ioSTUDIOS

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Managing Partner of an environmental services company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

As a government accredited Packaging Compliance Scheme, we help UK companies assess and report their packaging returns under the Extended Producer Responsibility Packaging Regulations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ioSTUDIOS to accomplish?

• Digitise existing offline processes onto an automated, efficient Web App solution
• Enhance data integrity, insight and security
• Create multi-branded, tenanted interface/user journeys that are easy to use
• The platform has been created in a way that can efficiently support and grow with the company
• Ability to demonstrate compliance with industry regulators, when audited
• Professionalises offering and brand to clients and customers
• Provide Senior Management with an overview of KPI level information and metrics

SOLUTION

How did you find ioSTUDIOS?

Referral

Why did you select ioSTUDIOS over others?

Previously used within our group of companies

How many teammates from ioSTUDIOS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

To create a web based portal for us to interface with our customers who are required to effectively submit packaging tax returns.

The individual data returns then need to be amalgated into a single submission to the UK regulators.

Key deliverables include:  Making an intuitive user interface for customers, providing a platform for account managers to review data, ensure all calculations meet the regulatory requirements, provide reporting functionality, increase the speed and accuracy of processing returns and enable management of the Schemes data submission periods.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Increase in Data Quality of Return Forms

Increased efficiency when assessing and processing customers packaging data submissions

The web portal was able to successfully complete the first data submission when we went live.

Increase in scheduling and planning

Increase in Administrative User efficiency due to automated and efficient input journeys and integrations

Increase in traceability and compliance metrics

Increase in Data Quality

Reduction in Manual Admin Hours, meaning KES team can spend more focus and effort on value added work items

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project was well structured from the outset with key phases of Discovery, Prototype, Build, Testing and Bug Fixing.  Communication was good with the use of Basecamp software, which documented the project throughout.  ioSTUDIOS is always very responsive especially when we asked for virtual meetings to discuss aspects of the design/build, to keep the project on track.

What was your primary form of communication with ioSTUDIOS?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

A rigourous introduction to how the project will be run, and the structure the project followed, gave us a clear direction of travel enabling us to plan our resources to ensure the project ran smoothly.  The project was technically challenging due to the nature of the Regulations and IO Studios did well in understanding the intricacies of what was required and coding this into the finished solution.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ioSTUDIOS could have done differently?

With any project of this nature you can never over communicate, so we would welcome unplanned calls at any stage to clarify and cross-check understanding throughout.  In addition, enhancement in the rigour of quality testing would reduce the time needed to fix bugs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Partner of Kite Packaging

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Distribution of Industrial Packaging 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ioSTUDIOS to accomplish?

• Successfully launch a bespoke CRM solution to be used by both the Sales and Retention teams at Kite

SOLUTION

How did you find ioSTUDIOS?

Referral

Why did you select ioSTUDIOS over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ioSTUDIOS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

To design, develop, launch and support an customised internal CRM system that was inegrated into both our existing ERP platform and our web platform. System had to have the abaility to support mutlpile users in our sales team, procing live data on customers activity through our ecommerce website. There was a requirment to snyc data back and forth between our other systems.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Increase Sales figures

Increase Retention figures

Increase department efficiency via effective UX UI design, functionality, automation and integration.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Applied Agile development methodology with regular update meetings to key stakeholders, joint testing approach and co-ordinated reviews of the project prgression versus the brief.  

They team at IO Studios were highly competent, extemely professional, highly skilled and first class communicators. 

What was your primary form of communication with ioSTUDIOS?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The depth of their knowlege. Their creative support and commuincation approch, as a result of a highly collabrative culture. They developed a best-in-class software solution for us and did exactly what they said they would do, when they said they would do it. A highly skilled, extremely proffesional and classy team of people. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something ioSTUDIOS could have done differently?

No. They tick every box.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former CTO of E2E Total Loss Claims Management. The company works in the insurance industry and manages total loss vehicles that have been written off following an accident. They process those and sometimes settle with the clients and the policyholder and salvage the vehicle.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ioSTUDIOS?

We had legacy solutions and a brand-new Microsoft Azure solution created by a third party. When I came in, that third party had been there for many years, and we felt we needed to move to new suppliers. ioSTUDIOS’ role was to upscale the existing systems, both the old and the new, to maintain and support those systems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ioSTUDIOS has upscaled the old system to understand and support it. The company works with top insurers, so we had high SLAs to maintain. The team has ensured that the company can maintain those SLAs. There have been times when new features or adjustments have been required, and ioSTUDIOS has done that.

Regarding the new technology, ioSTUDIOS supports and enhances what has been built. We developed a roadmap together to enhance the product subsequently. The new technology uses React and Azure Cosmos DB. ioSTUDIOS provides both 9–5 support and out-of-hours support.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about five teammates, including Joe, Tom, Charlie, and James. Among them were a UX tester, a project manager, and developers.

How did you come to work with ioSTUDIOS?

Since our incumbent partner was looking after all the infrastructure, we wanted a Microsoft Azure partner that specialized in the tool. We found a specialist within the top 1% of Microsoft Azure providers in the UK. I was using them to migrate the on-site infrastructure to Microsoft Azure, and they had been working with ioSTUDIOS successfully with other clients — that's how the connection started.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ioSTUDIOS in the first quarter of 2023, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The company measures ioSTUDIOS' work in the old system by looking at the level of support and the speed at which ioSTUDIOS responds when issues arise. The team has consistently been above our SLAs on both fronts. 

There is also a tight approach to the way support tickets are raised. We decided to time-box the support time to investigate and clarify the cost rather than eat up all the support time for one particular task. The devil's in the details, and sometimes with tickets, the team could spend two days digging into something, and now there was no time left in the support contract for that month. Therefore, we time-boxed this process so that we could approve further investigation at additional cost for certain tickets. This system has been successful.

One of the developers from ioSTUDIOS got involved because he was one of the few people old enough to have used the type of technology in our systems. This was a great challenge, especially as there was very little documentation provided. ioSTUDIOS did a fantastic job getting their head around the technology and adding documentation to make sure it was supported. 

How did ioSTUDIOS perform from a project management standpoint?

ioSTUDIOS meets deadlines and stays on budget. The team uses Jira and Trello. ioSTUDIOS manages the team within Microsoft Azure DevOps.

The team communicates via Microsoft Teams, email, or phone calls, depending on the situation. When I was working with them, we had Microsoft Teams calls each week when ioSTUDIOS was working on development sprints. We also had a monthly IT supplier governance call to discuss the team’s performance and talk through it with the other suppliers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ioSTUDIOS’ responsiveness to clients is impressive. The team is right in the client’s needs and comes up with suitable solutions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need more teammates. The challenge is that when you start to scale, you lose that quality.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to have clear requirements. There are times when you’ve already thought through what you’re after, not necessarily how it needs to be done, but how you want to achieve it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Ductu

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We help schools to interact with large employers on behalf of students with disabilities, by arranging menaingful and engaging workplace activities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ioSTUDIOS to accomplish?

• Utilise a digital first approach that enables Ductu to offer scalable, digital first, efficiently ran solution
• Enable ductu to help as many SEND students as possible, nationally

SOLUTION

How did you find ioSTUDIOS?

Online Search

Why did you select ioSTUDIOS over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ioSTUDIOS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Starting from scratch, IO studios have built, improved, amened and supported our software solution. We have been through several iterations, and significant business changes through that period, and IO Studios have supported us throughout. The process has been meticulous, their staff have been knowledgbale and have challenged my ideas to get to the best solution. We now have a software suite that enabled me to help 6,500 students last year to have life changing, incredible interactions with high quality employers including McDonalds, TSB and Hobbycraft. Our software enables us to mange the nuance of our process around the booking and rescheduling of activities, colllection and reminders of key documents, and collection of surveys for continual improvement. We also have intellident call lists helping my staff to target customers based on credit levels, interaction with marketing, and liklehood of purchase.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Key stages of development within our process. We have now completed several phases of development. Each has been delivered on tim and within budget. The only expection has been when my specification has altered during the development due to changes in our workflow. These changes have been integrated every time to get to a succesful resolution.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

I think project management has been the core reason for teh succcess of the project. It has been tight, controlled and collaborative. The team challenge my thoughts and have suggested some very creative ways to acheive a solution. From the wireframing, prototyping, interface design to support, the structure is the most impressive part of the work with IO Studios. I feel that they are in control at all times and genuinely understand my business, not just the coding.

What was your primary form of communication with ioSTUDIOS?

Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

As described. IO Studios are very organised and structured. Everything follows a process and they dont allow me to deviate from that process. That works very well. However this is only possible, especially with techincal staff, when they are approachable, knowledgable and engaging.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ioSTUDIOS could have done differently?

Genuinely no. Every person I deal with and every process we have gone through has been exceptional.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the partnerships director of a company that designs, administers, and manages flexible and voluntary vehicle breakdown employee benefits schemes, leveraging over 15 years of experience in this industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ioSTUDIOS to accomplish?

We initially hired ioSTUDIOS for the full redesign and build of our website. In 2025, we launched another full redesign and build of our website. Additionally, ioSTUDIOS has built bespoke internal processing software and helped to achieve automation of processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Full solution, from design to implementation. 

Company Website (2019 and 2025 Redesigns)

In 2019, ioSTUDIOS completed a full redesign and rebuild of our website, creating a modern, responsive platform to support our core services and client onboarding.In 2025, ioSTUDIOS delivered a second complete rebuild and redesign, incorporating updated branding, improved navigation, enhanced content management capabilities, and integrated lead-generation and client-communication tools.

Main deliverables:

Requirements scoping and technical specification System architecture and database design Secure user interface for internal and admin teams Improved reporting tools Ongoing development, testing, and support

Bespoke Internal Processing Software

ioSTUDIOS has also designed and built a custom web-based system to manage our internal processing, data management, and workflow automation.The system was developed to improve accuracy, scalability, and efficiency in handling client data and scheme administration.

Main deliverables:

Requirements scoping and technical specification System architecture and database design Secure user interface for internal and admin teams Improved reporting tools Ongoing development, testing, and support

Project status

We started working with ioSTUDIOS in 2019, and our relationship is ongoing.

How did you come to work with ioSTUDIOS?

We found ioSTUDIOS through a referral. We chose them because they were close to our geographic location, had a great culture fit, and were referred to us.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from ioSTUDIOS.

How do you communicate with ioSTUDIOS?

We communicate through in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and email or messaging apps.

What's the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

ioSTUDIOS has saved us 30 days' worth of administrative processing time. We've also reduced our inbound call volume by 50% in two years.

How did ioSTUDIOS perform from a project management standpoint?

ioSTUDIOS' project management is professional and in-depth. They always deliver on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ioSTUDIOS goes beyond the call of duty.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's nothing ioSTUDIOS could improve on.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Value Pricing Academy, a company that helps owners of accounting firms master value pricing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ioSTUDIOS?

We needed help creating software that enables accounting firm owners to have a price conversation with their clients and agree on a price in the client meeting. The software aims to help accounting firm owners close more business and better prices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ioSTUDIOS has worked with me to turn my vision into a software tool that gives accounting firm owners the flexibility they need to build out their pricing models. The team has created an initial mock-up of my ideas, developed the software and the database on the backend, and built some integrations with financial accounting software.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with Tom (Founder) and a main developer.

How did you come to work with ioSTUDIOS?

I found ioSTUDIOS through a LinkedIn search. I chose them because they immediately understood my requirements, and I immediately liked Tom.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2015. In January 2020, ioSTUDIOS worked on a brand-new version of the software. The project is still ongoing, but since the software is now almost entirely bug-free and works perfectly, there is very little need to update it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

ioSTUDIOS has launched the software successfully and added huge amounts of value to our business and our customers. Since we provide the software as a free tool for our members, it’s impossible to quantify the exact impact. However, there’s no doubt that it has helped us acquire and retain new members. We have dozens of success stories from members who have used the software to get higher prices. In some cases, they’ve been able to double or quadruple their prices. The software has made a very big difference to many of our customers.

How did ioSTUDIOS perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been excellent, and ioSTUDIOS has always delivered on time. We mainly communicate through Loom videos and Zoom meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with ioSTUDIOS’s ability to understand the requirements and build a software tool that does exactly what it’s supposed to do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for ioSTUDIOS to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Director of Stallion AI Services

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Stallion AI Services is one of the world's leading equine semen collection, storage and distribution companies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire ioSTUDIOS to accomplish?

• ioSTUDIOS designed and delivered a greenfield, cloud-based application called SAINT, tailored to the unique needs of Stallion AI
• Replatform Stallion AI ecommerce site and integrate this with SAINT

SOLUTION

How did you find ioSTUDIOS?

Online Search

Why did you select ioSTUDIOS over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ioSTUDIOS were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Delivery of a bespoke stock management system integrated into a brand new website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Build new eCommerce and Processing systems in up-to-date, easy to use technology

Ensure ecommerce website performed well across all key web metrics inc. core journey CRO

Reduce manual admin processing time and errors

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Our complex requirements have been met or exceeded at every stage of the project.  They are extremely responsive to our needs, particularly as our needs are ever evolving.

What was your primary form of communication with ioSTUDIOS?

• In-Person Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Their ability to grasp our complex business requirements even when they are not completely clear to us.

Are there any areas for improvement or something ioSTUDIOS could have done differently?

Not really.  It's hard to fault the service that they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the change and compliance manager for e2e, an automotive company. We’re the only UK organization entirely dedicated to the professional, technology-driven, and client-focused business of total loss claims management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ioSTUDIOS?

We needed development support to enhance our existing auction site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ioSTUDIOS has enhanced many aspects of our auction site, including the customer journey, performance, security, responsiveness, and integration with third-party services.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with five teammates from ioSTUDIOS.

How did you come to work with ioSTUDIOS?

We were referred to ioSTUDIOS.  We reviewed their existing developments, testimonials and visited their premises. Following these discussions we chose them because they were a good fit for our company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ioSTUDIOS in February 2023, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve successfully worked with ioSTUDIOS for several years.

How did ioSTUDIOS perform from a project management standpoint?

ioSTUDIOS has a great approach to controlling and executing development sprints. The team follows the same process for every sprint, including discovery, scope definition and agreement, design, development, QA, and implementation. A formal change control process is wrapped around the development.

We communicate with ioSTUDIOS via project calls or online progress updates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ioSTUDIOS has been an excellent partner to work with. The team provides great technical expertise aligned with a flexible and scalable approach to our requirements. All of ioSTUDIOS’ teammates are personable and willing to listen to our needs. Cultural fit was one of the reasons we initially selected ioSTUDIOS, and they’ve demonstrated a positive "can do" approach throughout our work together, helping us overcome project hurdles and meet tight deadlines.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing ioSTUDIOS could have done better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the a director of a company that manages leisure centres.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ioSTUDIOS?

We needed to improve our main website with key integrations with other suppliers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

ioSTUDIOS has developed an online joining system for leisure centre members, including timetables and booking of classes and activities. They have also worked on numerous other projects helping our in centre sales and Theatre business.<br>What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5 teammates.

How did you come to work with ioStudios?

We found ioStudios through a local search and chose them because they took a real interest in the business and wanted to help us improve.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ioSTUDIOS earlier than 2013, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

ioSTUDIOS has improved our online joining journey, resulting in a greater level of sign-ups on the website. The look and feel of the site have also improved, and we've reduced the stages in the selling process, which has led to an improved customer conversion rate.

How did ioSTUDIOS perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on time. We communicate with ioSTUDIOS through regular online and in person meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

ioSTUDIOS always tries to ensure that solutions are designed to fit our business.

There's nothing ioSTUDIOS could improve on.