by Ella Ciampi
Wow it really doesn’t feel very long since I wrote our 2024 wrapped article, but I guess that’s how we all feel!
Before 2026 arrives it’s always good to take a moment and reflect. As a team we do this every fortnight and quarter – however I think it’s important to remind ourselves of the bigger picture and what we have achieved as a team this year.
So, let’s look back on how MARKUS has developed, the customers we’ve caught up with, and some key team moments.
How has MARKUS changed?
This year MARKUS has seen major platform upgrades, along with customer-driven improvements, to make sure it keeps your team working smarter by being quicker, and more intuitive.
The development team has been busy producing over 150 new features, resolving over 1,300 bugs, and completing more than 2,600 coding tasks. Yes, we know our team is awesome – and we want them to know it!
We’ve also been improving the foundations of MARKUS to support future growth. We upgraded to PHP8.4 and Python 3 to improve the reliability and performance of MARKUS, while also investing in our crash monitoring and testing.
There are some projects that have really stood out this year.
- The survey importer – Madi’s third year university project has made survey setup quicker than ever.
- The customer support portal – Pat’s third year university project has created a new level of transparency between you and your tickets.
- The subcontractor portal – This new portal aims to simplify the relationship between you and your subcontractors, as well as giving greater control and visibility of work.
- Preferred engineer – MARKUS will now suggest the best engineer for a job.
Data visibility
We have made reports clearer, faster and more insightful. The team has not only improved existing reports, but also created new ones such as survey answers, PPM tasks, and a report based on the engineer setup screen. Along with adding numerous new filters, and sortable fields to support the analysis of data.
MARKUS Mobile
The mobile app has seen enhancements to ensure engineers are supported on the go. My highlights include watermarking photos, the ability to book a half day of annual leave, and the addition of priority to places to go screen. The app is now also able to remember sort order and filters.
APIs and Integrations
A huge focus this year was integrations – we have enhanced Xero, Sage and purchase invoice APIs, added Azure SSO, and implemented two-factor authentication. These enhancements reduce administration tasks and support MARKUS to work seamlessly with other systems that our customers use.
Surveys/forms
Thanks to Madi, survey setup is now more efficient and flexible with new reports, units of measure types, and the ability to export and import templates. Surveys can also be bulk selected based on type when printing pdfs from a job invoice along with the ability to bulk download survey attachments.
I could go on forever about all the ways we have enhanced MARKUS this year but it’s all there in the monthly release notes, which are always worth a read.
Welcoming new customers
This year we’ve welcomed many new customers to our community – from 1 Call Property Maintenance up in Scotland, to AGR Facilities Management, Cannon Electrical, Designer Wetrooms, H&B Builders, Preserve First, R&D Roofing and RefMech who are all a little closer to us in Manchester. We’ve loved supporting their teams to get them started with MARKUS, and we look forward to working closely with them throughout the new year.
2025 customer visits
This year our team caught up with over thirty-three customers, from meetings up in Keith all the way down to Plymouth. We have truly been up and down the country, reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting new ones. Each visit has been an opportunity to strengthen partnerships, support teams in getting the most from MARKUS, and gain a deeper understanding of how MARKUS is being used day-to-day across different types of businesses.
A catch-up with us doesn’t have to be a formal sit-down. Across more than sixty meetings, we have covered everything from new implementations and in-depth system reviews to informal chats over a coffee (and the occasional pint!). Whether we’re helping teams roll out MARKUS to new departments, introducing fresh features, or gathering ideas for future updates, these visits are a vital part of how we stay connected with our customers.
System reviews have been a particular focus this year, giving us valuable time with our customers to explore how MARKUS supports their operations – and to identify small changes that can make a big impact. Alongside these, our regular face-to-face meetings have helped us maintain open feedback loops and keep collaboration at the heart of what we do. It has been great to hear success stories, talk through new projects, and see first-hand the difference MARKUS makes in the field.
Our team’s highlights
The management team places a strong emphasis on supporting professional development, recognising the importance of investing in our people. A strong learning culture continues to shape how our team leads innovation and drives the evolution of MARKUS.
This year, several team members have completed mental health advocacy training as well as courses focused on everyday processes such as managing meetings. We have also improved the way knowledge is shared across EPIX through new internal documentation and help articles.
As an organisation, we have reviewed how we apply Agile principles, aligning teams and refining sprint processes to make sure our ways of working continue to support EPIX’s mission. We have also enhanced our code review process and use of Jira, helping to streamline our daily operations and communication.
We have made sure to get the team out of the office too, from lunches to outings, we have done it all. Maintaining strong relationships within the team is key to supporting each other’s growth. I love organising regular catch-ups and we did some good ones this year – from competing at The Cube, racing around Manchester for an outdoor escape room, bringing out our creative side with pottery painting, through to relaxed team lunches.
This year also brought a few special milestones. Chris, our Implementations Manager, celebrated 10 years at EPIX, while Jess, who joined as a degree apprentice, has stepped into a new role focused on bridging the gap between support and development. Watching our apprentices grow in confidence and experience has been a real highlight, and we are excited to see where their journeys take them next.
Everyone’s favourite moments
Mike: I have loved keepin it real with customers with open days, and system review meetings.
Ian: The year was so amazing it was all one big highlight.
Chris: Doing the webinars.
Bob: Seeing the third-year project be launched and used!
Zahir: My favourite thing I’ve done this year is experimenting with server clustering using two old computers – being able to get a test version of MARKUS hosted on it, in hopes of maybe one day entirely changing our server architecture.
Jess: My new job role – Implementation Engineer.
Madi: Technically my favourite thing atm has been working on my UI/UX course. But I also enjoyed the Housing Show, and ScaffEx was so cool with all the scaffolding structures.
Pat: Working on Azure active directory.
Ella: Supporting the team.
Rohan: Travelling to Scotland to see our customers for a few days.
Marwah: My highlight of the year was the open day. I liked that we got to discuss which features customers really liked, and got their feedback on what we could improve. I also enjoyed meeting the customers.
2026…coming soon!
So, what’s in the cards for EPIX in 2026? More of the good stuff! We’ll be keeping system reviews front and centre, helping teams squeeze every last bit of value out of MARKUS, while our webinars will give everyone an easy way to stay up-to-date without leaving their desk (or their brew). We’ve got plenty of improvements lined up, more customer ideas to bring to life, and a whole new year of building, tweaking and collaborating.
Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2026.
