Custom web development
Web portals that let customers serve themselves from your live data
Your CRM and ERP already hold the order status, invoices and tickets your customers keep phoning about. We build secure portals, web applications and websites that put the right slice of that data in front of the right people, and send what they submit straight back into your systems.
- Zoho Premium Partner
- Official Odoo Partner
- ISO 27001 certified
Your website today
Is your website working for your operations?
Select what applies. These problems usually come from one gap: the website and the systems behind it were built separately and never properly joined.
Customers phone to ask where their order is
Root cause: Order and delivery data lives in your ERP with no secure, customer-facing view, so the phone is the only channel.
Cost if ignored: Staff time spent on status calls, and customers who feel kept in the dark.
Website forms land in a shared inbox
Root cause: Forms send emails rather than creating CRM records, so someone has to read, retype and assign every enquiry.
Cost if ignored: Slow responses, lost enquiries and no reliable source data for marketing decisions.
Partners send us orders on spreadsheets
Root cause: There is no partner-facing interface onto your price lists and stock, so data travels by email attachment instead.
Cost if ignored: Rekeying errors, version confusion and slower order processing for your best accounts.
Our site is slow and awkward on a phone
Root cause: An ageing theme, heavy plugins and unoptimised images were never reviewed against Core Web Vitals or accessibility standards.
Cost if ignored: Visitors leave before reading anything, and search visibility suffers for it.
A key process runs on a spreadsheet we email around
Root cause: The process outgrew spreadsheets, but no web application was ever built to give it roles, validation and history.
Cost if ignored: Version errors, no audit trail and a data risk every time the file is sent.
We are not sure our plugins and hosting are secure
Root cause: Updates, backups and access reviews have no named owner, so maintenance happens only when something breaks.
Cost if ignored: A breach or outage that damages trust and takes days to recover from.
Tick the ones that apply
Most of these share a root cause. We will show you where to start.
How we approach it
Start from the journey, then the data behind it
We design around the people using the site or portal and the records they need, then decide what to build and what your platform already provides. Each SCALE phase ends with your sign-off.
01Map the journeys
Understand who logs in, why, and what they need to do.
What we do
We talk to customers, partners and the staff who support them to map the tasks they come to complete, from checking an order to downloading a certificate. Each task tells us which records the portal must read or write.
You receive
- User journey maps
- Data access requirements
- Prioritised feature list
“What do customers ask your team for that they could safely see themselves?”
02Choose build or configure
Use platform features first, custom code where it adds value.
What we do
Zoho Creator portals and Odoo’s built-in customer portal may cover much of what you need with less maintenance. We compare them with a custom build, for example on Zoho Catalyst, and recommend the route with the lowest long-term risk.
You receive
- Build versus configure assessment
- Architecture outline
- Fixed milestone plan
“Who will maintain this in three years, and what skills will they need?”
03Design and secure
Design the interface and the access model together.
What we do
We prototype key screens with real users, then define roles, authentication and exactly which records each user may see. Security decisions such as two-factor sign-in and data retention are agreed in design, not discovered in testing.
You receive
- Clickable prototype
- Role and permission model
- Security requirements
“If a portal user’s password leaked, what is the most they could see?”
04Build and integrate
Develop in iterations, connected to your systems through APIs.
What we do
Our developers build in short sprints with demos at each stage, connecting to Zoho and Odoo through their supported APIs. ISTQB-certified testers plan and run functional, performance, accessibility and security testing before release.
You receive
- Sprint demos
- Integrated test environment
- Test and accessibility report
“Which record must never be out of step between the portal and your ERP?”
05Launch and maintain
Go live, then keep it fast, secure and current.
What we do
We launch with monitoring in place, then provide updates, backups and security patching. Usage data shows which features customers rely on, and that guides the next round of improvements rather than guesswork.
You receive
- Launch plan and monitoring
- Maintenance and patching
- Quarterly improvement review
“Which portal feature has reduced inbound calls the most, and what comes next?”
What changes
What changes when the web joins your systems
Order queries
Customers phone to chase order status
Customers check orders and deliveries in the portal
Enquiries
Form emails retyped into the CRM
Enquiries created as CRM records and assigned instantly
Partners
Orders arrive as spreadsheet attachments
Partners order against live prices and stock
Documents
Invoices and certificates sent on request
Customers download their own documents at any time
Security
Plugins updated when someone remembers
Scheduled patching, backups and access reviews
What we build
Web experiences backed by real business data
From a faster company website to a full partner portal, everything we build reads from and writes to the systems you already run.
Customer portals
Secure self-service for orders, invoices, tickets and documents, drawn live from your Zoho or Odoo records with role-based access.
Partner and supplier portals
Interfaces where distributors place orders, suppliers confirm deliveries and both see only the data that is relevant to them.
Web applications
Bespoke browser-based tools that replace shared spreadsheets with proper roles, validation, workflow and a full history of changes.
Business websites
Fast, accessible, search-friendly websites on WordPress or a custom framework, with forms that create records directly in your CRM.
Integration layer
API connections between your site, Zoho, Odoo and other platforms, with error handling and logging so failed syncs are caught early.
Hosting and maintenance
Managed hosting options, security updates, backups and uptime monitoring, with a named team responsible for keeping it all current.
Honest fit
Is a custom portal right for you?
This is right for you if
- Customers or partners regularly contact you for information you already hold
- Your core data lives in Zoho, Odoo or another system with an API
- A spreadsheet-based process needs proper roles and an audit trail
- You want one team accountable for both the build and the integration
It is probably not right if
- You only need a brochure website. A well-built template site will cost less and do the job.
- Your platform's standard portal already fits. We will configure it rather than build from scratch.
- Your ERP data is unreliable. Customers will see the errors, so clean the data first.
Why Thoughtlogik
Why build your portal with Thoughtlogik
Integration is our core skill
We implement Zoho and Odoo, so the hardest part of a portal, getting the right data in and out reliably, is where we are strongest.
Platform first, code second
We use Zoho Creator, Zoho Catalyst or Odoo’s portal where they fit, which keeps your long-term maintenance cost and risk lower.
Security built in
ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials certification shape our approach to authentication, access control and hosting for anything customer-facing that we build.
Tested properly
ISTQB-certified testers on our team plan functional, integration and accessibility testing, so issues are found before your customers find them.
- Zoho Premium Partner
- Official Odoo Partner
- ISO 27001 certified
- ISO 9001:2015
- Cyber Essentials
Show us the calls your portal should prevent
Tell us what customers and partners contact you for today. We will show you which of those requests a secure portal could handle, and what it would need to connect to.
Related services
Often combined with web development.
FAQs
Questions buyers ask us
Should we build a custom portal or use our platform's standard one?
Use the standard one if it fits. Odoo includes a customer portal for orders and invoices, and Zoho Creator supports branded portals with role-based permissions and custom domains. A custom build makes sense when you need to combine several systems, design a distinctive experience or support workflows the standard portals cannot. We assess this before quoting.
Can our website forms go straight into Zoho CRM or Odoo?
Yes. We connect forms so each submission creates or updates a lead, contact or ticket, with source tracking and assignment rules applied. We also add spam protection, duplicate checks and clear consent wording, so your CRM receives clean, usable records rather than a stream of junk.
What technology do you build with?
It depends on the requirement. We build websites on WordPress, low-code portals on Zoho Creator, and custom applications on established frameworks or on Zoho Catalyst, Zoho’s full-stack cloud platform. We choose the option your team can maintain and that keeps integration with your CRM and ERP simple.
How do you keep a customer portal secure?
We design access before features. Each user sees only their own records, enforced on the server rather than hidden in the interface. We add strong authentication, encrypt data in transit, log access and test for common vulnerabilities before launch. Our ISO 27001 certification means these controls follow a documented information security process.
Can an external portal connect to Odoo?
Yes, through Odoo’s external API. Odoo’s documentation states that external API access is available only on its Custom pricing plan, not on One App Free or Standard. If you are on Standard, we will explain your options, which may include using Odoo’s own portal or changing plan.
Do you provide hosting and ongoing support?
Yes. We offer hosting and maintenance including security updates, backups and monitoring, or we can work with your existing hosting provider. Support is agreed as part of the Evolve phase, with a clear scope, response expectations and a regular review of what to improve next.
Start your project
Ready for a website that works harder?
Tell us about your business and goals. A certified consultant will get back to you within one working day with practical next steps.
- Free, no-obligation consultation
- UK-based Zoho and Odoo partner
- Clear plan, milestones and pricing