Amber Taverns Case Study
The Challenge
Amber Taverns - CRM and Operations Management System. Users: Management, Administrators and Pub Operators
Amber Taverns runs more than 200 pubs across the UK with plans to expand to over 400. Their core CRM and operations platform was a legacy ASP.NET build that had become hard to maintain. The original developer could no longer support it, security needed attention and changes were slow and risky. The system also struggled to integrate with modern tools, creating rekeying and fragmented data.
The business needed a stable, secure platform and a clear route to a modern replacement. The goal was to keep day to day operations running for managers and head office while planning a future system that improves maintenance, stock, finance and operator experience on web and mobile.
The Development Process
We began by stabilising the current live system. That included documenting the codebase and data model, hardening security, fixing urgent defects and moving the platform to a controlled hosting environment.
With reliability restored, we ran discovery workshops with operations, maintenance, finance and IT to capture current workflows and the desired target state. From this, we produced a detailed specification covering screens, roles, workflows, documents and MI. Wireframes for all key modules were reviewed and signed off before build.
We will agree a phased delivery so improvements land safely while the legacy system continues to serve the estate.
Migration plans, performance budgets and monitoring are in place so changes are measured and reversible. In parallel we are developing a new mobile app for operators and management, and a CMS to keep venue sites up to date.
Key features
- System migration and security upgrades with monitored, resilient hosting
- Compliance and maintenance: faults, incidents, live repair tracking and approvals
- Stock and supply chain: online ordering, predictive inventory and supplier KPIs
- HR and staff: shift scheduling, payroll links and AI assisted rota planning
- Finance and compliance: invoicing, expenses, licensing and health and safety audits
- Third party integrations to remove rekeying and improve accuracy
- Possible CMS for pub microsites with real time updates and branding controls
- New mobile apps for managers and operators, designed to work offline
- AI features for demand forecasting, automated campaigns and attendance monitoring
Outcome
The platform has now been stabilised and migrated, security gaps closed and critical bugs resolved. Modernisation is underway in phased releases. Managers already benefit from faster fault handling and clearer information.
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