Back-office operations.

• Two people change the same sheet, and nobody knows which copy is right.
• An order is typed into a sheet, then again into the accounting software.
• A purchase approval sits in someone's inbox, and nobody can tell where it stopped.
• The weekly report is pieced together from several sheets, and it is out of date once it is sent.

With one system, the order is entered once and stock updates from it. The approval shows its owner and its history, so anyone can see where it stands. The weekly report reads the same records the team works in, so it is current when it is opened and nobody assembles it.

If several of these sound familiar, read the other signs your team has outgrown spreadsheets before you decide what to build first.

Foxefy builds all three. The CRM side is covered under sales and customer operations. For definitions, see ERP and internal tool in the glossary, and the comparison for distributors for how the choice plays out with orders and stock.

• Off-the-shelf ERP: your processes look like most businesses' processes, and your team is willing to change how it works to match the product.
• Custom modules: the way you quote, buy, produce or approve is part of how you compete, or you want to add a module or two without replacing the accounting software.
• Low-code tool: one team needs a simple form, list or approval, and the app connects to few other systems.

A practical test is to list the processes your team repeats most. If most of them are standard, packaged operations software may serve you. If the ones that set you apart live in sheets, those are the first modules to build. Foxefy goes through that list with you on the discovery call.

The choice is not permanent. A business can start with one custom module and add others later. The build versus buy guide sets out where low-code stops fitting.

Connecting through APIs means an order approved in the new system can reach the accounting software without anyone typing it again. A website form can create a record directly, and an approval can send an email or a calendar entry to the person who has to act. These connections are covered in more detail under the systems Foxefy connects.

Migration comes before the switch. Foxefy sets up the data structures, imports your history from spreadsheets and older systems, and checks the imported records with your team. Your sheets remain as a reference until the team is satisfied the numbers match.

1. Map how the operation runs. A discovery call and research show where records are re-keyed and where approvals wait. You get a shared picture of the work.
2. Agree a roadmap. Modules are ordered with milestones and deliverables, so you know what arrives and in what order.
3. Build module by module. Each module is built in agile iterations, with regular check-ins where the people who will use it review the screens.
4. Migrate, validate and test. Data is moved over and every module is tested thoroughly, so the team can trust the records on day one.
5. Launch and support. The modules go live for your team, and Foxefy supports the systems it built after launch.

Back-office software follows the same process as the rest of Foxefy's custom software development, set out in full under how we work. To map your own operation, book a discovery call.