How We Built a Custom Tool That Automated an Entire Operational Workflow

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A behind-the-scenes look at how we designed and built a custom software tool to fully automate a complex operational workflow, saving time, reducing errors, and scaling with the business.

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Why Automating Workflows Matters More Than Ever

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In growing businesses, especially in operationally complex sectors like logistics, property, and field services, manual workflows are a hidden drain on time, money, and morale. Teams rely on spreadsheets, endless emails, and disconnected systems to keep things running, which often leads to missed steps, duplicated work, and avoidable delays.

For many companies, building a custom tool to automate repetitive workflows is one of the highest-ROI decisions they can make. In this post, we walk through a real project where we did just that, automating a complex daily process that had become a bottleneck for our client’s team.

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The Problem: Manual Planning That Couldn’t Scale

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Our client, a fast-growing vehicle rental company, faced a unique coordination challenge. Every day, their team had to plan vehicle deliveries and collections across multiple locations, ensuring that staff, vehicles, and return routes aligned perfectly. It was done manually, using spreadsheets and phone calls, and it took hours.

Key issues included:

• Staff stranded after delivering vehicles, with no return plan
• Collections scheduled without any team member assigned
• Last-minute errors causing delays or extra costs
• A process that worked with 5 drivers but broke down at 15

They didn’t need a generic logistics platform, they needed a custom-built operations tool that matched their real-world constraints.

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The Solution: A Smart, Custom Workflow Automation Tool

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We designed and built a lightweight but powerful web-based tool that:

• Let the ops team input vehicle movements, driver availability, and time constraints
• Automatically planned realistic delivery and collection sequences
• Matched staff to routes with built-in logic to prevent stranding
• Generated a day-by-day schedule, complete with travel plans and time buffers
• Scaled effortlessly as the team and locations expanded

By using a low-code frontend paired with a structured AWS backend, we delivered a secure, scalable, and maintainable tool in under six weeks.

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How We Built It: Our Tech Stack and Approach

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To build fast without compromising on structure, we used:

• Frontend: Noodl (low-code platform) with custom logic to handle inputs and dynamic scheduling
• Backend: AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, and S3 for logic, storage, and scalability
• Logic Layer: Embedded rules for task pairing, time buffers, and route optimisation
• User Access: Simple login-based dashboard for daily planning and historical tracking

This hybrid approach allowed us to:

• Build iteratively, with feedback from real users
• Keep costs low and performance high
• Future-proof the platform for integrations or upgrades

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Results: What the Business Gained

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After implementation, the client reported:

• 75% time reduction in daily planning tasks
• Zero stranded staff during the first 3 months of rollout
• Higher staff satisfaction, thanks to more predictable routes
• Improved customer service, with fewer delivery delays
• Confidence to grow operations without increasing overhead

This wasn’t just a digital tool, it became a core part of their daily business.

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Lessons Learned: What Makes Automation Work

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Here are some key takeaways from this build:

• Build around reality, not assumptions. We shadowed the team to understand how their operations really worked.
• Automate the boring, not the judgment. Let software handle logistics, humans still make the key decisions.
• Design for scale from day one. A small team today might be a national operation tomorrow.
• Low-code doesn’t mean low-quality. When paired with a strong backend, it’s a powerful, professional-grade solution.

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Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need to Be Big to Build Smart

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This project shows what’s possible when a business invests in the right custom tool, not a bloated platform, but a focused solution that delivers real results. If you’re stuck with clunky workflows or stretched resources, it might be time to build something better.

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