The Uber Effect, Part 2

September 1, 2015—Cleanfax Staff

Last month, I wrote in my Foreword section about a topic that could potentially impact the cleaning and restoration industry. I asked for your feedback.

Let’s recap. The topic was about the way Uber operates, specifically if that business model could, in some way, be used by our industry.

Here are two comments sent to me from readers.

“I can’t see it. No way will a carpet cleaner be sitting around hoping for an electronic beep to go clean a living room across town.” But what if a carpet cleaning company had multiple vans running all over a given city? It could work for that company.

“I could see this working for basic restorations services such as extraction and setting up air movers and dehumidifiers. But not for more detailed drying plans or repairs and reconstruction.” Since virtually all restoration companies offer 24-hour service, and many advertise they will be on the job within a specific number of hours, an Uber-like service could work. Especially for the franchises.

While the Uber model may not work for our industry, this next one might be worth keeping an eye on…

Here comes Amazon

That’s right… the online behemoth Amazon is treading into the home services arena. The concept is you can purchase a home improvement project or service (like carpet cleaning) just as easily as you would order a new Kindle.

I tried to see what home services are in my own backyard, and right now I can’t hire a carpet cleaner, water damage company, house cleaner, window washer or even someone to mow my lawn. But I can hire a plumber, get a treadmill assembled, have a home security system installed, etc. I bet cleaning and restoration services will be added soon.

Go to Amazon, type in “home services” and start poking around. If you decide as a contractor to join this new Amazon program, you have to pay, of course. Nothing upfront, but you would be charged a fee “as low as” 15 percent of the completed service cost.

This is going to be fun to watch!

On top of this, Google is also looking to get into the home services market. Details soon…