HomeExchange wouldn’t be what it is without its members and the amazing community they form together. That’s why we regularly reach out to HomeExchangers through surveys, polls, and meet-ups to gather feedback on existing features and explore new ideas to keep improving the platform.
This week, we hosted a small gathering in our Paris office with about ten members who kindly dedicated their evening to us. The meetup was organized by @Clara from our Product team (the team responsible for the website and apps). Alongside the members and Ambassadors present, several members of the HomeExchange team participated, including representatives from the Product team, Member Support, and the Community team – all teams deeply invested in listening to member feedback.
The focus of this meetup was on improving the platform’s messaging system. We discussed several potential enhancements in depth, including refining the response rate calculation and implementing automatic declines for unanswered requests after four days.
We also explored other ideas in progress, such as adding a “Read” indicator for messages, showing hosts the volume of requests they receive, and enabling members to send media like photos and videos.
As always, we’ll keep you updated on new developments and continue to gather your input through surveys and polls.
Takeaways from the Meetup
This meetup once again highlighted how diverse the HomeExchange community is: while members share common values like a love for travel and sharing, it’s clear that every member has their own unique approach to home exchanging and how they use HomeExchange. As we often say, there are as many ways to experience HomeExchange as there are members.
Some members prioritize the human aspect of exchanges – the connections and relationships – and focus on finding the right person to exchange with, even before finding the perfect home.
Others are more pragmatic, valuing efficiency above all else. For them, the platform should save time, with concise and effective messages. Their goal is to find the home that best meets their needs and preferences.
Similarly, there are members who dislike automated responses and those who find them essential. There are those who receive too many requests and those who are thrilled by each new one. Some appreciate the simplicity of cleaning fees, while others feel they shouldn’t be allowed.
It’s important to remember this diversity of preferences within our community. It helps us understand the purpose of different features and reminds us that not all members have the same expectations. Our mission is to listen to this variety of feedback, synthesize it, and work on solutions that best address the diverse needs of our wonderful HomeExchange community.
A heartfelt thanks to the members who joined us in Paris and helped us move HomeExchange forward. Meeting our members and hearing their feedback is always a pleasure. We’ll continue hosting these sessions – in France, internationally, and online – and through surveys and polls.
In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to us anytime, whether on the forum, in our Facebook groups, or via email, to share your ideas, comments, or suggestions. We always read them with great interest, and it’s thanks to your input that we can keep adapting HomeExchange to better meet your needs.