About Footnote
Custom software and automation for Australian businesses that cannot hire a software team. Based in Melbourne and Cairns.
What we do Custom software and automation that takes admin work off your team
We build the software a business runs on but nobody sells: the enquiry list, the approval queue, the weekly report that builds itself. Design and engineering happen in the same place, so the thing that ships is both working and something staff want to use.
Every AI output we ship lands as a draft. Nothing irreversible happens without a person on your team saying yes, and everything runs in accounts you own.
The work draws on sixteen years building software inside large Australian businesses, including a big four bank and a national media company, before building the same thing end to end for businesses that cannot hire a team to do it.
Why Footnote Every claim should carry its proof
A footnote is where a writer shows their working. You will see small numbers next to claims across this site. Tap one and it shows you the proof: a screenshot, a term, a system running today.
We work the same way with clients. Before any talk of money, we build a small working demo from your public information, so the first thing you judge us on is something that runs.
Probably not for you if We would rather say so now
You run the business on your own. The jobs worth handing over usually belong to a team.
Software you already pay for would do the job. If that is the answer, we will tell you in the first conversation.
Questions people ask first Straight answers
Where should we start?
With the job your team loses the most hours to, not with a tool. Before anything else we build one small working thing from your public information, so you can see what a start looks like in your own business.
How much does it cost?
It is a monthly fee, and each month covers one job. We quote the fee after the demo, once we both know the job. Month one is invoiced only once that job is running with your team.
Do we need to buy new software?
Usually not. What we build runs next to the systems you already have. If software you already pay for would do the job, we will tell you in the first conversation.
Who owns what gets built?
You do. Hosting and AI run in accounts you own from the first day. If you stop, you keep everything that was built.
What happens if we stop?
You keep everything that was built. Hosting and AI run in accounts in your name from the first day, so nothing has to be moved.
Will AI send things to our customers on its own?
No. Every AI output lands as a draft, and nothing reaches a customer until a person on your team approves it.
Is this AI automation or custom software?
Both, depending on the job. Some jobs need a plain tool, like one list that every enquiry lands in. Some need AI to read, sort or draft. Either way, a person on your team approves anything that leaves the business.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?
Australian businesses with admin or sales staff: real estate agencies, freight and logistics, marine and industrial, engineering, and professional services. So far we have built a system for a real estate agency in Cairns and a demo for a marine business. It does not suit a one-person business.
Is this instead of hiring another admin person?
It can be. We take the repeat jobs that would otherwise need another pair of hands: retyping enquiries, chasing quotes, writing the weekly posts. Your staff keep the phone calls and the decisions.
How long until something is running?
The first job is built in month one, with your team. If it is not running by day 30, you pay nothing for that month and keep what was built.
Do you work with businesses in Cairns and Far North Queensland?
Yes. We are based in Melbourne and Cairns, and one of the systems we built runs a real estate agency in Cairns.
Do you work outside Melbourne and Cairns?
Yes. We are based in Melbourne and Cairns and work with businesses across Australia. Most of the work happens on video calls and in the systems themselves.
At a glance
- Based
- Melbourne and Cairns
- Works with
- Businesses across Australia with admin or sales staff
- Builds
- Custom tools, automations, supervised agents
- Background
- Sixteen years of software inside large Australian businesses