🏢 Iris Build · Studio
When the off-the-shelf approach doesn't fit.
Studio is the tier where we throw out the fixed-scope playbook and build what your business actually needs. Multi-location dental groups. Law firms in HIPAA-adjacent practice areas. Service businesses with custom-built CRMs that have been running since 2014. The Signature and Full Frame tiers can't handle these without compromise — so we scope each one individually.
Three signals that Studio is your tier
You probably know if this is you, but here's the test
Multi-location operations
You're not one dental practice; you're a dental group with 8 locations, each with its own phone number, schedule, and patient base. Full Frame's seven-Recipe install built for one location doesn't extend cleanly across eight. We need to plan the architecture differently.
Examples: Multi-location dental, vet, or medical groups. Franchise operators. Property management companies with multiple buildings.
Regulated or compliance-heavy industry
Your business operates under HIPAA, SOC 2, FINRA, or state-specific bar association rules. The default tool stack we'd recommend for Full Frame (Bland AI, Intercom, etc.) may need to be swapped for HIPAA-eligible alternatives, with BAAs in place. The install process itself has compliance gates that don't fit a 30-day timeline.
Examples: Healthcare practices, law firms in regulated practice areas, financial advisors, insurance brokerages.
Significant custom integration work
You have a proprietary CRM. Or a 2012-era practice management system. Or seven different SaaS tools that don't natively talk to each other. The Signature/Full Frame integration window (up to 10 standard integrations) covers most stacks, but yours is genuinely custom — and that needs custom budget.
Examples: Custom-built CRMs. Legacy practice management systems. Multi-vendor stacks with deep workflow interdependencies.
How it works
Custom scope means custom process
Step 1
Discovery call
90-minute Concierge call (longer than the standard 45) where we map your actual operation — locations, compliance constraints, existing systems, internal team. This is more of a consulting engagement than a sales call.
Step 2
Scoping document
Within 5 business days, you get a 10-15 page scoping document with proposed architecture, tool recommendations (including HIPAA-eligible alternatives where required), a phased rollout plan, and a fixed-bid proposal. If the scope doesn't make sense, we'll tell you — we've turned down Studio engagements where we didn't think we were the right fit.
Step 3
Phased build
Studio builds typically run 60-120 days, phased so you see working pieces before the full system is done. Phase 1 might be one location; Phase 2 extends to the rest. Each phase has its own milestone and acceptance.
Step 4
Handoff + ongoing partnership
Same ownership model as Signature and Full Frame — you own everything we build. Most Studio clients keep an ongoing retainer because the operational surface is large enough that monthly tuning genuinely earns its keep.
What Studio isn't
Studio sounds intimidating, so it's worth being clear about what we don't take on.
- ·Custom AI model training. We integrate existing AI tools. We don't train proprietary models on your data — that's an AI engineering firm's job, not ours.
- ·Multi-million-dollar transformations. Big-4 consultancies and dedicated enterprise AI firms exist for those. We're built for upper-SMB and lower-mid-market businesses where a focused 60-120 day install solves real problems.
- ·Compliance work outside our expertise. We're comfortable with HIPAA-eligible deployments and standard BAAs. We don't do FedRAMP, ITAR, or other highly specialized compliance regimes.
- ·Replacement of dedicated IT departments. If you have an IT team, we partner with them — we don't displace them.
What Studio costs
We scope each engagement individually
Honest answer: Studio engagements typically start at $14,997+ for the install, plus a retainer that depends on operational surface. Some sit near the floor (a single-location regulated practice with one integration). Most run into the high five figures (multi-location groups with deep custom integration).
The discovery call is where we figure out what your specific scope is and quote you fairly. The Studio scoping call runs 90 minutes and produces a 10-15 page proposal document; it's billed at $2,997 (higher than the standard Stack Audit because the call is longer and the deliverable is substantially deeper). It credits 100% toward the install if you proceed.
If you're not sure whether your business is “Studio” or just a complex Full Frame — book the standard Iris Stack Audit ($1,597) first. We'll tell you whether you need Studio scope or whether Full Frame is the right tier, and the $1,597 credits forward toward whichever install we settle on.
Start risk-free, then we'll make it right
Most clients start with a fully refundable First Light — a genuinely risk-free first step before committing to a custom build. After that, your Studio install is covered by our “we'll make it right” satisfaction guarantee plus a returning-customer discount on future work. And if you're unhappy with your Studio install, tell us within 30 days: we get one call plus 7 business days to make it right. Monthly retainer is cancelable anytime.
Or start with a $1,597 Stack Audit if you're not sure whether you need Studio. We'll figure out together which tier fits.