There’s no “I” in Team. This is especially true for projects at vacation rental company, Evolve.
Irrespective of size, every project contributes to the greater good. Whether users directly experience the benefits or they're seen indirectly through enhanced team efficiency, communication and collaboration are essential.
Be it teams of two or teams of 10, read on to learn more about how three team members leverage collaboration, and how it evolves from project to project.
WHAT EVOLVE DOES
Evolve’s growing team has become the vacation rental solution for guests, owners and service partners. It’s redefining the vacation rental experience in tens of thousands of homes across North America — adding more expertise and support for everyone involved.
Varying in Scale, Unifying in Impact
One of Evolve's recent projects involved transitioning from one e-signature platform to another — a seemingly simple decision with significant benefits. The tool switch not only streamlined the signature acquisition process but also consolidated tools, resulting in an annual expense reduction of over $100,000 for the company.
To achieve this simple but impactful transition, Senior Technical Program Manager Tangela Billups-Selby had to first comprehend how the company utilized e-signatures. She was tasked with ensuring the new application met its needs before engaging other teams and coordinating the training.
“This project involved over ten teams,” Billups-Selby explained. “We maintained frequent communication with each team, ensuring adherence to timelines, promptly addressing queries and providing progress updates.”
The migration unfolded gradually, and the final step was turning off the remaining accounts. At the end of the project, Billups-Selby took a moment to reflect on the journey. Beyond flexing the communicative strengths of the team, the expansive nature of the project paved an avenue for Billups-Selby’s growth.
“This was one of the first programs I managed that included product, tech and other elements of the company,” Billups-Selby said. “I learned so much about how various departments work and their responsibilities.”
We maintained frequent communication with each team, ensuring adherence to timelines, promptly addressing queries and providing progress updates.”
‘C’ Is for Collaboration
One of the teams Billups-Selby partnered closely with was the research team, led by Manager of UX Research Beth Phillips. Phillips oversees user research strategy and execution to ensure a thorough understanding of user experiences.
During her time with Evolve, Phillips has had a hand in several other upgrades — including enhancements to the owner account system, a central platform for managing vacation rental businesses — that promise greater flexibility and impact on users.
“The owner account has been around for a while, but we now have a lot more flexibility to make improvements,” Phillips said. “A majority of users log into their account daily, so it’s rewarding having an active user base to design and build for.”
It’s rewarding having an active user base to design and build for.”
Phillips’ involvement spanned various stages, from discovery to post-launch follow-up, and collaboration among stakeholders was key. In fact, Phillips shared that showing owners new designs and seeing their reactions was particularly rewarding.
“It’s fun to see them happy about new features or improvements to the experience,” she said.
For Phillips, the joy of a new project lies not just in customer satisfaction but in the journey of exploration, brainstorming and problem-solving among colleagues.
“Additionally, I love bringing owner pain points to the team and seeing them design and build solutions that will gratify our end user,” she said.
Roll Out, Repeat
For Product Manager Alysia Fyock, enhancing owner experiences is a driving force behind her projects, as well — such as streamlining tasks for Evolve's listing content team. By eliminating manual processes and inefficiencies, the team aimed to focus more on marketing strategy and dynamic content creation.
To achieve this, Fyock's team required a deep understanding of existing processes and the right expertise, including a designer and engineer committed to rapid progress. The project originated from the company's chief technology and product officer, who witnessed inefficiencies firsthand and envisioned a 20 percent reduction in listing completion time.
Managing a project of this magnitude demanded a collaborative approach, with clear problem definitions and priorities. To roll out a solution on time, the team kept meetings minimal while maintaining asynchronous communication to ensure priorities remained aligned.
Once the finish line had been crossed, Fyock's team engaged with a beta group for feedback before launching.
“We received feedback quickly and began planning for our next release,” she said.
While the Evolve team has its eyes firmly on the projects ahead, they eventually took the time to toast to a project well done.
We received feedback quickly and began planning for our next release.”
