About Office HQ
Office HQ is a UK-wide office space brokerage specialising in helping businesses find and secure the right office environments to suit their needs. They offer expert, end-to-end support, from sourcing and shortlisting suitable spaces to arranging viewings and advising on negotiations.
Known for their straightforward, client-focused approach, Office HQ works with businesses of all sizes across major UK cities to simplify the office search process and deliver tailored workspace solutions.
Technologies used
We integrated two different APIs into Office HQ’s existing Laravel system to ensure seamless implementation and ease of use.
4 Key Services We Offered:
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Google Maps API Integration
To display embedded maps within each report, customised to the offices selected, we pulled upon Google’s vast database of locational data through the use of the Google Maps API.
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Codebase Issue Resolution
During work on the demo environment, we identified issues within the provided codebase that prevented report generation and resulted in a 500 server error. We investigated the demo-specific codebase and resolved the issues to restore full functionality.
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Custom Report Data
Previously, each report only included a standard set of generic contact details. We enhanced the system so that reports now automatically include the direct contact information of the individual who generated them, making the output more personal and enabling users to operate more autonomously.
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Conversion to .Docx format
Originally, the reports generated were only able to be fetched in PDF format. We implemented an API that now allows users to convert the files directly to .Docx so they can be edited as needed.
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6 Key Technical Integrations:
Here are 6 Technical Integrations we made to the site to meet the vision of Office HQ
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Laravel Backend
We seamlessly modified and pushed new code within an existing Laravel codebase
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Google Maps API
We integrated the Google Maps API to feed cartographic data to the report generation system.
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PDF to Docx
We implemented a conversion API so that the generated PDFs could be downloaded in an editable .docx format
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Custom Data
We updated the reports to support custom contact information, which is automatically applied to the design based on the user who generates each report.
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Codebase Issue Resolution
Identified and resolved server-side errors in the provided demo codebase that prevented report generation.
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Integration with an existing database
We integrated with existing office and amenity data stored in an existing database
Our Process
We partnered with Office HQ to improve their report generation flow and output.
Requirements
Office HQ approached us to enhance and extend their existing report generation platform, used to create detailed, location-specific office reports. The system needed to support dynamic data, personalised contact details, embedded maps, and flexible export options, all while integrating with an existing Laravel codebase and database. Reliability, scalability, and enabling users to generate reports independently were key priorities.
Solutions
We worked within Office HQ’s existing Laravel architecture, extending functionality and resolving issues within the demo codebase that were preventing report generation, while ensuring the live site remained unaffected. The Google Maps API was integrated to embed dynamic, location-based maps into reports using existing office and amenity data. We also enhanced the reporting logic to apply user-specific contact details automatically and implemented a PDF-to-Docx conversion API to allow editable report downloads.
Results
The result is a more robust and flexible reporting platform that enables Office HQ users to generate personalised, data-rich reports with embedded maps and multiple export formats. Users can operate more autonomously, while administrators benefit from a stable and maintainable system that integrates seamlessly with existing data sources. Overall, the platform now better supports Office HQ’s reporting workflows and long-term operational needs.
What Office HQ has to say
chilliapple were fantastic with our project. With me not being the most technically minded, they managed to simplify everything and fully understand what we wanted whilst explaining the process and accurate timelines. Highly recommend.
