Operations App
Product Manager -> 0 - 1
Solved the problem of managing on-ground operations for SaffronStays, a vacation rental platform like AirBNB. Built and launched the MVP for the app is 2 weeks to get the ball rolling and turned it into a polished application from the ground up within 6 months. Hired the founding team across design, mobile app development and backend. Worked with 35 BETA testers to hone the app into the perfect tool for managing vacation rentals, iterating through constant feedback and building through our user base. Now used by over 1,000 vacation rentals and 10,000+ employees.
Getting started from the ground up
When I first joined the company, I walked into a challenging environment. With 1000 vacation rentals and over 3000 rooms, managing on-ground staff was a daunting task. Communication was scattered across texts, phone calls, and emails, leaving us without a single source of truth. This chaos led to significant issues in customer experience, especially for our luxury clientele who valued their time and experience above all else.
Processes like check-ins and check-outs, gathering guest information, and ensuring everything met customer demands were all broken due to manual handling. This inefficiency not only wasted time but also hurt our reputation and repeat customer base. Additionally, data loss from manual entries made it impossible to track issues accurately, and we had no way to measure team performance effectively.
Payments were another headache. Setting up physical POS systems at remote locations was costly, and cash payments often led to lost money. All these problems needed urgent solutions.
Tackling one thing at a time
To tackle these issues, I prioritized them based on the revenue impact of each manual process. The first solution we developed was a check-in and check-out feature for our mobile app. This innovation reduced the check-in time from over an hour to just 10 minutes, significantly improving operational efficiency and guest satisfaction.
Next, we addressed the payment issues by integrating a third-party payment gateway into a new POS system. This allowed employees to send payment links to guests, who could then pay online. The system also generated itemized invoices, eliminating back-and-forth communication and providing real-time revenue insights.
We then focused on controlling operational expenses (OPEX). We built a feature that used Google Maps API to calculate travel displacement and automatically file expenses based on start and stop locations. This eradicated manual reimbursements and curbed unreasonable travel claims.To boost team performance, we introduced a performance meter. This tool tracked metrics like successful check-ins and check-outs, fostering healthy competition and increasing productivity among on-ground employees.
With these foundational elements in place, we turned our attention to enhancing the guest experience. We provided on-ground employees with better visibility through alerts and notifications. Each booking now came with detailed guest information, including preferences, allergies, and service expectations. Custom notifications and indicators ensured that every guest received personalized service.
To maintain property standards, we developed an audit system. This allowed us to track the condition of each property in real-time through pictures and checklists, ensuring every property was in prime condition before a guest checked in
Building with Feedback
From day one, I assembled a team of 35 beta testers who provided real-time feedback. This allowed us to iterate quickly, addressing edge cases, shortcomings, and improvements as they arose. Over six months, this feedback loop helped us build a product that met the needs of the firm, our employees, and our guests at scale.
Creating a Solid Team
When I joined, we relied heavily on contractors who were not fully invested in our mission. Recognizing this issue, I advocated for an in-house team despite our limited budget and profitability struggles. I quickly completed the knowledge transfer to reduce dependency on the existing development team and secured approval to hire interns.I brought on board eager interns specializing in Flutter, React and Node.js, working closely with them for a year. Together, we built a solid team characterized by camaraderie, mutual respect, and a shared zeal to achieve our goals quickly.
