Everything you need to know when developing an on demand service app

On Demand Services App

Remember Richie Rich, the animated show that we used to watch? It had an Robot maid named Irona. We all wished we had someone like her who could complete all our household chores in seconds.

Well, that dream still seems to be far from us for at least a century; however, there is a substitute to it which is as effective as Irona. on-demand apps for Home Services is that substitute.

We all know how on-demand apps have disrupted majority of traditional industries. From the way we travel, eat, shop, and even date, all has undergone a tremendous change.

So, why not our household chores and errands? After all we all need an Irona in our lives who can complete our household chores and run our errands in a jiffy.

Before we understand the nitty gritty of on-demand home services apps, let us start from the basic at what exact services that it provides.

As the name suggests it serves as a platform where you can hire professionals for all your household chores at your fingertips. Like all other on-Demands it is inbuilt with all the essential functionality.

Got a leakage issue at home, hire a plumber near your locality who will fix it in no time. Got issues with your AC, call an air conditioning expert who will fix your AC in just a matter of few minutes.

Similarly, these apps help in fixing problems of carpentry, house cleanliness, home appliances, and all other household problems.

Building an on-demand application for home service is still in its nascent stage; however, there are already some established names in it. TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, and Handyman are well-known services in this vertical.

All these apps are gradually gaining traction and one of them could well be as big as Uber.

Crucial strategies to grow as a top home service app

Identify customers’ need

Before you start your on-demand app development, it is imperative to understand your target audience and their needs. You can do this by conducting market research and surveys to understand what exact kind of services they are looking for.

After gaining all the important information and insights you can strategize and set your goal in an efficient way.

Keep an eye on major players

Along with the knowledge of your customers’ need, it is equally important to know what’s your competitors are doing. Studying and analyzing your competitors help you to get to know about the latest trends and features that they are using. It also maintains a healthy competition and motivates you to do more.

Punctuality is the key

Since it is an on-demand service, time becomes an inevitable factor. If you’re not providing services in the stipulated time then you’re doomed for sure.

Read More: Things you should know before building an app

However, if you provide them with service before or on time then that would make your customers happy & satisfied. Moreover, as a result they would promote your services to their friends & family.

Introspect about your app onboarding experience

The competition in the world of on-demand mobile apps has attained new heights. Due to which it becomes very important that you take your app onboarding seriously.

You must ensure that the moment your user downloads the app he must get an experience which engages him as well as convinces him of the fact that it is adding some value.

Proper use of push notification & smileys

Usage of Push Notification is like a double-edged sword. Proper use of it can do wonders for your app; whereas, wrong timing of Push Notification could annoy your user which may result in losing them.

While sending Push Notification ensure that it doesn’t look like a mindless advertisement, but a useful information which is of a user’s help.

Believe in product, not marketing

At the end of the day it’s your product in which you have to believe. No matter if you spend millions on marketing, but if your product is not strong it won’t work. Your product is a foundation on which you build everything.

If the foundation itself is weak then no matter how tall your structure is, its fall would be inevitable.

Features which are imperative for your app

Key features for user’s app

Browse professionals using different filters

User must be able to find services without any hassle. Provide different types of filters which would ease the process. Filters such as finding the service provider based on cost, distance and specialty would increase the user experience considerably.

Schedule service

Empower your user with the flexibility to choose the service on their desired slot of time. This feature would allow your users to book their service appointment in advance.

This feature would also give your app another dimension apart from being an on-demand app.

Approval notification

Real-Time Notifications play a major role in any on-demand application. It plays similar role in this app too, So, you must ensure that the user receives a notification once the service provider approves the request.

Secure multiple payment options

Ensure your app has multiple payment options such as credit, debit card, cash, and wallets. As sticking to any one mode of payment would backfire as all users have their respective preferences.

Along with it also ensure the total security of transactions.

Rate & review

Once the service is over your app must have the feature for review. It must allow your user to rate & review the service provider. This feature is very beneficial as it acts as a feedback and helps other users to select service providers of higher ratings.

Help & support

New as well as existing users faces many difficulties while using the app. To resolve the issue, you must have this feature which will be mixture of FAQs, customer helpline support, chat support and onboarding tutorial videos.

Read More: A quick look into the on-demand business model

Critical features for service-provider’s app

Quick registration & profile approval

Your App must have a simpler registration process for service providers which does not consume excess of time. Once the profile submitted by service provider gets the approval; he will start getting assignments as per his specialty.

Real-time request

It is imperative that the service-providers get the inquiry notifications in real-time. Faster the notification better your app and service will perform.

You must include all the options for inquiry notifications such as email, text alerts, and push notification.

Accept or reject requests

Once the service provider receives the requests, he must have the authority to review it. Once he reviews it; he must accept it if he likes the job or reject it if he doesn’t.

However, you must make some provisions which prevents service providers from rejecting requests on the trot.

Chat with customer

Communication is essential in any on-demand App. Hence, your app must have an in-built chat system which allows service providers to connect with users.

They can discuss on matters like rate negotiations and can pass on other important details of the job.

Payment details & additional costs

The service providers can add different payment details such PayPal, bank account no., or wherever they wish to receive their payment. In addition to that they can also mention any additional charges such as for transportation in the case a user lives far away.

Customer feedback

The feedback process works both ways. So, you must include a customer feedback feature where service providers can rate users on several criteria.

These criteria could be like service provider’s experience with the user, proper instructions given by user and many more.

Decisive features for admin panel

Interactive dashboard

The Admin Panel must have an interactive dashboard. The dashboard would act like a control center for the entire app.

You can control & track every action on the apps. Make sure that the dashboard is easy-to-access for maximum optimum results.

Manage & verify service providers

You must have a feature wherein you can manage all the service providers. You can also add new service providers manually. Apart from this, you must verify profiles of all service providers and prevent any fraudulent to register.

Manage payments

You must set the commissions very clearly that would prevent any confusions later. Along with this ensure quick and safe transactions between users and service providers. This feature must assist you in resolving all the payment issues.

Manage promotions

To promote your app, you can offer various lucrative promos and discounts. With this feature you can track your progress with respect to the discounts offered. It assists you in obtaining useful stats which will guide to offer discounts and promos in a better and relevant manner.

Manage reviews

Reviews are very important as they guide both the parties while choosing their allies. This feature will assist you to review all the reviews from both the ends. You can flag poor performers as well as can mention top performers based on their reviews.

Analytics

This is very crucial as it allows you to get vital insights of your business. These insights and stats guide you to take better decisions to improve your services.

You can check your progress again by analytics and can make necessary changes to get your services on a right track.

Cost to make an on-demand home service app

The next and probably the most important aspect to discuss is the cost of app development. How much would it cost to make an on-demand home services app? The answer to this question is quite complex so we will go one by one.

Firstly, it is important to know that many factors come in to play while deciding for the cost of app development. These factors are:

Location:- The cost of app development depends largely on its location & country. The apps developed in US & Europe will have higher price. Whereas, in Asia the rates would be comparatively low.

No. of Features:- It is obvious that more the number of features more would be its cost. You have to pay more if you want your app to have more features and complexity.

UI/UX:- User interface and graphics play a significant role on the cost. User friendly apps are costlier.

Read More: Peerbits’fair cost estimation method

Company or Freelancer:- You got to choose one for your app development depending upon your budget and requirement. Company usually costs more than the freelancers.

As discussed earlier, the cost depends on various factors. But our team has calculated an average price by conducting a lot of research. It would cost you around $15000 – $30000. Our dedicated professionals can build your app within 14 weeks.

Conclusion

Home Services app is the new trend in the market of on-Demand applications. Although, services like Handyman, Task Rabbit, and Thumbtack are already reigning in the market; there are still many possibilities which you can explore and execute.

With proper market research, inclusion of vital features, followed by appropriate marketing can make your app successful.

The Demand for Home Services App will be on a rise as I imagine we all want an Irona in our lives. Exploiting this demand with a right approach is essential for which you would require expert guidance.

To obtain guidance and to build an app you should contact top mobile app development companies.