A cleared deposit locks dedicated production time into our schedule across Technology and Creative for an agreed delivery window. Until payment clears and onboarding materials are verified, studio capacity remains open to other clients and cannot be held.
The capacity booking sequence
Studio capacity at Xylora Studios is allocated strictly on the receipt of cleared funds and a finalised brief. The booking process follows an exact operational path:
1. Scope and quotation: Package work is booked directly from the packages page, while bespoke projects receive a quote within 48 hours of submitting a complete brief. If you were introduced via our ambassador programme, your 10–30% referral discount is applied directly to this written quote. 2. Deposit invoice issued: Operations & Client Services generates an invoice specifying the required non-refundable deposit. 3. Payment clearance: You settle the invoice using the portal. Capacity is not reserved while transactions are pending or unconfirmed. 4. Slot assignment: Once the deposit clears, Operations & Client Services assigns specific production weeks to your project and books labour across the Creative or Technology teams. 5. Onboarding: You receive confirmation of your scheduled start date and access to your project workspace within our standard working hours (Monday to Thursday, 09:00–17:00 GMT).
What happens across departments
Reserving capacity is not an administrative placeholder; it commits active staff resources.
- Operations & Client Services: Manages the studio schedule, reconciles payments, sets delivery milestones, and acts as your direct contact via the Ask Xylo chat on this portal.
- Creative: Blocks out design, branding, or direction sprints. Team members are taken off general availability and ring-fenced for your deliverables.
- Technology: Allocates engineering infrastructure, codebase reviews, or technical architecture slots to align with the Creative team's timelines.
Because capacity is fixed, committing our teams to your project prevents us from accepting other commissions during the same production window.
Client responsibilities and required inputs
Paying a deposit reserves studio time, but maintaining your booked window requires timely delivery of project dependencies. Before your allocated start date, you must supply:
- Completed brief requirements or approved revisions to the initial scope.
- All required assets (brand guidelines, credentials, copy, or media files).
- Designated sign-off authority within your organisation to prevent approval bottlenecks.
All files and briefs must be submitted prior to the scheduled start date. If dependencies are missing when production opens, our teams cannot proceed, yet the reserved time has already been consumed.
Failure cases and delayed clearance
Delays in settling a deposit or providing briefs carry operational consequences:
- Payment delays: We do not hold slots on verbal promises or purchase orders without cleared funds. If a third party settles an invoice for the same window first, their booking takes precedence, and your start date will move to the next available block.
- Asset submission delays: If your deposit is paid but prerequisite materials are not delivered by the agreed cut-off, work cannot commence. Operations & Client Services will pause the project. Depending on our upcoming pipeline, rescheduling may push your project back several weeks.
- Missed responses: Studio communications operate Monday to Thursday, 09:00–17:00 GMT, with a 24-hour target for initial replies. Extended silence or delayed review turnarounds will freeze production.
Non-refundable terms and rescheduling
Deposits are non-refundable once your production slot is held. Before work begins, sums not yet earned are refunded pro rata; after work begins, completed work and booked time are charged. Defects are fixed free of charge within the acceptance window. The full terms are on the Refund Policy page of the main site. Any exception to this rule is granted exclusively at the studio's sole discretion.
When you pay a deposit, you purchase dedicated studio hours that cannot be reclaimed or sold retroactively. If you choose to cancel or postpone your project, the deposit is retained to cover the scheduled capacity and administrative preparation already committed. Requests to adjust your dates must be submitted through the Ask Xylo chat on this portal; we will accommodate shifts only where upcoming scheduling permits.
Booking readiness checklist
Ensure the following items are complete before paying your deposit:
- [ ] You have received and approved the written quote (including any ambassador referral discount).
- [ ] You agree to the delivery window and timeline proposed by Operations & Client Services.
- [ ] You understand that deposits are strictly non-refundable.
- [ ] All necessary source files, credentials, and brief answers are ready for handoff.
- [ ] Your primary stakeholder is available for review rounds during our operating hours (Monday to Thursday, 09:00–17:00 GMT).