Case Study
Relocation Workflow
Enterprise tool for triaging relocation requests
The Brief
Vacasa hosts over 1.5 million reservations annually and ~45,000+ of them experience disruptions. The system Vacasa was using to manage the relocation of guests was intensely laborious (190+ steps and 10+ tools for each relocation). A workflow that standardized relocations while removing unnecessary human interactions was critical. A heavily automated workflow that centralizes all requests and organizes them based on urgency was created. I was the sole Product Designer on this project.
The Process
Research
I embedded myself with the Relocation Services team in order to deeply empathize with their very difficult reality. Some of the efforts included closely partnering with a Subject Matter Expert, engaging in frequent contextual inquiry, many user interviews, and service blueprinting their process.
Design ideation
Customer Relationship Management tools were the analogous inspiration for this UI due to the non-linear nature of guest relocation. Individual requests often get managed by many different agents, so it was important to create a UI that organized case details concisely to minimize unnecessary communication among team members.
Testing
I built prototypes iteratively and put each in front of beta testers for task-oriented evaluative research. Ongoing feedback from this group throughout the duration of the project proved critical.
User interface
The final interface came to life using an Enterprise Design component library that I personally built and maintained myself.
The Results
Efficiency
There are 12 different levels of urgency in the new Relocation software. We saw a reduction in the amount of time required to resolve every single type of situation. Most excitingly, however, were the dramatic reductions for the three most urgent scenarios customer support agents face:
Mid-Stay Relocation | 68% reduction (Guest is in home and now must move)
Today Check In | 63% reduction (Guest checking in by 4pm)
Last Minute Relocation | 22% reduction (Guest checking in within 72hours)
Longitudinal Evidence
The primary indication of success was a reduction of time. However, in holistic terms, it was important that we were also benefitting the lives of our customer support agents. I ran a longitudinal survey to check in before and after the release of the new software to ensure it was a success from their perspective as well. Results can be viewed here.