Straight answers, before you spend anything.

Custom software: build vs. buy

When should a business build custom software instead of buying off-the-shelf?

Buy off-the-shelf for the commodity work every business does the same way: payroll, accounting, email, a basic CRM. Build custom when the workflow is genuinely yours, when you are stitching tools together with manual steps, or when the process itself is a competitive advantage. A simple test: if your team constantly works around the software, exporting to spreadsheets and re-keying data just to make it usable, you are already paying for a custom build in wasted hours. The upfront cost of building is always higher than buying. Over three years, once you add per-seat fees, admin overhead, and workarounds, the gap is usually smaller than it looks.

How much does custom software cost?

Honestly, it depends on scope, and scope is the thing most people underestimate. Publicly, custom projects range widely: a focused internal tool can run in the tens of thousands, while a large integrated platform costs far more. Integrations with clean modern APIs are cheaper than ones bolted onto old enterprise systems. We do not quote blind. We scope the work after understanding the problem, so the price reflects real work rather than a menu, and you know what you are paying for before anything starts.

How do I know if my current software is quietly costing me money?

Watch the workarounds. Exporting to spreadsheets, re-keying the same data into two systems, side processes people invented to make the official tool usable. That lost time rarely shows up on an invoice, which is exactly why it is easy to miss. Add up the hours and the tool you already pay for is often the most expensive thing you run.

Website modernization and migration

How much does it cost to migrate a legacy website to a modern platform?

It depends far more on what is under the hood than on how many pages you have. Custom functionality, integrations, and how cleanly the data extracts move the number, not page count. A simple marketing site is inexpensive to move. A large, integrated system with years of custom logic is not. We scope it honestly after seeing the actual site, never quoted blind.

Will migrating my website hurt my Google rankings?

Not if SEO is planned in from the start. Most ranking loss during a migration is self-inflicted: dropped redirects, lost metadata, and changed URLs that return errors. All of it is preventable. We map every old URL to its new home with 301 redirects, carry over metadata and content deliberately, and record a baseline of your current rankings before anything moves so we can confirm nothing slipped. Repairing the damage after launch costs far more than preventing it.

How long does a website migration take?

A simple marketing site takes weeks. A large, integrated platform takes longer. The variable is custom logic and connected systems, not page count. Rushing the redirect and testing work is where migrations go wrong, so we plan that time in rather than skipping it.

Can you migrate an old .NET or WordPress site?

Yes. Legacy .NET applications, ageing WordPress builds, and old custom CMSs are common starting points. The approach is the same in each case: understand what the current system actually does, preserve the content and URLs that matter, and rebuild on modern foundations without breaking the business while the ground moves under it.

Workflow automation

What kind of work can realistically be automated?

Repetitive, rule-based work: report generation, data entry, approval chains, notifications, and scheduled movement of data between systems. If someone can describe the task as a clear set of steps, it is a candidate. Judgment calls stay with people. We map the workflow first and automate the parts worth automating, rather than automating a bad process so it runs faster.

How long does it take to see results from workflow automation?

Quick wins usually show within a few weeks. Broader programs are staged over a couple of months. We automate the highest-friction step first, so the time savings are visible early rather than promised for later. For most teams the payback lands in months, not years.

System and CRM integration

My systems don't talk to each other. How do you fix that?

That is system integration: connecting your CRM, internal tools, and other software so the same data is not re-entered in several places. It happens because businesses buy tools at different times to solve different problems, and none of them were built to share. We connect them through APIs, prebuilt connectors, or purpose-built middleware, so you have one source of truth instead of five almost-matching copies. Integrations can quietly break when a connected system changes, so we build in monitoring rather than assuming they run forever.

Choosing a partner and getting started

How do I choose a software development partner?

Watch what happens before anyone writes code. A good partner digs into the problem first, asks uncomfortable questions, and pushes back on your assumptions. Ask them about a project like yours: what was the hardest technical decision, what broke, and what they would do differently now. Call a past client and ask what went wrong and how it was handled. The warning sign is a firm that never mentions risks or trade-offs. A partner who has never had a problem is a partner who hides them.

What is a solution design audit, and what do I get from it?

A focused study of how your business actually operates. We map the processes, find the bottlenecks, and recommend the right fix, even when that fix is not ours to build. The deliverable is a written recommendation in plain language and a sequenced plan, not a features wishlist. It is the safest way to spend money before a big software decision, because it tells you what to build before you pay to build it.

What actually happens on a discovery call?

Thirty minutes, no pitch deck. We ask where the business is, where it is headed, what is in the way, and how you cope today. Then you get our honest read. If we are not the right fit, you will know that too, and we will point you toward who might be.

How do you price an engagement?

We scope honestly once the problem is understood, and the price reflects real work rather than a menu. Costs vary enormously with scope, which is why we diagnose first and quote against a real plan instead of a guess. You will understand what you are paying for, and why, before any work starts.

Working with Leo Tech Labs

Do you work with businesses outside India, or remotely?

Yes. We have delivered for clients in India and the UK, and consulting work suits remote collaboration well. Where you are based matters far less than whether the problem is one we can genuinely help with.

What makes Leo Tech Labs different from a typical dev agency?

We position closer to a consulting and engineering firm than a commodity dev shop. Diagnosis before prescription, always. We push back when a feature will not move the business, we explain decisions in business terms instead of jargon, and you own everything we build: code, documentation, and credentials. Handover is part of the job, not an upsell.