MakeFriendly® Product • Design • Software • AI Est. 2019
We make business work better.
We design and build software around the way your business actually works — combining product thinking, great interfaces, automation and AI.
02 Positioning
Your business probably doesn’t need more software.
It needs better software.
Most businesses already have enough tools.
The problem is what happens between them — emails that need processing, spreadsheets that need updating, information that needs capturing, approvals that get lost, documents that need reading and teams doing repetitive work.
That’s where we work.
We understand the process first.Then we design the system around it.
03 What we do
Six things, done properly.
- 01
Discover
We get inside the business, map how things actually work and find the opportunities worth solving.
- 02
Design
We turn complicated workflows into simple products that people can actually use.
- 03
Build
We build production-ready web applications, internal systems and customer-facing tools.
- 04
Connect
We integrate the software businesses already rely on — accounting, ecommerce, messaging, email, APIs and other platforms.
- 05
Automate
We remove repetitive administrative work using workflows, agents and intelligent automation.
- 06
Apply AI
We use AI where it creates genuine operational value: reading documents, understanding messages, extracting information, preparing work and assisting people.
04 The type of problems we solve
Messy in. Systems out.
-
EmailStructured work
Turn incoming messages and attachments into enquiries, orders, jobs or tasks.
-
PaperDigital workflows
Replace job cards, forms, checklists and sign-offs with mobile workflows.
-
SpreadsheetsOperating systems
Turn fragile spreadsheets into structured applications built around the business.
-
Disconnected systemsOne workflow
Connect accounting, ecommerce, CRM, inventory, messaging and operational systems.
-
Manual adminAutomation
Let software prepare the repetitive work so people can focus on decisions.
-
Business knowledgeIntelligent tools
Build AI into real workflows instead of bolting a chatbot onto the side.
05 Clients
Brands and businesses we’ve worked with.
- Unilever
- RMB
- FNB
- Burberry
- Intergro
- MTN
- PriceCheck
- Oliver Agency
- ROH
- Maille
- Intengo
- Ola
- Gentreo
- Intergate Immigration
- Caribbean Tan
- Intergate Emigration
- Court Order
- Pull North
- UpTownWithEllyBrown
- Shop Donation
- Sielvol Afrika
06 How we work
From “this is how we do it” to “this just works.”
- 01
Discover
Understand the business.
- 02
Map
Define the workflow.
- 03
Prototype
Make the idea tangible.
- 04
Build
Ship working software.
- 05
Improve
Learn from real usage.
We prefer working software over enormous specification documents. Where possible, we prototype quickly, put something real in front of the people who will use it, and improve from there.
07 Selected capabilities
What we build
- Custom software
- Internal tools
- Customer portals
- Mobile job cards
- Workflow systems
- AI document processing
- Intelligent inboxes
- Inventory and operations
- Quoting systems
- Reporting
- Ecommerce
- System integration
- Xero integration
- WhatsApp workflows
- AI agents
- Automation
08 Philosophy
Software should fit the business. Not the other way around.
Off-the-shelf software works brilliantly when your business works like everybody else’s.
But sometimes the process, knowledge or service that makes a company valuable is exactly what makes generic software a poor fit.
That’s when custom software makes sense.
MakeFriendly combines product thinking, design and engineering to build around that advantage rather than removing it.
09 Experience
Experience
I’ve spent 15 years designing and building digital products — across fintech, banking, ecommerce, travel and business software. MakeFriendly is where that work happens now, and I’m the person you’ll actually talk to.
15+
Years building digital products
Est. 2019
MakeFriendly
Experience across
- Fintech
- Banking
- Ecommerce
- Travel
- Retail
- Logistics
- Manufacturing
- Field services
- Professional services
Skills
- User Experience
- Product Design
- Engagement Psychology
- Information Architecture
- Solutions Architecture
- Product Conceptualisation
- Product Development
- Infrastructure for Digital Products
- Mobile Development
10 Questions
Straight answers.
What does MakeFriendly do?
MakeFriendly is a product, design and software studio in Cape Town, South Africa. We map how a business actually works, then design and build custom software, internal tools, system integrations and automation around those workflows.
Who does MakeFriendly work with?
Established businesses that have grown around spreadsheets, email, WhatsApp, paper processes and disconnected software, where repetitive administrative work is holding the team back. We have worked across fintech, banking, ecommerce, travel, retail, logistics, manufacturing, field services and professional services.
Do you build custom software, or configure off-the-shelf tools?
Both, depending on what the process needs. Off-the-shelf software works well when a business works like everybody else’s. When the process, knowledge or service that makes a company valuable is exactly what generic software cannot accommodate, custom software makes sense.
How does MakeFriendly use AI?
Where it creates genuine operational value inside a real workflow: reading documents, understanding incoming messages, extracting information and preparing repetitive work for people to review and decide on. We build AI into the workflow rather than bolting a chatbot onto the side.
How does a project start?
With discovery. We spend time understanding how the work happens today, map the workflow, then prototype something tangible quickly. We prefer putting working software in front of the people who will use it over writing large specification documents.
What systems can you integrate with?
Accounting platforms including Xero, ecommerce, CRM, inventory and operational systems, email, and messaging platforms including WhatsApp — and anything else that exposes an API.
Where is MakeFriendly based?
Cape Town, South Africa. MakeFriendly has been trading since 2019 as MAKEFRIENDLYDOTCOM (PTY) LTD, registration 2019/376494/07, and works with clients locally and internationally.
11 Start here
Got a process that should work better?
Show us how it works today.
We’ll help figure out what it could become.