A Development Roadmap

Product Updates
1

@Mark_B @Jenny I know I am probably talking to a brick wall, but a Devleopment roadmap that showed:

  • features being worked on,
  • features approved and in the pipeline,
  • features under consideration and
  • those considered but not viable (for whatever reason - we dont need to know)

It would serve the following purposes:

  • Remove the need for many of these discussion threads as we would all know where things were at.
  • go a long way to justify the new fees as we could see what ‘improvements’ were on the way
  • Give us confidence the IT department was on the job and knew what they were doing
  • Act as an excellent communication tool
  • Give us hope…

Feel free to add others.

I am on several platforms that have this and I love it. It means I:

  • dont have to input my suggestions if I can see they’ve already been taken on board
  • Feel like when I do make a suggestion it matters, even if its not put in the pipeline…because theres a reason
  • Feel like things are moving forward, not backwards.

Thoughts?

2

Great thread. I wish you weren’t talking to a wall.

I would add one in the first block, which represents the current situation:

  • those just ignored and not taken into consideration at all.

That would be really great and might encourage members like myself, who are more and more inclined to leave the platform, to remain.

3

If you tag in @Mark_B or @Jenny you may even get your excellent suggestion passed to ‘the team’.

4

Good idea. I’ll edit as per your suggestion.

5

Your suggestions will be passed on to the team and the cheque/check is in the post.

6

If only we didn’t feel like we were banging our heads on that brickwall @Brightlight

I hope you get a reply as your suggestions make alot of sense.

7

Nice ideas.
This bit does presume that there’s an actual connection from fees to a process actually happening, rather than a short circuit… :eyes:
Documentation of fees in → money spent … I won’t hold my breath.
Given that they don’t seem to have enough people/time to check listings for photos, I doubt there’s anyone to act on your suggestions.
Good that you posted them though, for the record. We can hope, I guess.

8

Apparently THS does have a roadmap BUT as far as I know they don’t publish it ….

This was from a discussion in 2021 about why the calendar had not been improved ..

9

@Silversitters I think they are lost, or need a gps!

10

We’d be truly shocked if THS did not have a technology roadmap or similar plan. It’s a $100m private equity owned business.

But we do not expect THS to share this, or other confidential information, with either its customers or Forum members. No upside for THS, at all.

11

I think it’s a case of THS hearing us, but not listening. There’s a difference, “hearing happens automatically, whereas listening is a learned skill that involves paying attention”.

Exemplified in the thread “Booking fee: we’ve heard your feedback”. It’s nothing more than a sop.

12

The fantastic new platform that stated up this year, Globalpetsitter, has exactly this. It’s so refreshing, so transparent and they actually act on it and update members on progress.

I have no idea why more people haven’t joined them yet (especially while they are still giving free 1 year memberships.) with a bit of support these guys will become serious competitors to THS!!

13

I had a look at the site today and was very impressed by their ethos and lack of corporate speak. I hope they do well.

14

Is that the one everybody was talking about during the initial fees debacle?, a couple in England running it? I suppose more people haven’t joined because there aren’t as many opportunities on it. Which of course is a cycle if people don’t join, etc. Good luck to them.

15

The thread you mention also stated

This was in 2021 about the calendar and it was suggested that the calendar was part of that road map. 5 years later we’re still in the same position.

@TheEnglishFlaneur, I agree it’s perhaps a question of semantics. The key word here is “eventually”. It doesn’t translate into a specific time frame. :rofl:

16

@Newpetlover as far as semantics go, anyone will lose me by using “actioned” in a serious sentence :laughing: It’s right up there with “onboarding” :roll_eyes:

Since the app & website are constantly evolving, does that explain why they don’t both work the same way…? :thinking:

17

Glacially I would suggest, if at all.

18

Semantics, again. It doesn’t say they aiming for consistency. :grinning_face:

19

No, it’s not the one you are referring to. That was the Guardians Tribe. There has been no confusion over fees with Global Pet Sitter; they started out offering the first 3000 memberships for free for the first year and they’ve stuck with it.

Global Pet Sitter is set up by 2 guys, I think Belgian, both of who are/were pet sitters and both of who are web developers and have experience in business start ups. Seem right on the ball so far. I hope they succeed!

20

So, did you join?