On-Demand Home Services App Development: Steps to Follow

2020 boosted the popularity of on-demand service apps. People got stuck at home, so the necessity for ready-to-go services became high as ever. Moreover, new industries try to join the market, so the market is flourishing and evolving. We think it’s safe to say that we now live in an on-demand economy and it’s not going to disappear anytime soon. If this scenario looks attractive and you want to offer a home service app, here’s a comprehensive guide on how to create one. It will ensure that you’re going in the right direction.

What is on-demand service?

The main characteristic of on-demand services is the fact they’re provided only when the client needs them. They are fast and highly available so the client will complete the necessary task in no time.

Here are the examples of the most popular industries:

• Food delivery

• Transportation

• Travel booking

• Babysitting

• Plumbing

• Cleaning

• E-commerce

• Logistics

Usually, these services are ordered via dedicated apps and platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and DoorDash.

How do on-demand home services apps work? 

An on-demand home services application is a link between a provider and a client. These apps became a convenient way for people to get what they want and for any home service business to find their clientele. Even though there are plenty of relevant apps that are focused on various industries, their general user flow looks quite similar:

• A client puts a request inside the app.

• The request is sent to the service provider.

• The provider accepts the request and authorizes payment.

• The service is fulfilled.

• The customer confirms the completed task.

• Payment is made.

It’s easy to notice that such an app should have at least three user roles: the end-user (clients), service providers, and platform admins. It should be taken into account during the mobile app development and we will talk about it in more detail later.

Understanding the market of on-demand home services app

It’s easy to guess that with people being at home most of the time, on-demand services got a significant boost. More people need goods and services delivered to their houses and use dedicated apps to order what they want. For example, this study says that by 2024, the market will reach $1,574.86 billion. Also, 46% of U.S. consumers prefer emails or mobile and web apps for ordering on-demand services.

Here is what you need to do to successfully enter the market with your own software solution.

• Identifying your target audience: By defining your target audience, you can tailor your app's features, design, and marketing strategy to meet the needs and preferences of your ideal customer.

• Studying existing apps: Competitive analysis helps you identify gaps in the market and opportunities for differentiation.

• Identifying gaps in the market: It requires conducting thorough research on the current market trends, customer needs, and behaviors to identify areas that have not yet been addressed. Once identified, these gaps can present opportunities for businesses to develop innovative solutions that gain a competitive advantage in the market.

Key features for users

Scheduling

Once the specialist is picked up, users should be able to see their schedule and book the time they need. Moreover, they should be able to notify specialists about whether they will or won’t be in the house.

Notifications

It allows app users to receive real-time updates and alerts about the status of their requests. People can be notified via a push notification, email, SMS, or in-app message. The text should be concise, clear, and relevant, providing users with the necessary information to take action or make informed decisions.

Payment options

Payments should be secure so users could trust your app. The payment options feature should offer a variety of payment methods like credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, or bank transfers. It should also ensure that transactions are processed quickly and securely, protecting the user's information and minimizing the risk of fraud.

Ratings

Reviews enable users to rate the quality of service they have received and provide feedback to the business. The ratings feature should be user-friendly, easily accessible, and allow users to provide ratings and feedback quickly and easily. However, it’s important to ensure that the ratings feature is not misused, and users do not post fake or malicious reviews.

Help & support

The help and support feature can include various resources like a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section, user guides, tutorials, and customer support. It should be easily accessible within the app and provide timely and helpful assistance to users.

Essential features for service professionals

Registration

A business can indicate what service they deliver, what their schedule is, and what payment methods they prefer and provide essential information like their name, contact details, special offers, and pricing. It should also include a verification process to authenticate the credibility of the service provider, ensuring that only legitimate businesses get to the listing.

Real-time request

When a business is in the system and is able to accept requests, they should be able to indicate it to customers. The app should notify the provider when a customer wants to schedule a delivery.

Accept/reject the request

The service providers can then review the request and either accept or reject it, based on their availability, schedule, and expertise. They should have a right to deny the requests within a certain period of time if they cannot perform the task.

Payment details

The payment details feature enables the app to process the payment and transfer money to the service provider's account. It should also allow service providers to manage their payment preferences, including the payment gateway they prefer, their bank account details, and their payout frequency.

Essential features for admin

Intuitive dashboard

The app should provide admins with an intuitive dashboard where they can see all the necessary information about both customers and service providers.

Monitoring

Admins should have access to information like users’ payments, canceled orders, discounts, and so on. It will help them resolve issues quickly and with a minimal amount of resources.

Analytics

Everything necessary for tracking the activity in the app should be available for admins: the total number of bookings, canceled reservations, repeated orders, ratings, and reviews.

Cost of an on-demand home service app development

Implementing everything we mentioned above will require a lot of time and money to finish. How much exactly? It’s difficult to say right away. The final costs of developing an on-demand service app will depend on a lot of external and internal factors:

• The team’s location

• Hourly rate

• Required tech stack

• Desired list of features

• Launch platforms

An app like that has several user roles with different functionality, so the approximate cost will range from $20,000 to $50,000 and more. We'll be happy to provide more specific numbers, though. Contact us soon for an itemized project estimate.

How can Yellow help you with home service app development?

Yellow can provide valuable expertise and support in developing a home service app for you. We can help you throughout all the stages of the development process:

• Ideation

• Design

• Development

• Quality assurance and testing

• Maintenance and support

• Technical Expertise

We can provide end-to-end software development to support your home service app project. Our team will help you develop an app that meets your business needs and user expectations, while also ensuring it is reliable, secure, and scalable. 

Final thoughts

Given the current circumstances and the likelihood they'll continue for some time, on-demand services will only rise in popularity. More industries will embark on providing such services, so more platforms will appear to gather them together. If you want to join the list of home service apps and create a solution that will connect a client with a home service they need, follow our guide. It will help you gather the resources required to design, develop, launch, and maintain your new app.