ioSTUDIOS

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Lead and Owner of Parkwood Leisure

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Parkwood Leisure, in collaboration with its partners manages a wide range of leisure facilities, various golf clubs, theatres and heritage facilities across England and Wales on behalf of local authorities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Over years of projects main goals and objectives were achieved
• Become leading provider of Leisure Facility Mangement in the UK
• Become leading provider of Health and Fitness and Swim activities in the UK
• Ensure business is positioned around key strategic missions inc. Wellness and Community

SOLUTION

How did you find ioSTUDIOS?

Referral

Why did you select ioSTUDIOS over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from ioSTUDIOS were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

IO Studios served as a key digital partner for Parkwood Leisure, delivering a comprehensive suite of solutions ranging from complex backend middleware to high-traffic, customer-facing interfaces. Their work focused on three primary areas:

• System Integration and Modernisation with their system Core, a bespoke integration platform designed to bridge theg ap betwene our legacy systems and modern, industry specific software. This platform successfuly unified our CMS, CRM and member management platform unlocking data flows, automations and functionalities not previously possible.
• Customer-Facing Web Development, Acting as our go-to partners, IO designed and built interfaces across our core business pillars, focusing on leisure services, sales optimisation, and lead generation.
• End-to-End CMS Implementation. With Magnolia CMS, they acted as strategic advisors from the discovery phase through to UX/UI design and full-stack development. This solution now serves as the digital backbone for our largest business units.

With the addition of Core, betterment of our customer facing systems and the end-to-end CMS implementation we saw multiple industry digital innovation awards driven by the work implemented with IO Studios. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The digital transformation led by IO Studios resulted in a significant and measurable uplift across Parkwood Leisure’s primary revenue streams. By removing the technical friction between our siloed systems, we saw immediate improvements in user conversion and operational efficiency.

Increases in customer satisfaction levels

Increases in core web statistics and performance indicators

Increases in business efficiency and efficacy

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

IO Studios was highly professional and consistently met key deadlines, even when navigating the complexities of our legacy system integrations and reactive changes that come with the leisure industry.

They functioned more like a partner than a vendor, becoming knowledgable and familiar with our business which helped proactively identify potential blockers before they could impact our timeline.

Their communication was excellent, they were particularly skilled at translating technical challenges into clear business decisions. Whenever our requirements shifted, they were highly responsive and adaptive, ensuring the project stayed on track and aligned with our goals.

What was your primary form of communication with ioSTUDIOS?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Unlike a typical agency, they acted as true partners, often challenging our thinking to ensure we were building the best possible solution for the long term. The knowledge and familiarity they had with how our business operated meant they were as committed to our digital transformation and sales growth as our own internal team was.

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

The quality of work was fantastic. If pushed, a slightly more formalised onboarding process for new project phases could have saved a few days of discovery, but their personal investment and proactivity more than made up for any minor administrative hurdles coming from our archaic industry. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a manager at The Nottingham Park Estate Limited, a private, non-profit estate management company responsible for maintaining and enhancing The Park Estate in Nottingham for the benefit of its residents and members.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with ioSTUDIOS?

We needed to create a bespoke software solution to support the managment of the estate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

iO Studios has developed a cloud-based application that provides a single, secure access point for all data required to manage the estate effectively. The solution streamlines operations, improves processes, and significantly boosts efficiency. Scope includes, to name a few: Centralised management of all data held across the estate. Integrated communication tools for seamless interaction. Third-party integrations, including accounting software. Automated rent charge calculations. Management of property details, personal information, and maintenance tasks. An owner’s portal for easy access to key information. Permit and licence management.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from ioSTUDIOS.

How did you come to work with ioSTUDIOS?

ioSTUDIOS was referred to me.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with ioSTUDIOS in September 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

ioSTUDIOS has delivered on time and on budget. The software has revolutionised all aspects of our business.

How did ioSTUDIOS perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate with ioSTUDIOS via email and messaging apps, online meetings, telephone and occasional in person.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been impressed with ioSTUDIOS’ team. They’re good guys to work with — extremely knowledgeable, patient, and great at problem-solving.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing we can come up with.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Director of Skirting World

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Skirting World is a UK-based manufacturer and retailer specialising in high-quality MDF skirting boards, architrave, wall panelling and interior mouldings, supplying made-to-order products direct to customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

• Digitise and automate the entire operation on one bespoke solution created by ioSTUDIOS to improve efficiency and drive scalable growth

SOLUTION

How did you find ioSTUDIOS?

Online Search

Why did you select ioSTUDIOS over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

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 system which allowed us to manage most aspects of the business (order management, manufacturing, deliveries, etc.) from one place and streamline communications between employees as well as customers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Reducing significant delivery costs

Complete order management system

Streamlined manufacturing line

Improving customer satisfaction by reducing delivery led customer complaints

Improving business efficiency

Providing a vast data set to report/provide insight on in order to improve

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

Timely and excellent communication. Nothing was ever too much trouble and it seems that there's always a way to do something

What was your primary form of communication with ioSTUDIOS?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

ioSTUDIOS' skill set and problem-solving approach stood out.

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

NA

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 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.