Its true- video calls only became a thing during Covid. Before 2020 we confirmed all sits via,messaging or phone call. During Covid when Zoom took off and video calling in general became popular suddenly practically every host wants a video call. My hubby hates them & always stands in the background behind me! We’ve got used to it now but don’t make video calls in any other context except for chatting with the kids/grandkids! With friends I still prefer a regular phone call for a good old chinwag! 
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We’re in France and used THS 10+ years ago when Skype was the main video option if the other pary didn’t have an Apple device to use Facetime. It’s so simple to do video calls now! Resistance to doing one would be a red flag to me.
20 years ago we did home exchanges with families in other countries and we didn’t even do phone calls. It’s a good thing we didn’t speak beforehand with the family we exchanged with in Quebec because when the father, who couldn’t speak English, picked us up at the airport we couldn’t understand a word of his French!
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Agreed. Technology has evolved and so have many people’s expectations and skills. Even school kids learn video skills nowadays.
Personally, over decades, I’ve work with loads of folks remotely, with us spread all over the world. Back in the day, we relied on phone calls — before email, video or such. Happily, we’ve advanced.
Nowadays, video is standard in many settings. Like yesterday, I helped screen a candidate for another team and noted various weaknesses in his video interviewing, so suggested that we pass on him. Wouldn’t want him representing our company with substandard skills.
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I’ve just signed up as a HO and looking for our first sitter. I can see both sides of this but I would say that if you go for a job interview I wouldn’t expect the business to employ the first person they interviewed. However, I would expect that a zoom call or two would be enough to get an idea of the person/HO.
I’ll let you know if I change my mind when I get a sitter 
Gotta say tho’ you all sound lovely and anyone who loves animals has extra points already. 
So you are being yourself on a video call and if you blabber that’s fine, you’re human. I’d rather someone be themselves than someone who is word perfect and doesn’t seem approachable if you know what I mean.
I would prefer a video chat as you get to see each other and get their body language. I feel sometimes things can get taken out of context on a phone call but when you see a persons face you can get their meaning by their expressions. Not that I’ll be sitting there checking body language to check if you’re a psychopath 
also, that works both ways.
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Rephrase ‘Application’ to ‘Expression of Interest’ or ‘Offer of Interest’ - this will also reduce its strong association with real job applications.
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Totally agree! 
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I have read in so many posts that THS’ marketing is not integrated with the overall THS experience.
It is NOT good marketing to focus on only one aspect of the customer experience - the acquistion. Good marketing ensures that the entire “customer journey” is consistent and seamless.
@Jenny and @markb I can’t help but wonder if the THS marketing team might consider a focus group made up of a mixture of forum members, new/inexperienced HOs and sitters, AND “departed”, disgruntled HOs and sitters, to give feedback on marketing campaigns and messages? It seems, at least in the US, that marketing is focused on increasing subscribers - but that is shortsighted if, in one year, the retention numbers are abysmal It costs a lot more to acquire a subscriber than to keep one.
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This is definitely not the case with U.S. companies in general. Venture capitalists and other investors routinely invest based on factors that include retention.
THS was started by Brits and then a British private equity firm purchased them.
Yes, I meant THS’ marketing seems focused on that, not US companies in general (it is abundantly clear that they are British; so adorably British)
Given THS’ focus on social media influencers and some of their other messaging, it has seemed to me that someone in THS marketing-land is getting measured on acquisition and not retention. It is winning a battle but losing the war.
Retention is often owned by product teams, rather than marketing teams.
I think this is brilliant and should be brought to whatever team can make it happen. But it also doesn’t need to be that formal sounding Most people are using an app which often employ less formal languate and it isn’t a job. So what if sitters clicked “I’m interested” and then got a prompt: “Tell the host why you are interested and why you think you’d make a good sitter for their pets.”?
I also think “offer of interest” sounds jobby to me. But I think the obsession to get away from anything job-like including calling chats “chats” and calling out people for calling them “interviews” is obsessive. Buying my home wasn’t a job, but I had to have an interview with a committee before I was allowed to do so. In my life I’ve interviewed for volunteer poisitions, internships, school programs, etc. I’ve definitely had more non-job interviews than job interviews. I’ve had jobs where people wanted to know more about what I did and those were interviews too. I think we should call things what they are. “Chat” sounds euphemistic Really it’s a mutual-interview where both parties should be scoping each other out.
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All of the advertising I see is for HOs and the focus is on low-cost pet care. Nothing about an exchange. This leads some HOs to believe they are in fact hiring a sitter, that the fee they pay is for pet care. There are HOs that think that THS sitters are THS employees. I agree that the word application just reinforces the idea that this is an employer/employee relationship. There is the impression that HOs get applicants and just pick the one they want.
Over the past year or so, I’ve seen a change in listings. I honestly am having a hard time even finding listings to apply to. So many are terrible, messy houses, extra requirements, or a tone that implies that they are looking for staff. Of course, the 5 app rule also substantially decreased the number of sits I can apply to since I can’t be on the site all the time. THS might want to think more about retention and doing more to support sitters. I get the impression that the sole focus is on increasing membership and they are not concerned at all about keeping the current members.
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It’s all semantics. I think some people are intimidated by the word “interview,” but you are right, it is a two-way interview.
Interview
Chat
Discussion
Conversation
THS really needs a “Step-by-Step Guide for Owners— How to Find and Confirm a Sitter.”
I looked through the website and could not find anything like this. The information provided lacks details.
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It seems like a simple problem that could be fixed. But the solution is 3-fold:
- THS has to do more to “brand” its model and make hosts aware that this isn’t all the petcare you can eat for one low annual price, but an exchange/in-kind model where they have something to trade – clean, safe, comfortable accomodations – in return for pet and homecare.
That part needs to be an integral part of all the messages that also encompasses that when you 'invite" a random sitter, you aren’t so much “offering” them something of value – like a job, but trying to sell them something you have that you want to trade with them. It makes more sense to put out what you have to trade and see who wants to make a deal with you rather than go up to random people who might or might not want your wares. (Basically, most of the time getting a random invitiation for a sitter is like seeing car adds on the internet because you were recently looking at cars.)
What’s different about THS is that both sides are engaged in exhange. There isn’t one side exchanging currency for service. The currency on both sides is the service. This needs to be clarified by THS
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The instructions for doing things like “finding a sitter” have to be clearer. Visuals and videos can and should be used over text-heavy instructions but there have to be more comprehensive guidance and steps.
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The interface itself has to be made easier and more user friendly.
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