Too many tools, not enough control
As Helix grew, client work was spread across a CRM, project boards, email inboxes, spreadsheets and the accounting system. Monthly maintenance was hard to track, support requests arrived through every channel, and clients had little visibility of what was being done for them.
We looked hard at the established platforms. They were either too generic, too costly, or built around a way of working that did not fit an agency running websites, software and managed IT side by side.
We needed something that would hold each client plan together: what was agreed, what is due, what has been done and what has been billed.
A secure, all-in-one client platform
- Designed and built FaBric 360+ as a custom WordPress plugin with a React and TypeScript web app, running on its own dedicated install.
- Built security in from the start: deny-by-default permissions, multi-factor authentication, and team members, client managers and subcontractors each seeing only what they should.
- Brought accounts, contacts, projects, tasks, checklists, dependencies, milestones and secure file attachments into one place, with Kanban boards for day-to-day work.
- Added recurring service templates, so every client’s monthly maintenance is scheduled automatically, while reactive support arrives as tickets from a shared inbox.
- Connected billing to the accounting system, with QuickBooks first: the accounting software stays the source of truth while clients can view invoices, pay online and manage subscriptions.
- Added a mobile app that uses the same login as the web portal.
- Built it in small, fully tested increments, and moved Helix’s own CRM and client work onto it.
Every client plan, held together
FaBric 360+ now runs Helix’s own client work: recurring services are scheduled, support is tracked, and clients can see what is happening on their account.
What started as a fix for our own frustration is becoming a product, with a wider release to other agencies planned for 2027.
