Context
Space Station is a UK-based self-storage operator based in Winnersh, Berkshire. Founded in 1983, it has grown rapidly from eight stores in 2015 to 19 locations today, spanning London, the South-East, Birmingham, Yorkshire and Shropshire.
The business was an early adopter of Space Manager, automated workspace software for booking, space allocation and billing. As it grew, Space Manager was customised heavily to fit changing requirements, resulting in a complex, bespoke set-up that was difficult to adapt when the business spotted a new opportunity.
Challenge
Space Station's existing website let prospective customers generate a storage quote online, but there was no mechanism to convert that quote into an actual booking. Bridging the gap required a custom-built integration layer between the website and Space Manager.
With a large and growing store estate, scaling rapidly under new ownership, the pressure to get this digital infrastructure right was significant. The absence of a robust CRM for enquiry and lead management added to the challenge.
Approach
Recommended to Space Station by the Space Manager platform provider, we took the time to immerse ourselves in their highly customised configuration, building a deep understanding of the system before writing any code.
We designed and built a bespoke connection layer between the website and Space Manager, so enquiries submitted online flow directly into the CRM and reservations are created and confirmed automatically, complete with payment processing. When Space Station later migrated their marketing website from WordPress to Laravel, we led the rebuild, improving page load speed, site health and technical SEO. We also introduced automation via webhooks and supported the rollout of a new dynamic pricing system.
"Alun makes sure that any recommendations we receive for our website are implemented in a structurally sound way. He and the team provide a robust technical interface with our digital branding team."
Outcome
The integration gave Space Station a seamless, end-to-end digital customer journey, from initial quote through to confirmed reservation and payment, without friction or manual intervention. Online reservation uptake has grown consistently year on year.
The Laravel rebuild strengthened the technical foundations of the marketing site, and when a critical connectivity issue threatened operations, we responded immediately and monitored the system over a weekend, averting what could have been three to four days of lost bookings. As the business continues to expand, we remain a trusted delivery partner, with the next phase focused on integrating the website with HubSpot Enterprise CRM.
"Alun and the team are very solution-driven. He sees the bigger picture and thinks a couple of steps ahead. They are calm, efficient, and they just get on with it. No dramas."