The challenge
A self-storage operator in South Africa needed a customer platform it could rely on, after problems with a previous developer’s site. The business wanted customers to choose and configure units online, see accurate prices including VAT, and pay without manual follow-up. Behind the scenes, invoices and payments had to reach the accounting system without re-keying.
What we built
BitzStudio built the platform from scratch in Laravel, then continued developing and supporting it over an 18-month engagement. The team handled architecture, back-end and front-end development, third-party integrations and ongoing support.
- Unit selection and configuration: customers choose unit size, height and door width, with options driven by the platform’s data models.
- Automated pricing and VAT: prices calculated by business rules on the server, VAT included.
- Interactive facility map: helps customers choose a location and unit.
- Online payments: integration with Peach Payments.
- Invoicing and reconciliation: invoices and payments synchronised with Xero.
- Identity verification: KYC API integration for new customers.
- Email notifications: transactional emails through SMTP.
- Enquiry and quote forms with server-side validation.
Outcome
The operator can now track whether every customer has been billed and paid, with invoices generated automatically. The client rated the engagement 5.0 for quality, schedule and cost.
