APPS & BOTS
We’ve all been there. Hours spent scouring through the jungle of the internet looking, hoping, praying to find that one reliable dog sitter or gardener that can actually provide the service they promise. Positive reviews sat below negative reviews, where five-star ratings meet reviews screaming “Do not book this company!” Well the confusion ends here, says the team behind the new Mexico City based app Zastask.
Adán Rodríguez Martínez aims to provide the time-squeezed millennial with a speedy, reliable way to access quality services from trusted local companies. To begin with, Zastask will offer five services; event catering, gardening, interior painting, photography and pet care, before adding other much sought-after services, like house cleaning, to its roster.
When he returned to Mexico in the summer of 2015, after three years spent studying in London, Adán was frustrated with the lack of information on offer when looking to book a service. “I realized it was still difficult to locate and hire most services in Mexico and that even professionals advertised online came unrecommended,” he said. “There was no way of knowing the quality of their work or if the prices they were charging were fair.”
So he set about remedying the problem. Originally from the state of Puebla, Adán moved to Mexico City earlier this year to build an app aimed at doing two things. Firstly, he wants to remove the stress of finding a range of reliable services in a metropolis as dense and difficult to move around as Mexico City. Secondly, he wants to build a community.
“We strong believe that solving a problem by itself is not enough in a world where the customer is constantly looking to improve his or her experience from digital services. Most companies are failing customers in this area and this is where Zastask plans to give added value to its customers. This is why we have paid special attention to three areas: user experience, customer service and the development of a highly social platform.”
Whenever a user requests a service they will be offered up to four quotes from service providers, ensuring the user a variety of options. There will be an internal chat option that enables users to speak to their clients, allowing both parties to introduce themselves prior to beginning work. The Zastask team will call a user after each initial service has been provided to ensure they are happy with the job done and everything that was agreed between client and user was completed.
Adán points to global apps like Uber, who he believes have overstretched themselves in their attempt to meet market demand. While the unique qualities of Uber made it a worldwide phenomenon, a string of much-publicized problems, ongoing legal wranglings, and poor customer service have dampened user experience.
For security purposes, there are a variety of stages for the service provider to meet before they join the Zastask network. Firstly, the personal and company data of a prospective service provider will be collected, followed by face-to-face interviews with the app team. Random drop-ins will be conducted to further assure users of the service provider’s suitability.
“We offer a service to the needs of people who spend long hours commuting and working. Few have the time to deal with household or personal chores” said Adàn. “At the same time, thousands of experienced professionals would like to increase their sales. Zastask represents a clear solution because we bring the demand for services straight to them. Additionally, we help them improve their performance and customer service.”
Zastask is free and scheduled to go live Sept. 12. For now, potential users can visit the app’s website, www.zastask.com, to register their interest.
The app can also be found on Facebook at @zastask and Twitter at @zastask1.