Operations teams
Replace repeated entry and disconnected spreadsheets with a shared workflow, clear responsibilities and access to the information each person needs.
Business applications
Custom software development in Chicago
Devvela is a custom software development company founded in Chicago. We build the applications behind your operations: customer portals, internal tools, booking platforms and connected business workflows.
Tell us what you need
Software for the work behind your business
A customer books a trip. A sales team prepares an order. An operations manager checks what needs attention. The screen is only the visible part: behind it are availability rules, account permissions, data from other systems and the handoffs that keep work moving.
We build custom business applications around those details. For Chicago companies, that can mean a self-service portal, a booking workflow or a replacement for software that has become difficult to change. Examples include Chicago Boat Company, GoDock and North Suburban Limousine. We start with the people doing the work and the outcome they need to complete.
AI automation for Chicago businesses
Start with a task that takes time because people repeatedly collect, read or move information. An assistant could prepare a response from approved documents, classify incoming requests or assemble information for a team member to review. An automation could move validated information between systems and flag exceptions.
We define what the system is allowed to do, where its information comes from and when a person must approve an action. Important changes need a visible history and a way to handle failures. The goal is a useful business workflow, not an AI feature added for its own sake.
AI-assisted development also helps our engineers with routine implementation. Architecture, code review and release decisions remain with the team. See how we work.
Built around the systems you already use
Your application may need to connect to order management, inventory, customer records or payments. We agree on the integration boundaries and test the failure cases as well as the expected path. When replacing an existing application, migration and continuity are part of the scope.
You keep ownership of the custom application. Deployment and ongoing support are planned around your infrastructure and the people responsible for operating it.
Who it is for
Built around the people who use it
Manufacturers and distributors
Connect catalog information, account-specific ordering and internal systems so customers and business partners can complete more tasks themselves.
Service businesses
Bring availability, reservations, payments and customer communication into an application that reflects the way your service actually runs.
What is included
The parts needed for a working application
Workflow and interface design
Map roles, decisions and exceptions before building. Design screens around complete tasks, including the parts customers and staff handle differently.
Web and mobile applications
Build customer-facing and internal applications with the permissions, validation and device support the workflow needs.
Integrations and migration
Connect the systems you already rely on and plan data migration with checks, clear ownership and a release approach suited to ongoing operations.
Release and handover
Test the agreed workflows, prepare deployment and document the application so your business can operate it and continue developing it.
Local work
Applications for Chicago businesses
Chicago Boat Company
A reservation platform for private cruises and public trips. Customers select available trips and add-ons, while staff manage boats, schedules and bookings. The application supports payments, deposits, promotions and gift cards.
GoDock
A dock-booking marketplace available on the web and in published mobile apps. Boat owners find suitable slips and make reservations; dock managers manage availability and bookings. Boat dimensions, pricing and payments are part of the workflow.
North Suburban Limousine
A live replacement for an existing reservation application, including migration of its data. The new booking flow supports airport trips, round trips, multiple stops and hourly services, with vehicle options and pricing rules.
How we work
Small milestones and visible progress
Start with your workflow
We meet the people using the system, review examples and agree on a useful first milestone rather than an open-ended feature list.
Review working software
Senior engineers lead the work and use AI to assist with routine implementation. You review real workflows, with the first working release in 14 days.
Grow in agreed milestones
Each next step has a defined outcome, acceptance criteria and price. Feedback can change priorities without turning the project into unbounded hourly work.
Pricing: Fixed price per milestone, no hourly billing. About a third of a traditional team's quote for the same scope. See how we define scope, delivery and changes on our How we work page.
FAQ
Questions people ask before starting
What kinds of software do you build for Chicago businesses?
We build internal tools, customer and partner portals, booking platforms and applications connecting business systems. Local work includes Chicago Boat Company, GoDock and North Suburban Limousine. The starting point is the workflow and the people using it.
Do you offer AI automation for Chicago teams?
Yes. We help automate document handling, routine requests and work between systems. We first decide where automation is useful, what data it can access and which actions need human approval, then test a contained workflow before expanding it.
Can you modernize software without losing existing data?
We plan migration as part of the project, including mapping, validation and release checks. North Suburban Limousine is an example of a launched replacement with data migration. The approach depends on the existing system, its data quality and operational constraints.
How do you price custom software development?
We agree on a fixed price per milestone, with no hourly billing. The estimate defines the workflow, integrations, acceptance criteria and exclusions. Scope changes are discussed and quoted before additional work starts.
How do we get started?
Book a call, send a project inquiry or email us with the workflow you want to improve. You do not need a finished specification. Examples of the current process and the systems involved help us define the first useful milestone.
Chicago
Talk with Devvela
620 N La Salle St, Suite 205Chicago, IL 60654United StatesStart a project
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