Context and Challenge
As Guesty grew, their billing system went through several iterations. After acquiring Yourporter (rebranded as Guesty for Hosts), which came with its own legacy billing logic, they initially planned to merge Yourporter’s system with Guesty’s core infrastructure. However, a technical analysis revealed that the systems were incompatible.
Guesty decided to rebuild their billing system from scratch and integrate it with Zuora, a more advanced subscription and billing platform. The company chose Zuora because it can handle recurring billing, track usage, and support flexible paywalls. But the decision to rebuild and integrate with Zuora came with several challenges:
- Multiple billing systems: Guesty was running two separate systems that couldn’t be unified.
- Complex integration: Zuora offered far more advanced features than standard platforms like Stripe. But this integration required a customized approach and deep domain knowledge.
- Diverse business models: The new system had to support multiple billing approaches, including per-listing charges and percentage-based revenue models.
- Add-on services: Billing also had to cover a range of extras like locks, websites, and partner programs.
Guesty needed a flexible, scalable billing solution that could evolve with its platform, without interrupting business processes. That’s when they turned to Forbytes.
Client’s Objectives
Guesty sought a robust solution to address the complexities related to their billing system. So, they wanted to achieve the following goals:
- Rebuild their software and integrate it with Zuora to create a flexible platform that can manage various billing models.
- Support diverse business needs by incorporating both per-listing charges and percentage-based fees.
- Ensure seamless integration with Zuora without affecting established workflows.
- Optimize cost efficiency by using Zuora’s features to streamline billing processes.
How We Approached the Project
When Guesty came to us, they needed a fresh start for their billing system. Here’s how we helped:
- Understanding our client’s problem: We took the time to dive deep into Guesty’s existing billing software and their newly acquired startup, Yourporter. We realized these two systems couldn’t be merged, so we set out to build something new.
- Collaborating with Guesty: Our team worked closely with Guesty’s experts to understand their business needs. This helped us figure out how to create a flexible billing system that could handle different pricing models.
- Rebuilding the system: We started from scratch to build a new billing system that was fully integrated with Zuora. It could handle subscriptions, invoices, and reports, while supporting Guesty’s unique business models.
- Seamless integration with Zuora: Zuora was complex, but we enabled a smooth integration. The new system worked seamlessly with Guesty’s existing operations.
- Ongoing support: After the system was built, we provided ongoing support to make sure everything ran correctly. So, we help Guesty manage billing, subscriptions, and payments without any drops.
Solution Overview
Guesty needed to modernize their billing system without performance drops, especially after acquiring Yourporter (later rebranded as Guesty for Hosts) with its billing structure. Here’s how we helped them achieve this:
- Rebuilding the billing system: Rather than merging two incompatible billing systems, we completely rebuilt Guesty’s billing software from the ground up. This new setup supported the diverse pricing models Guesty required.
- Seamless integration with Zuora: Zuora offers advanced features such as subscriptions, invoices, and detailed reporting. Our team ensured that the integration was smooth and seamless, handling the complexities of Zuora’s system. So, Guesty can manage its payment flows, subscriptions, and invoicing without operational delays.
- Supporting add-ons and additional services: Guesty offers several add-ons, such as locks, websites, and partner programs. We integrated these services into the billing system. As a result, charges for these add-ons are correctly handled and billed alongside the standard services.
- Optimizing billing processes: The new billing system streamlined the management of multiple services, helping Guesty save on costs. Zuora’s flexibility made the software more efficient, allowing it to support advanced pricing models.
- Ensuring business continuity: We guaranteed the transition to Zuora wouldn’t break Guesty’s day-to-day operations. So, the new billing system didn’t affect existing invoices or payment flows. What’s more, the change was virtually unnoticeable to users.
- Facilitating other integrations: Plus, we supported the integration with Salesforce to create accounts and subscriptions in Zuora and made sure all reservations were transferred to Zuora for accurate payment calculations.
Result and Impact
Qualitative results:
- Flawless transition: We rebuilt the billing system and integrated Zuora without interrupting active payments, invoices, or user activity.
- Stable and reliable performance: The new billing setup handled complex business logic while keeping performance consistent and reliable.
- Lower business risk: Guesty avoided costly errors by not forcing incompatible systems to merge. Instead, we rebuilt from the ground up using a flexible solution.
- Stronger system integration: The billing system now connects with Salesforce, the reservation engine, Guesty Light, and other services through the billing hub.
- Future-proof billing: With support for per-listing pricing, percentage fees, and various add-ons, Guesty is now ready to scale new offerings with ease.
Key Takeaways and Lessons Learnt
Success factors:
- Deep domain expertise: Our team quickly understood the complexity of multiple billing models and Zuora’s advanced features.
- Strong collaboration: Close coordination with Guesty’s financial consultant ensured accurate implementation of business logic.
- Step-by-step migration strategy: We built a new billing version, minimizing risks and securing uninterrupted service.
- User-focused approach: We made sure that all billing changes were invisible to end users, and there was no interruption to their experience.
Challenges overcome:
- Incompatibility between systems: Guesty’s existing billing system and the newly acquired Yourporter platform couldn’t be merged. So, we needed to rebuild it completely.
- Understanding complex business requirements: The billing system had to support various pricing models. So, we had to cooperate closely with Guesty’s internal teams to deliver the best results.
- Integration with the complex platform Zuora: Zuora’s complexity posed challenges for building a seamless, fully functional integration, which we successfully solved.
