How Much does it Cost to build an On-Demand HandyMan Application?

The On-Demand application model, popular as Uber for X, has gained considerable traction in recent years. The ubiquitousness of smartphones, GPS technology, and a requirement for quick solutions to everyday problems have necessitated a digital revolution that allows people to request and receive products and services on the go. One such service sector is the home improvement/maintenance industry, also known as Handyman services.

Whether it be plumbing, electrical, landscaping, or cleaning, homeowners constantly need home services, and providing a digital solution to an otherwise tedious task makes it a desirable option for people seeking said services.

How It Works

Bidding Model

This sort of system follows a simple process that enables customers to buy and receive their home services at the push of a button:

• The Customer signs into the application & creates a job.
• The relevant HandyMan (based on vicinity/custom parameters) views the job & submits a bid.
• The Customer reviews bids and selects the most suitable one.
• The selected HandyMan is notified of the job & once they accept it, the bid amount is escrowed.
• The HandyMan proceeds to the job location & performs job tasks.
• Once a job is completed, the HandyMan & Customer rate each other.
• The HandyMan is paid the bid amount & the job is closed.

Hourly Model

• This system is more like the Uber model where it broadcasts jobs to the nearest handyman available. This model is better suited for emergency 1-2 hour jobs.
• The customer creates a job.
• The job is sent to the nearest available handyman in that category.
• Whoever accepts the job first gets assigned to the job.
• The Handyman provides the hour estimate at the end of the job.
• Once the customer accepts the hours, the handyman is paid.

Monetization

Without money, business processes cannot be sustained; therefore, it is essential to have a monetization strategy in place before embarking on building an application. How you generate revenue depends on your particular business strategy, but there are a few proven methods to monetize On-Demand Applications:

• Service Charges/Commissions- Charging a percentage of a job’s proceeds.
• Advertising- Charging fees for marketing/promotions on the platform.
• Trade Services- Providing industry-specific B2B services to business users.
• Fixed Price Subscription- This model allows Customers or HandyMan to buy a fixed subscription. This is a good model if the value can be provided to both customer and the handyman.

Key Features

The On-Demand Handyman system functions by connecting Customers, Handymen, and Business Owners under the oversight of a system administrator. This means that there are four separate modules of the system that need to interact with each other and some key features that need to be implemented for the whole thing actually to work. These include but are not limited to:

Customer App

OnBoarding & Profile Management

Customers should be able to sign up and sign in to the application by providing their details. After that, they could customize their profiles by providing additional details. This process is further simplified by allowing customers to link their social network profiles like Google & Facebook to the application.

Search

After the Customer’s Account is set up, they should then be able to browse the available service offerings or handyman/homer service provider profiles.

Job/Services Request & Scheduling

The Customer should then be able to create new jobs/service requests and submit requests for bids on said jobs. Here the customer should be able to add their primary requirements like solicited services, scheduling, property type, cost constraints, and notes as well as an option to add custom requirement fields. Once the job is matched to a handyman, the customer should be able to schedule it at their convenience.

Payment Options

The app should support multiple payment options, including online payments by debit/credit card or cash to customers.

Notifications & Tracking

Notifying customers regarding their jobs (status, reception intimations, etc.) and sending them personalized suggestions or promotions can help you build a loyal customer base that loves to use your product.

Reviews & Ratings

Any service provider cannot function without appropriate feedback, and the customer application must ensure this by allowing them to provide product/merchant reviews and rate their experience. Additionally, it would allow the platform to sift through the talent and weed out any undesirables from the system.

HandyMan App

OnBoarding & Profile Management

Workers could sign up and sign in to the application the same way as customers by providing their details and specifying their service categories and hourly rates.

Job/Services Management

The application should allow Handymen to view serviceable requests in a given radius and the option for accepting or rejecting service requests. Once a worker is selected for a job, they could then be notified regarding all aspects of the job and its associated schedule. Additionally, providing workers a location/routing feature and the ability to view their job history and scheduled service items in case of multiple jobs would greatly aid them in managing their tasks.

Availability Toggle

The Worker should be able to flip a switch to show their availability, i.e. online or offline.

Earnings History

An earnings screen where workers can go and track their financial history is also a must-have feature.

Business Admin Panel

On-Boarding & Profile Management

In the same way as Customers and Handymen, the Business Admin should be able to build and manage their profile as desired.

Workforce Management

All aspects of the Business Admin’s workforce should be available including the ability to add, remove or edit any worker profile and/or category they wish.

Job/Services Management

The Merchant should also be able to manage the different aspects of customer jobs, including upcoming job details, worker details, job status, etc. This is the most essential part of their business, and they should be able to go about it without a hitch.

Payments & Earnings Reports

Making money is the goal of any business. As the name suggests, the ability to view their earnings and payments history and some form of analytics is a central part of the Admin’s panel.

Notifications

The application should also notify the admin regarding any essential business processes through system notifications.

Super Admin Panel

Analytics & Reporting

The Admin should be able to see all the main stats on their dashboard like total jobs, number of serviced customers, canceled requests/jobs, number of bids by week/day/month, earnings by week/day/month, and total revenue, etc.

On-Boarding of Businesses/Workers

The Admin should also be able to generate pin codes for business signup and approve handyman signup requests after completing the required due diligence.

Manage Businesses/Workers

All properties of Businesses and Workers should be available to the admin to view, add or remove from the system, allowing end-to-end control over all system users.

Payout Cycles

The Admin should be able to configure the payout cycles, after which users' credit cards will be charged, and manage handyman and business payments.

Panel Configuration

The panel should be smart enough to allow the Admin to configure their business processes like adding and editing service charges, taxes, etc.

Technical Considerations

Because such a system leverages network effects, it has to be able to handle a large amount of user traffic and service requests. An effective tech stack is therefore necessary for its structural stability. The selected technology must foster scalability and boost performance while ensuring efficient load management and consistent technical compatibility.

We here at Vizteck Solutions have curated the best tech to allow your business to grow without you worrying about something breaking in the process.

Development Costs

Depending on the features you are willing to add to your application, you can end up with a hefty bill at the end of the night. The costs for the discovery, planning, design, development, deployment, and maintenance of a custom application may fall anywhere between $30,000 to $70,000 or maybe even more.

That doesn't seem feasible for someone venturing into a competitive industry. Our turnkey solution customized to your business needs would be a better option with a much smaller price tag of $14,000 and an accelerated development period.

Conclusion

An app that connects consumers and service providers in real time has proved to be a successful business model in the past. Uber & Instacart have enabled other industries to join the digital revolution. The home services industry constituting a large chunk of consumer spending is ripe for this innovation. So, if you have a strategy in place and can procure the technical expertise, it is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.

Now that you have a strong understanding of what it takes to build a handyman application let me introduce you to our services. With 15+ years of experience in the software industry, we can help you bring your vision to reality. With an off-the-shelf configurable handyman application, we can help you get to market in a quarter of the time it would usually take without breaking the bank and ensure your competitive advantage. Please book a consultation now and allow us to fulfill your digital transformation needs!