and integrations around how you actually quote, sell, deliver and report. You own the system, so more of each new customer flows to margin instead of per-seat fees.
What sits inside Custom Platforms
- Custom CRM developmentA CRM built around your pipeline, accounts, quoting and service history, with AI that drafts follow-ups and does the data entry. Owned by you, not rented.
- Platform replacementThinking of leaving Salesforce, HubSpot or GoHighLevel? Compare 3 to 5 year cost of ownership, then migrate in stages with parallel running and training.
- Client & customer portalsSecure portals where customers check status, share documents, approve work, book and pay. Fewer 'where's my…' emails, with permissions and audit built in.
- Reporting & dashboardsOne source of truth for finance, sales, marketing and operations: agreed definitions, automated data pipelines and AI commentary that explains the numbers.
- System integrationsConnect your CRM, Xero, job system and email so nobody re-keys data. APIs, webhooks and sync rules, plus monitoring that alerts you to failures first.
How this differs from the usual provider
We start with the business, not the build
A software house quotes what you ask for. We start with a Diagnostic that can conclude you should buy, improve, integrate or leave something alone, because building is only right when it beats those options over the life of the system.
Growth and operations in one view
A SaaS vendor sells its product and an IT consultancy configures it. We design the whole flow from first enquiry to paid invoice, so the platform supports how customers are won as well as how work gets delivered.
Senior-led, AI-assisted delivery
A senior person sets the architecture and approves every release, while AI speeds up research, drafting, testing and documentation. We're building our own operations this way too, including an AI inbox-triage system and a custom finance platform.
Signs you need this
If two or more of these sound familiar, there's likely time and money to recover.
Your team works around the CRM
Quotes live in spreadsheets, notes live in inboxes and the CRM gets updated on Friday afternoon, if at all. Decisions rest on data nobody fully trusts.
Licence costs rise with every hire
Each new salesperson, coordinator or contractor adds a per-seat fee, plus add-ons for features you assumed were included. Growth gets more expensive than it should be.
The same data is typed in three times
A job is entered in the CRM, again in the job system and again in Xero. Every re-key costs time and creates errors someone has to find later.
Customers chase you for updates
Clients email and call to ask where things are up to because there is nowhere for them to look. Your best people spend the day relaying updates instead of doing the work.
What changes for the business
Fits the way you make money
The data model mirrors your real commercial structure: distributors, sites, contracts, service schedules or memberships. Staff stop translating the business into someone else's software, and reports match how the board thinks about performance.
Ownership instead of rent
You pay to build, then for hosting and care, rather than a monthly fee per user that rises with headcount and every price review. As the team grows, more of each new dollar of revenue stays as margin.
One version of the truth
Sales, operations and finance read from the same records instead of reconciling exports. Pipeline meetings and month-end start from agreed numbers, not arguments about whose spreadsheet is right.
AI inside the workflow
Because we control the data model, AI features sit where the work happens: call summaries, drafted follow-ups, details pulled from emails and attachments. Staff review and approve, and the low-value typing disappears.
Fewer tools, fewer gaps
Consolidating overlapping products removes duplicate subscriptions and the fragile connections between them. Fewer handoffs means fewer leads, jobs and invoices falling through the cracks.
A roadmap you control
New features get built when your business needs them, not when a vendor's product team gets to them. You can add a portal, a quoting module or a new report without renegotiating a contract tier.
What we deliver
Custom CRM development
Pipelines, accounts, quoting and service history built around your sales model, with AI summaries and drafted follow-ups inside the record.
Platform replacement
A costed, staged move off Salesforce, HubSpot, GoHighLevel or an overlapping stack, with data migration, parallel running and training.
Client & customer portals
Secure self-service for documents, status, approvals, bookings and payments, so customers stop emailing to ask where things are up to.
Reporting & dashboards
Agreed definitions, automated data pipelines and dashboards that finance, sales and operations all read the same way.
System integrations
APIs, webhooks and sync rules that connect your CRM, Xero, job management and email, so nobody re-keys data.
Hosting, security and care
Managed hosting, monitoring, backups, security updates and a care plan after launch, with documentation you keep.
Technology we work with
- TypeScript
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL
- Cloudflare
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Xero
- Stripe
- REST and GraphQL APIs
- Webhooks
How it runs
Timings are indicative and depend on your systems, data and approvals.
Diagnose
An Altitude Diagnostic or fixed-scope discovery maps your workflows, systems, licence spend and data. Every opportunity resolves to one of nine moves, from Build to Leave alone, so you only build what beats the alternatives.
2 to 4 weeks (indicative)
Design
We define the data model, user roles, screens and integrations, then test clickable prototypes with the people who will use them. You get a scope, a staged plan and an estimate.
2 to 4 weeks (indicative)
Build in stages
We build on proven, reusable modules for sign-in, permissions, audit logs and notifications, so the budget goes into what is unique to you. You see working software every one to two weeks.
6 to 16 weeks for a first release (indicative)
Migrate and launch
Data is cleaned, mapped and migrated in rehearsals before cutover. Where the risk warrants it, old and new systems run in parallel until the numbers reconcile.
2 to 6 weeks (indicative)
Care and improve
Hosting, monitoring, backups, security updates and support continue under a care plan. We review usage and add features in planned releases.
Ongoing
Worked example
Industry association: testing whether five member tools should become one platform
An illustrative industry association with 4,000 members and 14 staff pays for a CRM, an events platform, an email platform, a survey tool and a payments add-on that don't share data, so renewals are chased by hand. A five-year cost model sets the conditions for replacement, and if they hold, one member platform with a self-service portal, Stripe payments and connections to email and Xero removes the manual work.
- Member portal
- Single member record
- Stripe payments
- Renewals and events
- Email platform
- Xero
- Staff and board reporting
Guardrails, fit and measurement
Guardrails we apply
- You own your data and the code written for you, held in repositories and hosting accounts in your organisation's name.
- Security designed in from the start: multi-factor sign-in, role-based permissions, audit logs and encrypted backups, checked against the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard.
- Personal information handled with APP 11 in mind: reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, loss and unauthorised access, and destruction or de-identification once it is no longer needed.
- AI features draft and suggest. A person reviews before anything is sent to a customer or written to a financial record.
- Every build ships with documentation: architecture, data dictionary, deployment steps and runbooks.
Not the right fit if
- Businesses whose needs are met by a well-configured off-the-shelf product. If HubSpot or Xero already fits, we will tell you to improve or integrate it instead.
- Teams that want software without anyone owning it internally. A custom platform needs a product owner on your side to make decisions and drive adoption.
- Organisations that need everything live in a few weeks. Bespoke work is staged, and the first release covers the highest-value workflows rather than everything at once.
What we measure
- Hours of re-keying and admin released each week, measured against a baseline
- Software licence and subscription spend, before and after
- Quote, onboarding or job cycle time
- Share of records that are complete and current
- Inbound status-request emails and calls
- Weekly active users by role
Pricing
Custom platform work is scoped individually, usually after an Altitude Diagnostic or a fixed-scope discovery, so you see a staged estimate before any build begins.
Questions, answered.
How do you decide whether to build or buy?
Every opportunity in a Diagnostic resolves to one of nine moves: Build, Buy, Improve, Integrate, Automate, Remove, Change, Train or Leave alone. We recommend building only when owning a custom system costs less over three to five years than the alternatives and the workflow is distinctive enough to matter. Often the right answer is to fix the configuration or connect what you already have.
How much does a custom platform cost?
We scope platform work individually, usually after a Diagnostic or a fixed-scope discovery, because cost depends on the number of workflows, user roles and integrations and on the state of your data. You get a staged estimate before any build starts. The first release is deliberately limited to the workflows that return the most value.
Who owns the code and the data?
Your data is yours outright and can be exported at any time in open formats. The code written for you is yours, and the reusable modules underneath it, such as sign-in, permissions and audit logging, come with a permanent licence for use in your system. Repositories and hosting sit in accounts in your organisation's name.
What happens if Altitude Creative is no longer around?
The system is designed to outlive any one supplier. The code sits in a repository you control, hosting is in your accounts, and every release is documented with architecture, data dictionary, deployment steps and runbooks. It is built on mainstream technology so another competent developer can support it, and source-code escrow can be written into the agreement if you want an extra safeguard.
Where is the platform hosted and how is it secured?
On established cloud infrastructure such as Cloudflare, with encrypted connections, multi-factor sign-in, role-based permissions, audit logs and tested backups. We tell you where your data is stored, because placing personal information with an overseas provider can bring APP 8's cross-border rules into play. After launch, a care plan keeps dependencies and security patches current.
Find out what to build, and what to leave alone
Start with a Diagnostic that maps your systems, licence spend and workflows before anyone writes code.
Sources
Third-party facts on this page, checked 14 October 2026.
- OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS), OWASP Foundation. owasp.org/www-project-asvs
- Chapter 11: APP 11 Security of personal information (APP guidelines), Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/australian-privacy-principles-guidelines/chapter-11-app-11-security-of-personal-information
- Chapter 8: APP 8 Cross-border disclosure of personal information (APP guidelines), Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles-guidelines/chapter-8-app-8-cross-border-disclosure-of-personal-information