FAQs
The questions we are
asked most
Straight answers in plain English. If yours is not here, ask us — a short call usually settles it.
Getting started
We're not very technical. Can you still help?
Yes we can deal with any level of technical expertise. You know your business and we know the technology; our job is to explain it plainly and make it work, not to make you learn it.
Is my business too small?
No — no job is too small. We work with one-person businesses and national organisations alike and size the work to fit: a sole trader might need one session putting the right tools in place, a larger organisation a programme across several sites. Either way you get a written quote first.
How much do you charge?
Every job is different, so we do not publish a price list. After a short conversation you get a clear written quote and nothing starts until you have agreed it.
Do you only work in Warwickshire?
We have many clients Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull and the West Midlands, but we also have some much further afield. We love to connect with people and will always come to site to meet you so we get a hands-on feel of your business. Technology assists after that and we can conduct many of the subsequent meetings remotely.
What's the best first step?
Book a free 30-minute call. Tell us what you would like developing or what problems you are currently experiencing and we will tell you how we can help.
AI
Will AI replace my staff?
No. We automate the tedious parts of a job nobody would miss, so your team gets through more without the strain — not fewer people.
Which AI do you use?
Whichever suits the job. Claude is the one we use most; we also work with ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok. We do not resell any of them, so we have no reason to recommend one over another except that it is the right fit for you.
What about GDPR and our customers' data?
It is the right thing to ask first. Where we handle personal data you get a data processing agreement, not just an NDA. Where documents are sensitive we keep them on our own servers rather than sending them to someone else's platform. And the audit will show you any AI your staff are already using on their own accounts.
Is this the same as a chatbot?
Not really. A chatbot waits for someone to talk to it. An agent quietly gets on with a job in the background — reading, sorting, filing — and only shows up when it needs you.
How long before something is working?
Usually a few weeks for the first job, because we start with one and get it right before adding more.
Websites and hosting
What does a website cost?
It depends on the number of pages and how much content needs writing, so we quote each site individually rather than publish a price list. E-commerce and platforms are bigger jobs. Always a fixed price against a written scope, never a day rate.
Can I edit the site myself?
Yes. Every site comes with an admin where you can change the words, pictures and news yourself — and we are a phone call away if you would rather we did it.
Is this WordPress?
No. The R4 Framework is our own, written in modern TypeScript. There is no pile of third-party plug-ins to keep patched, which removes the most common way small business sites are broken into.
Who runs your servers?
We do. We manage our own servers rather than reselling someone else's hosting, so we know exactly how your site is looked after.
How long until we rank?
For local terms with genuine intent, weeks to a few months. For competitive national terms, longer and it depends on content. Anyone promising you page one by a fixed date is guessing.
Can I move my site to you?
Usually, yes. We will look at what you have and tell you honestly whether moving it, rebuilding it on the framework or leaving it where it is makes most sense.
Bespoke software
What happens if you get hit by a bus?
A fair question and one nobody asks often enough. That is exactly why we build on mainstream technology — TypeScript, React, Node, PostgreSQL — and hand over the source. Any competent developer can pick it up. A proprietary framework would make you dependent on us, which is good for us and bad for you.
Can you work with the system we already have?
Often, yes. Extending or integrating what you have is usually cheaper than replacing it and we would rather tell you that than sell you a rebuild. The exception is a system whose supplier will not give you access to your own data.
How long does it take?
A focused internal tool can be live in three to four weeks. A full customer-facing platform is usually two to four months. Either way you see something working early rather than at the end.
Do we have to host it with you?
No. We host on our own servers because it is fast, cheap and we control it, but the system is portable and you can take it anywhere. That is rather the point of owning it.
The audit and security
What size of business is this for?
Any size. We scale it: a sole trader rarely needs two full days and a national organisation may need more, across sites and departments. We agree the scope before we quote, so you know the price before we start.
Will it get in the way of my team?
It won't. Day one follows a plan agreed in advance and it is mostly short conversations with the people doing each job. Day two happens in our office. Nobody stops working.
I don't want an outsider in our systems.
Very sensible. An NDA comes as standard before you ask and a data processing agreement if we would see personal data. Most of day one is conversation rather than logging into anything and we only ask for what we need.
What if we read the report and do nothing?
That is fine and it happens. The report is yours — act on it yourself, hand it to your current IT supplier, or file it for later. If you do come back to us within 90 days, the audit fee comes off the bill.
We already have IT support. Does this replace them?
No — and we will say so if that is the honest answer. Where somebody already manages your machines and network, we cover what they usually do not: the websites, the applications, the subscriptions and the data. Where the two overlap we would rather talk to them than around them.
Something has already happened. Can you help?
Call rather than email. If it is live we will tell you within the hour whether it is something we can help with or something that needs a specialist and your insurer — and we will say which, rather than taking the work either way.
Still got a question?
Book a free half-hour call, or send it over and we will answer it properly.