Custom software and automation
We fix the gaps between your software, your workflows, and your people.
Rhapsody connects the systems you already pay for and builds what's missing.
Teams we've built for
As your business grew, your systems didn't keep up with it.
You chose your software one piece at a time, often years apart. Some of it connects, some of it doesn't, and other things you haven't found a solution for yet. So the gaps get filled by people.
Count the hours your people spend this week moving information between systems or working around what's missing. 4 people at 5 hours each is a full time position you never planned to hire for.
That time rarely shows up in a budget, because it's 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there, spread across a dozen people.
It also means the work depends on whoever knows the workaround. When that person is out for a week, things slip, and a customer is often the first to notice.
What that looks like in your week
Somebody re-types the same customer information into 3 different systems, because none of them talk to each other.
Your sales numbers and your accounting numbers disagree, and nobody's sure which one is right.
Invoices go out late because the person who assembles them is waiting on a report somebody else exports by hand.
There's a spreadsheet somebody built that half the office depends on, and one person understands it.
That's capacity you're already paying for and not getting to use. It shows up as work you turned down because the team looked fully booked, a customer who waited 2 days for an answer that was already in someone's inbox, and skilled people doing data entry on a Thursday afternoon instead of the work you hired them for.
What we do
We connect the software you already use, and build the pieces it's missing.
We start by keeping what already works. Most businesses have a handful of systems that each do their own job well.
- We connect the systems you already pay for, so information moves once instead of 3 times.
- We automate the steps that happen the same way every time.
- We build custom software for the parts of your business where nothing off the shelf fits.
- We use AI where it helps, and leave it out where it doesn't.
We work with the tools you already run on: QuickBooks, Outlook, Excel, and the software built for your industry.
What changes
A report that used to take someone 6 hours can take 6 minutes once nobody has to put it together by hand.
Before
6 hours
Pulling data manually from different systems that don't naturally talk to each other
After
6 minutes
Pulling data from a solution that is custom built to work with your existing systems
Less of this
Retyping the same data into two systems
Checking four apps to see if a project is on budget
Redoing a quote because someone worked from last month's price list
Waiting two days for a hand-built report
More of this
Saying yes to more work, because you can see when your team has room
Answering a customer on the first call
Giving your people time for the work they do best
Knowing where you stand on Monday, without building a spreadsheet first
How we work
Every project starts with discovery and ends with software your team uses every day. Support after launch is there if you want it.
Discovery
We learn how work actually moves through your business and lay out what's worth building.
Build
We build the tools discovery lays out, test them on your real data with your team, and you sign off before anything goes live.
Support
Optional and month to month. We monitor what we built, update it as your other software changes, make changes as you need them, report on it each month, and help you explore new ideas.
Discovery
Discovery starts with the people doing the work.
We sit down with your team and learn what each person actually does day to day, and why they do it that way.
The best opportunities to save time and grow are usually in the workarounds your team has lived with for years. Some people mention those frustrations in passing, and some have stopped bringing them up at all.
The goal is to give your people better tools, so more of their time goes to the work that moves your business forward.
What you get from discovery
A written diagnosis of where your team's time goes, with the hours and the dollars attached.
A build plan, in the order that makes the biggest difference first.
A map of your systems, showing every place someone moves information by hand.
An honest verdict, including the things we tell you not to build.
We write the diagnosis so any competent developer could build from it, and it's yours whether or not you hire us for the build.
Build
We build your new tools alongside your team, so they're ready to use at launch.
Each build is its own project, with a clear scope and a date agreed before we start, and finishing one doesn't commit you to another.
You choose what's next
Discovery lays out what's worth building. You decide where to start, and you can stop after any project.
We build around your week
Your team keeps working the way they work now while we build and test against your real data.
We hand it over properly
We train the people who will use the new software, in plain language, and the documentation comes with it.
Support
After launch, we're around if you need us.
Support is optional and month to month. After launch, we'll put together a plan that fits what we built and how much help you want.
We keep everything current
We monitor what we built and update it ahead of time when the other software you run changes.
We make changes as you grow
New fields, new reports, new steps in your process. We make the changes as you need them and send a short report each month on what we did.
We explore what's next with you
We bring ideas worth trying and pick up anything from discovery you haven't built yet, whenever it makes sense for you.
You can keep us on for as long as it's useful, stop any time, and everything we built stays yours.
A recent build
General contractor · San Diego
We built a tool for a general contractor that keeps every document for a project in one place. When someone in the field has a question, they ask it in plain words and get an answer, along with the sheet and section it came from, usually in minutes instead of hours. The tool also tracks the schedule and drafts reports in the company's own templates.
Answers from the plans
Ask a question from the field and get an answer with the sheet and spec section behind it.
No guessing
If an answer depends on a sheet that isn't there, the tool says which one is needed.
Reports in their format
The tool drafts daily logs in the company's own approved template, ready to send.
You own everything we build, and you can leave whenever you want.
- Your data stays yours. We don't hold it, resell it, or train anything on it.
- You own every line of code we write, plus the documentation to maintain it.
- You can leave whenever you want and take everything with you.
- We train your team in plain language, so everyone is comfortable using what we build.
- Every recommendation we make is based on what we see in your own systems and data.
- If we think you shouldn't build something, we'll tell you.
- We support what we build after launch, for as long as you want us to.
- Your team approves the important steps, like anything that goes to a client or onto an invoice.
Questions people ask
If you own the business
- What does discovery cost, and what do I get for it?
- A fixed fee agreed up front, and the 4 documents described above. You own them regardless of what you decide to do next.
- How long does it take?
- Discovery runs 2 to 3 weeks. Build time depends on what we find, and you get a date along with the quote before you approve anything.
- Should we just hire a developer?
- You can, and for some companies it's the right call. A developer builds what you ask for. Discovery is how you work out what to ask for, and most of the value is in getting that list right. If you already have a developer, the diagnosis is written so they can build from it.
- Do I have to sign up for ongoing support?
- No. Each project stands on its own. Support is month to month, only if you want it, and you can stop any time.
- Do I have to use AI?
- No. We use it where it helps us do the work, and we'll tell you where it's involved.
- Who is this not for?
- Companies shopping for the cheapest possible build, companies that want to replace their whole stack at once, and anyone who wants software delivered without their own team involved in designing it.
If you're the one who has to live with it
- Am I being replaced?
- No. You're the person we most need in discovery, because you know where the work actually goes. The tools we build are for you. They take the retyping and the chasing off your plate, so your work gets done faster and with fewer mistakes. You're still the one running those tools and making the calls they can't.
- What happens if the person who knows our systems leaves in the middle of the build?
- Everything we learn gets written down as we go, which is the point of the systems map. The project doesn't live in one person's head on either side.
- Does this replace our IT company?
- No. They keep your hardware, your network, and your accounts working. We work on the software and the workflows sitting on top of that. We'll talk to them directly, and we expect to.
Start with a 30 minute call
Tell us a little about your business and what's been slowing your team down. We'll set up a call, ask thoughtful questions, and give you an honest read on whether we can help.
If you'd rather not get on a call yet, send a note and we'll write back within one business day.