Web Application for Managing Rentals
The client contacted me with a request to create a web application for his business which is computer equipment rentals.
His requirements for the app were:
- The app should have a management interface for the admin as well as an interface for the employees,
with different permissions for each user. - The management interface should be able to add and edit categories, products, customers and projects.
- In each project the cost of each product will be calculated according to the start date of the rental
up to the current date or end date of the rental, if any. - It should be possible to create delivery notes.
- Each note can be emailed or saved as a PDF.
- There should be an option for summarizing the project to the client,
according to a current or adjusted date. - The database should be secure and backed up on a daily basis.
A Custom Application On NodeJS Platform
Many rental management software can be found in the market,
most of them for a monthly or annual fee
and it is possible that most of the functions in them will suit the customer’s needs.
In the case of this client, he has searched and experimented, for a long time, with many such programs.
Non of which suited exactly his business needs
and even made him waste time building and experimenting with the database.
When he contacted me, we characterized together the product.
I learned how his business operates and what are the functions needed to manage it
and what is the order of operations of each function.
I built the app in code from scratch on the NodeJs platform and using a secure MongoDB database.
The app is precisely tailored to the client requirements.
He was also given a trial period in the system to find out if the characterization was accurate
or if additional features needed to be added.
When building a custom web application-
It is no problem to add additional features or make occasional corrections and adjustments.
The Web Application Can Be Used Anywhere, On Any Device Without Any Prior Installation
One of the great benefits of using a web application is that there is no need to install any special software.
Given the link and access details it can be accessed from any device,
as long as it is connected to the internet.
The information is secure, maintained on the private server belonging to the client
and is backed up daily.
A Web Application Consisting of Management and Employee Interfaces
The system has two sides-
Admin, a management interface,
where the business owner can add and edit product, customer and project categories
and manage the additional user permissions.
In addition, through the management interface it is possible to send a project summary to the customer
with cost calculations of the products.
The business owner can also track the status of customers’ account (total cost, total invoices submitted to customer and balance).
Employees, an application for the use of employees
through which they can create delivery notes and even send them directly to customers in PDF form.
The employee app runs in a step-by-step form to avoid errors or missing information on the part of the employee.
Inventory Management and Order Tracking
The system allows you to track inventory,
know if it is available in stock or in which project each product is located
and also view its history.
In the product history you can see when it was on the delivery note and which employee issued it.
In addition you can edit product categories and define special features,
For example, a product that has a start and end counter
or a disposable product that does not return to stock.
Issuing invoices using the application through the client’s external system
The customer uses an external system for issuing invoices.
in order to streamline his work,
The application is fully interfaced with that external system via an API.
Through the API interface, the entire database of customers and items from the external system is pulled into the application,
and creates uniformity between the two systems.
Thus, with the click of a button in the application, he can send all the data directly to the invoicing system and issue an invoice to his customers.
This feature saves him the work on two platforms and centralizes everything for him in one application.
Basic and Pleasant Design
In order to have a high loading speed, I designed the app in a basic design.
However, I chose a pleasant design that allows a good user experience.
The management interface is adapted to a computer screen only
as it includes wide tables that fill the screen.
The employee interface is adapted to different screens
as they work outside the office and use their mobile device or tablet.
