Episode 18 · · 00:34:09

Does Your Client Portal Need an App? (And Should Clients Pay Card Fees?)

Chris pictures clients searching the App Store for Wayfront just to reach their agency's portal, so we make the case for PWAs over native apps. We also get into whether agencies should pass card fees on to clients, a Wayfront agent clients could text, Chris programming his KNX lights with AI, and Jev, a yes/no model for spam tickets.

Hosted by Chris Willow and Alex Zakka from Wayfront.

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Show notes

Full show notes

DHH told Rails World he lets agents write the code, and Chris wonders if that makes a native Wayfront app worth building. Then he talks himself out of it: one bug in a less-tested app costs more trust than navigating 10% faster earns, and Alex doesn't want more bloatware on his computer. On the agency side, picture telling clients to search the App Store for Wayfront, pick their agency, and only then log in. So we make the case for PWAs, with no App Store approval, no developer accounts or certificates, and white labeling left intact. Plus Basecamp's fight with Apple over the HEY email app, and Fortnite's exit from the App Store.

Then convenience fees. Chris has paid agencies that pass the card fee on to the client, and he thinks Wayfront should let agencies do the same. Alex would see that fee on a $300 checkout and close the tab. Chris says if a fee is all it takes to lose a prospect, they didn't want the service enough, since buyers rarely compare near-identical agencies and business purchases usually go on the company card. We also hit Chris remembering PayPal once banning fee pass-throughs, Alex flagging possible EU rules, and commodity services like link building where people do price shop.

We also get into AI raising the baseline for agency work, a Wayfront agent clients could text on WhatsApp or iMessage to create orders and tickets, the tiny apps we build for ourselves with AI, Chris's demo calls and the demo workspace, and Wayfront becoming a registered trademark (SPP never could have been). Plus Alex's break in Malaysia, Chris programming his KNX garden lights with AI instead of paying for the installer software, Claude tracking down Alex's PC crashes, about $1,000 of API-equivalent usage in 30 days, and Jev, a yes/no model Chris is testing for spam tickets and about 10x faster agent navigation.

No Custom Work is Chris and Alex from Wayfront, the client portal software for agencies selling repeatable productized services. New episodes every Wednesday.

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