Question 1

How does a project start?

Accepted Answer

With an email and a 30-minute call, at no cost. If it looks like a fit, we propose a fixed-price discovery sprint, usually two weeks, that ends with a prototype and a costed, phased build plan. You own that plan whether or not you continue with us.

Question 2

What does custom software actually cost?

Accepted Answer

It depends entirely on scope, so we quote per engagement rather than publish a rate card. What we can commit to is the shape: a small fixed-price discovery first, then a fixed price for each build phase, agreed before that phase starts. You are never exposed to an open-ended hourly meter.

Question 3

How long until we have something we can use?

Accepted Answer

You will see working software at the end of the second two-week increment. A useful first release for a focused product is typically six to twelve weeks after discovery, depending on how many integrations sit in the way.

Question 4

We are a small team. Are we too small for you?

Accepted Answer

Almost certainly not. Most of our work is for teams of five to fifty. If your problem is genuinely solved by an off-the-shelf product, we will tell you that instead of quoting you. It is a faster answer and a cheaper one.

Question 5

Why build rather than buy an existing product?

Accepted Answer

Buy, whenever a product fits. Building earns its keep when your process is a real competitive advantage, when licence fees per seat have outgrown a one-off build, or when you are paying staff to bridge two systems by hand every day.

Question 6

Who owns the code and the data?

Accepted Answer

You do, in full, on payment. Source code lives in your repositories, infrastructure in your cloud account, apps under your developer accounts. Handover includes documentation and a walkthrough so another team could pick it up.

Question 7

Do we need AI in our product?

Accepted Answer

Only where it pays for itself. We look for a specific task that costs measurable time, such as invoice entry, quoting, or inbox triage, and cost the automation before building it. If the numbers do not work, we say so.

Question 8

If we use AI, where does our data go?

Accepted Answer

Into the model provider you approve, under an agreement that excludes training on your data, and only the fields the task needs. Sensitive records can be redacted or kept on-premise. Every AI step is logged so you can see what was sent and what came back.

Question 9

How do you handle security and privacy?

Accepted Answer

Least-privilege access, encryption in transit and at rest, audited role checks on the server rather than in the browser, dependency scanning in the pipeline, and no production data in development environments. For health or financial data we work to the obligations that apply to your sector.

Question 10

Will it work with the systems we already pay for?

Accepted Answer

That is usually the point. Xero, Stripe, Shopify, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Twilio, and most systems with an API. Where a supplier has no API we look at file-based or scraping options and are honest about how fragile each one is.

Question 11

What happens after launch?

Accepted Answer

Software is never finished. Our care plan covers monitoring, patching, store-compliance updates, and a named contact with agreed response times. If you would rather maintain it yourselves, the handover is built to let you.

Question 12

What if we want to stop?

Accepted Answer

Phased pricing means you can stop at the end of any phase and keep everything built to that point, working and documented. Retainers run month to month with one month of notice. There is no clause that holds your product hostage.

Question 13

Where are you based, and does that matter?

Accepted Answer

We are based in New Zealand and deliver across time zones. You get overlapping hours for the conversations that need them, and work continuing after you log off.

Question 14

Can you take over software someone else built?

Accepted Answer

Often, yes. We start with a short audit: what works, what is risky, what it would cost to stabilise versus replace. You get that assessment in writing before any commitment to ongoing work.

at CeyNext we build

at CeyNext we get to the point

Software shaped around how you already work.

One codebase. iOS and Android. Native feel.

The dashboard your team opens first thing.

Automation that removes the busywork.

Planning to maintenance. One team.

Phased scope, so you can start small.

Your code, your cloud, your accounts.