EST. 2016

Small team. Serious software.

Affect is a bespoke software development agency based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Since 2016, we've been building the platforms that businesses actually run on — from process automation for growing companies to the clinical systems behind Europe's largest private ADHD provider.

Our UK based team is deliberately small. You deal directly with the people writing your software, decisions get made in days not committees, and the developer who built your system is the one who answers when something needs changing. Nine years in, most of our work still comes from clients we've served for years — the strongest reference we can offer.

Tom Murdoch, Founder & Lead Developer at Affect
THE TEAM

Tom Murdoch

Founder & Lead Developer

Affect started in a nightclub. I spent fifteen years in the Manchester nightlife industry and ended up owning a club of my own — which meant weekends that finished at 6am, and quiet weekdays that I filled by teaching myself to code. Before long I was building websites for local businesses on the side. When our second child arrived, nightclub hours and a young family didn't really mix, so I sold the club and just kept building.

That was 2016. It snowballed from there — from small WordPress sites for local firms to bespoke platforms running healthcare providers across the UK. I never expected to be a software engineer with a team around me ten years later, but the thing that made the club work turns out to be the same thing that makes software work: understand what people actually need, look after your regulars, and be there when it matters.

Talha, Senior Software Developer at Affect

Talha

Senior Software Developer

Yehvenii, Senior Software Developer at Affect

Yehvenii

Senior Software Developer

Arslan, Senior Software Developer at Affect

Arslan

Senior Software Developer

Suleman, Senior Software Developer at Affect

Suleman

Senior Software Developer

Jen, Operations Director at Affect

Jen

Operations Director

Ubaid, Senior Software Developer at Affect

Ubaid

Senior Software Developer

Supported by a trusted network of specialist contractors we've worked with for years — design, DevOps, and security, brought in when a project needs them.

OUR PRINCIPLES

What we believe

Software should pay for itself

Every project starts with the business case, not the technology. If we don't think a build will deliver value, we'll tell you before you spend money finding out.

Boring technology, exciting results

We build in Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL — proven, stable tools chosen for reliability over fashion. Innovation belongs in what the software does for your business, not in gambling your operations on this year's framework.

Long-term over one-off

Our favourite projects are relationships: systems we've evolved for years as the businesses behind them grew. We'd rather build something we're proud to maintain in 2032 than something impressive to hand over and forget.

Straight answers

Sometimes the answer is "you don't need custom software for that." You'll get honesty in scoping, transparent pricing, and bad news early when it exists — because trust is the actual product.

I have worked with Affect for over five years, and they have built and continually refined our bespoke patient management system to meet our evolving business needs. Their web solutions blend sleek design with strong digital functionality, creating a system that's highly effective and genuinely patient-friendly.

What sets Affect apart is their commitment to understanding our needs and adapting the platform as we grow. No request has ever been too much, and their responsiveness, expertise, and willingness to find solutions have made them an invaluable long-term partner. I would highly recommend Affect to any organisation looking for a forward-thinking and reliable digital solutions provider.

Ashlie Thorpe

Ashlie Thorpe

Operations Director - ADHD-360

Affect built our members club platform from the ground up — memberships, monthly voucher offers, and QR redemption across all of our restaurant brands, all handled in one simple system. What impressed us most was how quickly they understood the way a busy restaurant actually operates: the tools they built for our front-of-house teams are fast, foolproof, and work flawlessly during a packed service.
They took a fairly complicated set of ideas — annual memberships, changing monthly offers, tens of thousands of vouchers — and turned it into something our staff and members find effortless to use. Sales through the platform have been seamless, even under heavy demand. Affect were responsive throughout, made smart decisions without needing hand-holding, and delivered exactly what we needed. I'd recommend them without hesitation to anyone who wants software built properly.

James Daly

James Daly

Director & Founder - Brewski restaurant group

Affect built our security operations platform from the ground up — staff scheduling, real-time geolocation to verify officers are on-site, automated training delivery and reminders, a live risk register, and deep-dive incident reporting with performance metrics, all in one unified system. What impressed us most was how quickly they grasped the realities of security work: the tools they built for our officers and supervisors are fast, reliable, and function flawlessly in the field, even in remote or high-pressure environments.

They took a complex set of operational requirements — tracking hundreds of staff across multiple sites, ensuring compliance, managing incidents, and measuring performance — and turned it into something our teams find intuitive and genuinely useful. The geolocation and scheduling integration has transformed how we verify attendance and accountability. Affect were responsive throughout, made smart architectural decisions without needing constant direction, and delivered exactly what we needed. I'd recommend them without hesitation to anyone who wants operational software built properly.

Richard Stevens

Richard Stevens

Managing Director - Triguard

We have worked with Tom and the team at Affect across a number of critical projects throughout the Cure Clinics Group, and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Their most significant contribution has been the design and development of Connect by Cure Clinics — an ambitious, highly sophisticated healthcare technology platform that sits at the heart of our future growth strategy. Connect is not a simple website or off-the-shelf software build. It brings together complex prescribing, dispensing, clinical governance, patient management, operational workflow and partner functionality within a single platform. Tom has understood both the technical complexity and the real-world healthcare environment from the outset, and has consistently translated our ideas into practical, scalable and exceptionally well-designed solutions.

What separates Tom and Affect from other technology businesses is that they do not behave like an external supplier. They operate as a genuine extension of our team. Tom takes the time to understand our businesses, challenges our thinking when necessary and cares deeply about the quality of the end product. He combines strong technical capability with commercial awareness, common sense and an instinctive understanding of the user experience.

Alongside Connect, Affect has supported us with several other important projects across the Cure Clinics Group. This has included developing new websites for Broadway Pharmacy and Dentistry by Cure Clinics, as well as helping us connect and optimise the technology stack within our dental practice, including integrations across Dentally, Stripe and HubSpot. These projects have often involved multiple platforms, operational complexities and competing priorities, yet Tom has always approached them calmly, intelligently and with a relentless focus on finding the right solution.

Tom is responsive, dependable and completely invested in the success of the businesses he works with. He is equally comfortable discussing high-level strategy with our leadership team as he is getting into the technical detail with developers, clinicians and operational colleagues. When issues arise, he takes ownership. When he sees a better way of doing something, he speaks up. When deadlines matter, he delivers.

Most importantly, Tom is simply a brilliant person to work with. He is honest, thoughtful, hardworking and genuinely cares about the people and businesses he supports. We trust him enormously, value his judgement and consider him and Affect to be a hugely important part of the Cure Clinics journey.

Any organisation looking for a technology partner that combines technical excellence, strategic thinking, creativity and genuine personal commitment would be extremely fortunate to work with Tom and Affect.

Mike Ball

Mike Ball

Founder & Managing Director - Cure Clinics Group

The Christie Charity, Manchester
BEYOND THE CODE

Backing The Christie, here in Manchester

We're proud to support The Christie Charity, backing the work of one of Europe's leading cancer centres here in Manchester through a monthly donation.

You can help The Christie Charity to keep funding vital, life-changing projects thanks to regular gifts

The practical details

Incorporated

2016, England & Wales

Company number

10508599

ICO registration

ZA933954

Based in

Heaton Moor, Greater Manchester — clients across the UK

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“I have worked with Affect for over five years, and they have built and continually refined our bespoke patient management system to meet our evolving business needs. Their web solutions blend sleek design with strong digital functionality, creating a system that's highly effective and genuinely patient-friendly.

What sets Affect apart is their commitment to understanding our needs and adapting the platform as we grow. No request has ever been too much, and their responsiveness, expertise, and willingness to find solutions have made them an invaluable long-term partner. I would highly recommend Affect to any organisation looking for a forward-thinking and reliable digital solutions provider."”

Ashlie Thorpe
Operations Director - ADHD-360

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