Answers to common questions

Most projects follow the same broad stages: discovery, where we understand your business and requirements; planning and design, where we agree on scope, screens and structure; development, with regular reviews; testing with your team; launch; and support after go-live.

The depth of each stage depends on the size of the project, but you will always know what is being worked on and what we need from you.

Timelines depend on scope. A company website with ready content moves much faster than a multi-branch ERP with data migration and integrations. Speed also depends on how quickly content, feedback and approvals are provided during the project.

Once we understand your requirements, we share a realistic schedule with clear stages in the proposal instead of promising a fixed duration upfront.

To begin, we need a clear picture of what you want to achieve, how your team works today and any examples, documents or existing systems that are relevant. It also helps to name one decision-maker on your side who can answer questions and approve stages.

You can share the basics through our Start a Project form, and we will follow up with any questions.

Yes. Our main market is Bahrain, but we also work with clients in other GCC countries, the wider Middle East and internationally. Meetings, reviews and training can be held online, and systems can be configured for different currencies, languages and tax settings where required.

For country-specific legal or tax requirements, we recommend confirming the details with a local advisor.

The cost depends on the scope: the number of features, users and branches, integrations with other systems, data migration, design requirements and ongoing support. Two projects that sound similar can be very different once the details are clear.

The most reliable way to get a figure is to request a quote. Share what you need, and we will come back with questions or a proposal based on your actual requirements.

Yes, requesting a quote is free. For most enquiries, we review your requirements, ask follow-up questions and provide a quotation without charge.

For large or complex systems where requirements are still unclear, we may suggest a separate discovery or analysis phase first. If so, we explain what it includes before any work begins.

For projects, payments are commonly split into stages linked to milestones, such as an initial payment to start, further payments as agreed parts are delivered and a final payment at handover. Hosting, maintenance and support services are usually billed on a recurring basis.

The exact payment schedule is stated clearly in your quotation or agreement before the work begins.

Changes are normal, especially once people start using early versions of a system. Small adjustments within the agreed scope are handled as part of the project. If a change adds new features or significantly alters what was agreed, we explain the effect on cost and schedule and confirm it with you in writing before doing the work.

This keeps the project transparent and avoids surprises at the end.

We build business software for companies in Bahrain and the wider GCC: custom web applications, POS systems, ERP and business management systems, CRM, inventory, HR and payroll, and accounting tools. We also handle the integrations that connect these systems to payment providers, websites, accounting platforms and other services through APIs.

Most of our work is for SMEs and growing companies that have outgrown spreadsheets or off-the-shelf tools and need software that fits how they actually operate.

It depends on how standard your processes are. If a ready-made product covers most of what you need and your team can adapt to it, that is often the faster and more economical route. Custom software makes sense when your workflows are specific to your business, when you need several systems to work together, or when licence costs and workarounds are growing.

During the discovery stage we will tell you honestly which option we think fits, even if that means recommending an existing product.

Yes. Bilingual interfaces are a common requirement in Bahrain, so we plan for Arabic and English from the start, including right-to-left layouts, Arabic text on printed receipts and invoices, and reports that staff can read in their preferred language.

Planning this early is much easier than adding a second language after the system is built, so let us know your language needs when you share your requirements.

Ownership and licensing terms are agreed in writing before a project starts and are set out in the quotation or agreement. For fully custom projects, clients commonly receive ownership of the code written specifically for them, while shared components, third-party libraries and our own reusable products remain under their respective licences.

If ownership matters to your business, raise it early so it is clearly reflected in the agreement.

Our POS work is aimed at retail shops, restaurants and cafés, pharmacies, laundries, trading companies and other businesses that sell over the counter. Each of these has different needs, such as table and kitchen orders for restaurants, batch and expiry tracking for pharmacies, or garment tagging for laundries.

We configure or build the POS around your type of business rather than forcing one generic screen on everyone.

Our POS solutions are designed to support Bahrain's 10% VAT invoicing requirements, including VAT-inclusive and VAT-exclusive pricing, tax details on receipts and invoices, and VAT summaries for reporting. Amounts are handled in BHD with three decimal places.

Tax rules can change and every business has its own circumstances, so we recommend confirming your specific invoicing obligations with a qualified tax advisor.

Yes. Multi-branch operation is one of the most common requests we receive. A central setup lets you manage products and prices in one place, see sales and stock by branch, transfer stock between locations and control what each user can access.

If you currently run separate systems in, for example, a Manama shop and a Muharraq branch, we can discuss how to bring that data together.

A typical counter uses a PC, tablet or touch terminal, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner and a cash drawer, with kitchen printers or label printers where the business needs them. Card payments usually run through a terminal provided by your bank or payment provider.

Before you buy anything, we can review the devices you already have and advise on compatibility, so you avoid purchasing equipment that does not fit the setup.

Common signs include data being re-entered in several places, stock figures that do not match sales, month-end reports that take days to prepare, and managers relying on staff to pull numbers from different files. If your sales, purchasing, inventory, accounts and HR live in separate tools, an ERP or business management system can bring them into one database.

Not every company needs a full ERP on day one; sometimes connecting two or three core areas is the right starting point.

Yes, and for most SMEs we recommend it. A phased rollout usually starts with the modules that cause the most day-to-day pain, such as inventory and sales, and adds purchasing, accounts, HR or reporting once the first phase is stable and your team is comfortable.

This approach spreads cost and training over time and lets real usage shape the later phases.

In most cases, yes. We can import customers, suppliers, products, opening stock and balances from spreadsheets, exports from older software or database files, depending on how clean and accessible the data is.

Data migration usually involves some cleanup on your side, such as removing duplicates or confirming opening balances. We plan this together and test imports before going live.

Integration is often where an ERP delivers the most value. We can connect it with an e-commerce store, POS terminals, payment providers, messaging tools or third-party services through APIs, so orders, stock and payments flow between systems without manual re-entry.

What can be connected depends on whether the other system offers an API or export options, which we check during discovery.

Both. WordPress works well for company websites, blogs and many online stores (with WooCommerce), especially when your team wants to update content easily. For websites with complex logic, customer portals, bookings or deep integrations, we usually build with Laravel.

We recommend the platform based on what the website needs to do, how you plan to maintain it and how it may grow.

Yes. We build bilingual websites with proper right-to-left layouts for Arabic, separate URLs for each language and translated page titles and descriptions so both versions can be found in search.

We can work with Arabic content you already have or help you plan the content for both languages.

Yes. Our websites include an admin area where your team can edit pages, publish news or blog posts, change images and manage products or services without writing code. We provide a handover session so the people responsible know how to use it.

If you prefer not to manage it yourselves, website maintenance support is also available.

We can integrate online payment gateways into e-commerce stores and booking or service websites, subject to provider and client account availability. In practice, you open a merchant account with a bank or payment provider, and we connect their gateway to your website once your account is approved.

We can explain the options during planning, but the provider's approval process and fees are handled between you and the provider.

No. Nobody can honestly guarantee specific rankings, because search engines decide results using their own algorithms, which change regularly, and competition differs for every keyword. Be cautious of anyone who promises a guaranteed position.

What we do is fix technical issues, improve content and page structure, strengthen local signals and report clearly on visibility, traffic and enquiries so you can see whether the work is moving in the right direction.

There is no fixed timeline. Technical fixes can be noticed relatively quickly once search engines recrawl the site, while content and authority improvements build up gradually. The pace depends on your website's current condition, your competitors and how consistently the work is carried out.

SEO works best as an ongoing effort rather than a one-off task.

Local SEO helps your business appear when people nearby search for what you offer, such as "pharmacy in Riffa" or "laundry near me". It covers your Google Business Profile, accurate location details on Google Maps, reviews, local pages on your website and consistent contact information.

Bahrain is a compact market where many customers search on their phones and then call or send a WhatsApp message straight away, so appearing in local results can directly affect enquiries.

Yes. Arabic searches often use different phrasing from English, so we research Arabic keywords separately instead of translating English terms. We also make sure the Arabic pages have their own titles, descriptions and language tags so search engines show the right version to the right audience.

Shared hosting places your website on a server alongside other websites that share its resources. It suits company websites and smaller projects with moderate traffic. A VPS gives you dedicated resources and more control over the server configuration, which suits business applications, busier online stores and systems that need specific software.

We can review your website or application and recommend the option that fits its current load and expected growth.

Yes. Website migration includes copying files and databases, moving email accounts where needed, testing the site on the new server and then updating DNS records. We plan the switch to keep disruption to a minimum and check everything after the move.

We will need access to your current hosting account or a full backup, along with access to your domain's DNS settings.

We set up SSL certificates so your website loads over HTTPS, and we configure backups according to the hosting plan and your needs. For business-critical systems, we can also design a separate backup and disaster recovery setup with off-site copies and tested restore procedures.

The exact inclusions are confirmed in your quotation so there are no assumptions about what is covered.

Yes. Server management covers routine updates, security configuration, monitoring, backup checks and troubleshooting on Linux servers and VPS environments. This is useful for companies that run business applications but do not have an in-house system administrator.

The scope of management, such as which tasks are included and how requests are raised, is agreed with you in advance.

Yes. We can help you check availability, choose a suitable name and register common extensions such as .com and others your business may need. Some country extensions, including .bh, have their own eligibility rules and documentation requirements, which we can explain before you apply.

We recommend registering the domain in your company's name so ownership is clear.

Your business should be the registered owner of its domain. We register domains with your company details as the registrant, and we can manage renewals and DNS settings on your behalf if you wish.

If your domain was previously registered by a former supplier or employee under their own name, we can guide you through recovering or transferring it.

Yes. A transfer normally requires the domain to be unlocked at the current registrar and an authorisation code to be issued. Some registrars restrict transfers shortly after registration or renewal.

Before transferring, we record your existing DNS settings so your website and email continue to work during and after the move.

When a domain expires, the website and email linked to it usually stop working. There is often a grace period for renewal, but after that the domain may become costly to recover or be registered by someone else.

We recommend auto-renewal with up-to-date payment details and a contact email that is actively monitored. If we manage your domain, we track renewal dates for you.

An address such as sales@yourcompany.com looks more professional to clients and suppliers, and it keeps company communication under company control. When an employee leaves, the mailbox and its history stay with the business.

Business email also allows shared mailboxes, proper security settings and email authentication records that help reduce the chance of your messages being marked as spam.

Yes. We provide setup, migration, configuration and support for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. This includes connecting your domain, creating users and shared mailboxes, configuring DNS records, setting up devices and helping staff get started.

We can also help you compare the two platforms based on the tools your team already uses.

In most cases, yes. We can move existing mailboxes, folders and, where supported, contacts and calendars from your current email provider to the new platform. The method depends on what your current provider allows.

We plan the switchover carefully so new messages keep arriving while older mail is being copied across.

A frequent cause is missing or incorrect email authentication records, namely SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Other causes include sending from a shared server with a poor reputation, compromised accounts or bulk emails sent from a normal mailbox.

We can review your domain's DNS and email configuration, fix what is wrong and advise on better practices for sending newsletters or bulk messages.

Yes. After launch, we fix issues related to the delivered work and help your team settle in. For ongoing needs, we offer support and maintenance arrangements that can cover updates, monitoring, backups, small changes and troubleshooting.

The details of what is included after delivery are set out in your quotation or agreement.

You can reach us by email at info@friendtechitsolutions.com, by phone on +973 3546 0525, or by phone or WhatsApp on +973 3739 9945. Clients on a support arrangement receive details of the preferred channel for raising requests so issues can be tracked properly.

When reporting a problem, a short description, screenshots and the time it happened help us resolve it faster.

Often, yes. We start with a technical review of the code, hosting and documentation to understand the system's condition and any risks. Based on that, we tell you whether we can maintain it as it is, whether parts need to be improved first, or whether rebuilding would be more practical.

Access to the source code, server and database is essential for this kind of review.

Yes. Our IT support covers everyday technology issues for businesses, such as email and account problems, computer and printer setup, network troubleshooting, backups and security settings. Support can be provided remotely or on-site in Bahrain, depending on the issue and the arrangement agreed with you.