Case Study

Brief

Kent based Web design and development consultancy Naked Vision were recently approached by a leading au pair agency to increase site efficiency and to create a more user friendly site through which to source au pairs. Smart Au Pairs, the au pair agency in question, are a leading authority on the au pair industry, with several of the Company’s team member occupying prestigious positions at bodies such as the IAPA and BAPAA.

Prospective au pairs and families sign up through separate areas of the site and search for each other by matching criteria. Ideally, the newly proposed function would set Smart Au Pairs aside from their competitors by offering an intelligent matching system by which families and au pairs would automatically be matched according to their profile criteria. The information used to match the au pairs with families is obtained through one-to-one interviews and the gathered information logged accordingly.

Strategy

Naked Vision cross-examined personal information from a large selection of au pairs and families and proceeded to match them, ensuring the best possible results for all potential clients.

The matching process would begin in the information provided in the forms used to sign up at the site; this information would then be managed and matched in the site admin area, tailored specifically to ensure both parties are effectively twinned. Following a partnership between an au pair and their family, each party is kept informed on each other’s developments through a series of timed and automated e-mails, which ensure they are receiving the correct information at the correct stages of the process.

Execution

The process of planning and managing the matching system through collation of information on user’s profiles was achieved through careful scenario testing and a keen eye for detail. The technologies which allowed Naked Vision to carry out the task effectively and efficiently included SQL databases, bespoke dot net development, and Web Services.

Results

Following the integration of the matching system, the results for Smart Au Pairs were extremely positive. Within a single year, the site had registered over 2,500 readily available au pairs, matched with over 1,000 interested return visitor families. This allowed hundreds of au pairs to be successfully placed at any one time. The matching system was quickly integrated by another sister Company and has since allowed their business to develop well alongside Smart Au Pairs. Looking to the future, a new matching process is being developed which will allow au pairs registered at Smart au Pairs to be shared with other Companies using the matching system. Smart Au Pairs are now preparing the launch of their Australian branch, and will be taking their business down under at the beginning of next month.