SUCCESS STORY
Test IO
Build or Buy? Why Test IO Chose Trolley to Power Global Payouts
Up to 84%
decrease in transaction costs
100+
countries paid monthly, fully automated via API
6+
months of developer time saved
Test IO
Company Info
Website
Industry
Crowd‑testing platform
HQ Location
San Francisco, California, USA
Customer Since
2024
Recipients
Testers
Payout Countries
Global
Test IO is a global crowdsourced testing platform, part of EPAM Systems, that connects software companies with freelance QA testers around the world. With testers in over 100 countries, the team at Test IO needs to manage recurring monthly payments across a wide range of currencies, platforms, and regulatory requirements.
As Head of Community, Markus Naumann oversees the end-to-end experience for these testers, from onboarding and education to compensation. As Test IO scaled and the testing team expanded, its existing internal payment processes strained under the growing complexity.
"We have testers everywhere, with all kinds of local banking setups, and they expect reliable, on-time payments," said Markus. "Before Trolley, that was a constant source of friction."
"We have testers everywhere, with all kinds of local banking setups, and they expect reliable, on-time payments," said Markus. "Before Trolley, that was a constant source of friction."
Reaching the limits of manual payouts
Before adopting Trolley, Test IO relied heavily on a patchwork approach—using SEPA bank transfers, PayPal, and manual workflows—to manage hundreds of monthly payouts. This fragmented system was limited in reach, prone to frequent failures, and increasingly difficult to scale as their global tester community expanded.
"We had testers in the U.S. who couldn’t receive SEPA payments, so they had to sign up for services like Payoneer or Revolut just to get paid," said Markus Naumann, Head of Community at Test IO. "Some refused outright."
Each payout cycle had become a high-stakes scramble, burdening the internal team with manual data entry, spreadsheet management, and ad hoc troubleshooting for failed or returned payments. Resolving these issues was not only resource-intensive but also placed strain on developer capacity, with one team member dedicating six months solely to addressing failed payments.
"We had testers in the U.S. who couldn’t receive SEPA payments, so they had to sign up for services like Payoneer or Revolut just to get paid," said Markus Naumann, Head of Community at Test IO. "Some refused outright."
Each payout cycle had become a high-stakes scramble, burdening the internal team with manual data entry, spreadsheet management, and ad hoc troubleshooting for failed or returned payments. Resolving these issues was not only resource-intensive but also placed strain on developer capacity, with one team member dedicating six months solely to addressing failed payments.
“Every failed or returned payment had to be handled manually. One team member worked on that process alone for 6 months.”
Markus Naumann, Head of Community, Test IO
Compliance further compounded the complexity. Manually managing tax form collection (W-8 and W-9), ensuring IRS compliance, and preparing year-end filings across multiple jurisdictions added significant operational overhead. As Test IO grew, these challenges became untenable.
The breaking point came when the team recognized their infrastructure was fundamentally unsuited for global scale. Rising operational burdens, increasing compliance risks, and significant developer time investment highlighted the urgency for a dedicated solution.
The breaking point came when the team recognized their infrastructure was fundamentally unsuited for global scale. Rising operational burdens, increasing compliance risks, and significant developer time investment highlighted the urgency for a dedicated solution.
"We reached a point where we could no longer justify the cost of running a DIY system. Between the operational burden, rising compliance risk, and the dev time we were burning, it was time to look for a purpose-built solution."
Markus Naumann, Head of Community, Test IO
Evaluating solutions: Why Trolley emerged on top
Throughout 2023, Markus assessed multiple vendors based on cost, global coverage, compliance, and ease of integration. Trolley stood out as the clear choice.
“Other platforms said, ‘We’ll have to ask our tech team if that’s possible.’ With Trolley, everything we needed was already there.”
“Other platforms said, ‘We’ll have to ask our tech team if that’s possible.’ With Trolley, everything we needed was already there.”
“Trolley checked every box: strong API, broad payment coverage, and a tax platform we could rely on. It was clear they understood businesses like ours.”
Markus Naumann, Head of Community, Test IO
To avoid a patchwork of tools and future-proof their operations, Test IO chose to integrate Trolley’s payouts and tax products directly via API. The result was full automation across key workflows, including:
Automated W-8 and W-9 collection and validation
Real-time handling of failed or returned payments via webhook status updates
Elimination of spreadsheets and manual uploads
The integration was fast and developer-friendly. Markus and his team were able to test, configure, and launch the system in weeks, without lengthy customization or delays. By replacing fragmented internal workflows with a streamlined, API-driven process, Test IO was able to focus on supporting its global tester community, not managing payout infrastructure.
The integration was fast and developer-friendly. Markus and his team were able to test, configure, and launch the system in weeks, without lengthy customization or delays. By replacing fragmented internal workflows with a streamlined, API-driven process, Test IO was able to focus on supporting its global tester community, not managing payout infrastructure.
Transforming operations: from manual hassles to automated success
With Trolley, Test IO turned what was once a tangled, error-prone process into a streamlined system.
Payments to hundreds of testers are now processed monthly through API without manual uploads or approval cycles. The risk of payment errors has dramatically declined, and their operations team no longer needs to spend days reconciling payout records.
Payments to hundreds of testers are now processed monthly through API without manual uploads or approval cycles. The risk of payment errors has dramatically declined, and their operations team no longer needs to spend days reconciling payout records.
"We've outsourced our payment ops to Trolley—and it's been transformative. We used to need constant manual effort. Now, one person on my team handles it all."
Markus Naumann, Head of Community, Test IO
What required spreadsheets, cross-functional handoffs, and significant dev resources is now managed by a single team member. Automation has not only saved time but also reduced stress, allowing the community team to focus more on strategy and less on troubleshooting.
The financial benefit was equally clear: transaction fees dropped by up to 84% per payment, a major cost-saving at scale. Just as important, the company reclaimed over 6 months of developer time by avoiding internal builds and using Trolley’s smart return handling capabilities.
Trolley’s support team also helped smooth the transition. “Trolley support is fast, helpful, and solution-oriented,” Markus shared. “It’s a real differentiator when operating at this scale.”
The financial benefit was equally clear: transaction fees dropped by up to 84% per payment, a major cost-saving at scale. Just as important, the company reclaimed over 6 months of developer time by avoiding internal builds and using Trolley’s smart return handling capabilities.
Trolley’s support team also helped smooth the transition. “Trolley support is fast, helpful, and solution-oriented,” Markus shared. “It’s a real differentiator when operating at this scale.”
Paving the way for scalable growth
With a strong foundation in place, Test IO is preparing for the next phase of its growth. Their community is expanding, their tester base is diversifying, and their operational needs are evolving. With Trolley, they’re not just keeping up—they’re planning ahead.
Markus and his team are already exploring adding Trolley’s ID verification feature, a step that would help Test IO streamline and scale the existing process to tackle fraud and duplicate account creation. They’re also investigating more localized payout options to reduce fees in countries with smaller testing communities, ensuring every tester can access earnings reliably.
Operationally, the Test IO team aims to eliminate remaining manual touchpoints by building deeper automation into their workflows. This includes more event-driven responses, data syncing, and automated checks that allow them to manage scale without adding headcount.
Markus and his team are already exploring adding Trolley’s ID verification feature, a step that would help Test IO streamline and scale the existing process to tackle fraud and duplicate account creation. They’re also investigating more localized payout options to reduce fees in countries with smaller testing communities, ensuring every tester can access earnings reliably.
Operationally, the Test IO team aims to eliminate remaining manual touchpoints by building deeper automation into their workflows. This includes more event-driven responses, data syncing, and automated checks that allow them to manage scale without adding headcount.
"We’re actively considering identity verification. It would help us prevent double accounts. You can ban everything you want, but if someone makes a new account, that’s hard to catch without IDV."
Markus Naumann, Head of Community, Test IO
"We're growing into new regions and adding more testers every month," Markus shared. "Because we built this foundation with Trolley, we can scale with confidence."
