The corona virus has hit us hard. Look at the following statement. It is a very worrying factor and scary too.
The COVID-19 crisis is expected to wipe out 6.7% of working hours globally in the second quarter of 2020 — equivalent to 195 million full-time workers, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said Tuesday.
So how do you deal with this magnitude of crisis?
Well people do need services. Like a plumber or electrician, cook, beautician and a host of other jobs. These jobs may be for a shorter duration but atleast it will bring food to the table for people out of jobs.
What is a Service MarketPlace?
In our daily lives we need help from many people. People who specialise in services like plumbing, cooking, driving etc.
A service marketplace is an online platform which facilitates buying and selling of services between service seekers and service providers.
Service marketplaces cater to a lot of professionals looking for freelance work.
Professional like a plumber, a wedding photographer, a yoga teacher, or an interior designer. It must be the go-to platform helping customers complete the projects that are important to their urban lives – everything from designing their homes to capturing key moments, learning arts, filing taxes, and getting healthier etc.
Business Model
MODEL I
For standardized, blue collared services like electricians or home cleaning, where you just want the job done, you can directly book and pay for the service on their app.
MODEL II
For white collared services, which are the larger part of the business, like photographers, interior designers or yoga instructors.
The app must make the effort to understand exactly what you need, and help you hire the right professional, in your budget, most suited to meet that need.
Automated match-making algorithms can help you with the right professionals.
How Does It Help During Job Loss?
Imagine a scenario where is person is out of a job or is laid off. They will certainly search for another job, But in the meantime they can always look for temporary work on such a service marketplace platform.
There will always be plenty of work available for short gigs. E.g. A bar which needs extra pair of hands on a weekend or a beautician who suddenly gets a large work order.
Other than job loss, it also provides people jobs to people who are interested in freelancing. This gives them flexible working hours and also they can pursue other interests in life.
Also Read | Airtasker’s Bizarre and Quirky Task Listings in On Demand Job Industry
Features That Make For a Great Service Marketplace App
Let’s talk about some features what make up an ideal Service marketplace app and how it will help people get a job.
In-Call | Out-Call | Tele-Call
Incall: Customer books an appointment to visit the service provider.
Outcall: Customer books appointment and the service provider visits the customer.
Telecall: Customer can schedule a video call with the service provider of their choice(Marketplace Booking)
On Demand Service Booking (With Job Bidding)
When a person requires a job to be done they can quote a price how much they are willing to pay for it.
Service providers can choose to accept the rate or counter bid with their own offer. This allows flexibility and an opportunity to get the price you asked for.
Alternatively the service provider can also list their price.
Multi-shift Booking
A service can be booked for multiple shifts. You can specify the days and time you want to book a particular service and the service provider.
Service marketPlace Booking (Without Job Bidding)
With a marketplace booking, users can hire certain service professionals by selecting a service type, browsing through a filtered list of professionals, viewing their fixed rate cards & booking accordingly.
Filtered List
A set of questions can be asked based on the requirement.
Based on the previous inputs, a filtered list of service professionals are displayed to the user with base details such as rate, reviews & how far they are located from your place.
Rate cards & Add-ons
Users can view the rate card of individual service professionals. Additional services that are offered by the individual can also be selected before booking the professional.
View Job Details – Fixed Prices
View details from jobs booked, based on the provider’s hourly rates.
Scheduling Options
The app must provide various scheduling options including repeat booking in case of on-demand maid services, tutor, massage, laundry services etc.
The job requirement can be for a specific time. There should be a slot where you may schedule the job times.
View Assigned Jobs
Job Timer
In-app timer integrated into the app adds another step in monitoring the job. The timer is started once the job begins. Service professionals can pause the job timer during breaks. The timer stops once the job is completed.
Live Tracking & Job Status
Customer Real-Time Job Status & Timer
Customers can are updated in real-time regarding the assigned job along with a live job timer provided as well.
