Homestore.com Case Study
BackgroundHomestore Mobility Technologies is a software technology company focused on the relocation business. The company, previously known as The Hessel Group, was acquired by Homestore.com, the leading supplier of online media and technology solutions to the home and real estate industries, and owner of other realty services such as Realtor.com, Homebuilder.com and SpringStreet.com. Homestore Mobility Technologies provides Relocation Expense Management Software to over half of the Fortune 500 firms, in addition to claiming the title as the largest independent Relocation Expense Management outsource in the USA, managing over 254,000 moves a year. Relocation is a very large industry, so Homestore Mobility Technologies has identified their niche within the work-related relocation and tax assistance business. They use their proprietary tax consulting software, RMS, to advise client company employees on tax issues that may arise when relocating from one state or country to another. Policy Counselors also assist relocating employees with managing allowable expenses offered by their employer and resolving tax issues. Homestore Mobility Technologies' software has become the industry leading software for relocation services, to the extent that their software is licensed to other large relocation firms.
ProblemThe Relocation Services market is divided into two camps - one using Homestore Mobility Technologies' software and the other using a competing product, DRTS. Two years ago, Homestore Mobility Technologies took out a license for DRTS with the intention of developing a web application consisting of the best features and functionality from both systems - reloviews. Appealing to the untapped market who would benefit from a combination of the strengths of both systems, Homestore Mobility Technologies intended to host the combination software themselves and license it out to interested parties. reloviews is the only web-based information system that takes into account all aspects of the relocation progression and compiles the essential data into a straightforward and trouble free solution. Unlike other products, it's extremely flexible, conforming to the operating needs of the user. It has the added advantage of being web-based, increasing it's availability from a 9 to 5 workday to 365 days a year, with customer service available 24 hours a day to smooth the process. The online advantage includes the economy of allowing users to enter their own data, freeing the counselors to concentrate on client's needs. With the size and complexity of the undertaking, Homestore Mobility Technologies needed reinforcements to help take the product to market. Knowing the competition was busy at work on similar versions of a web-based application, they realized they may lose an opportunity if they missed deadlines. Homestore Mobility Technologies turned to Shared Vision Group for additional senior level management and leadership skills. The first step Shared Vision Group took was to perform a Technology Assessment. It alerted all parties involved that there were holes in the technology structure that needed to be addressed before building the web application. Pointing out the cracks in the foundation solidified our credibility and expertise with the client and enabled a team mentality when we joined forces and got to work on the solution.
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Shared Vision Group placed consultants at Homestore Mobility Technologies to evaluate their technology plan and manage the development of the product by performing business analysis, providing project management, re-architecting their database and transitioning existing clients to the new system.Thanks to the the experience of the consultants, and their immersion in Homestore Mobility Technologies' existing teams, the consultants were able to act as a single unit with the client's employees, providing great value.