UrbanOutsource was born out of pure frustration when Elke Keeley and Noga Edelstein, former Yahoo! execs, struggled to find reliable household help.

UrbanOutsource is an on-demand platform which connects individuals looking for household services with top-quality, pre-screened independent service professionals. Globally, we’re spending $465 billion outsourcing our home maintenance services, yet the current process for finding & booking services is too hard and takes too long. It’s easy to buy goods online. Why can’t we buy services the same way?

With a seamless 60-second booking process, secure payment, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, UrbanOutsource positions itself as the easiest, most convenient way to book a cleaner or gardener – think Uber for Household Services.

Starting the Business

What inspired you to start UrbanOutsource?

We were working together at Yahoo!7 when we were overwhelmed by the seemingly never-ending routine of juggling our home, family and work commitments. At the time, we were both using home-services to help us keep our home maintenance and chores under control, but we were frustrated by the amount of time and effort it took to find reputable service providers. What we needed was a reliable service to take the hassle out of our household chores. And so out of our dissatisfaction with the then current state of the home-services market, UrbanOutsource was born.

What makes the company unique to your industry?

UrbanOutsource was the first on-demand home services platform to launch in Australia, and has continued to do things differently. Sure, there are a few small models popping up for cleaning but none are tackling the whole house, offering cleaning, gardening and carpet steam-cleaning.

On the other end of the spectrum are legacy three-quote models, that require the user to complete lengthy job description forms and wait for service providers to submit bids on their project – hardly an on-demand experience.

UrbanOutsource is further differentiated by our trusted, pre-screened network of service professionals, and focus on home maintenance rather than home repair services.

What challenges did you face when first launching the business?

Our first challenge was to determine who exactly our target market would be. Our initial market research led us to believe that the key audience for our service would be busy working mothers . However after further research and looking into the data from our customer list, we found that our target market was very much larger than that, consisting of any time-poor Australian – both with and without families. This meant we had to quickly rethink and refocus our business.

The second challenge was educating the market. We knew that the whole ‘on-demand service’ space was growing, but it was still very new, so we had to look at ways to change consumer behaviour. Fortunately for us, Uber entered the market around the same time and the whole ‘Uber-effect’ has helped shape people’s understanding of the space.

What immediate goals have you set for UrbanOutsource?

To grow the business into new territories by building on the immense success that we’ve experienced to date in Sydney (30% quarter-on-quarter growth), this year we are planning to expand into the major metro capitals.

What do you find is most important to remaining at the top of your industry?

The quality of service. We have a similar review system to the likes of Uber whereby all service providers must ensure a high standard to remain in the network. After every booking, the user is encouraged to review their service provider. The service providers with the highest review rating, will be the first to receive a booking opportunity.

Customers are starting to realise with on-demand service providers you get a convenient service, at a competitive price. They also have confidence in the person turning up, has been vetted and approved. We’re proud to say we have a 93% five-star rating from customers, and 90% of trial customers convert to recurring clients.

Looking to the Future

How do you see the industry changing over the next 5-10 years?

The on demand service sector is definitely going to evolve. Short term, you will see continued growth from disruptive brands and technologies. From taxis, food delivery and household chores, we’re seeing the sector take flight.

Long term, you may see the best of these on-demand service providers consolidate, which would be similar to having a ‘life personal assistant’ in your pocket. That’s quite an exciting prospect.

How will your business adapt to this change?

Technology is a key area for us. We’re constantly looking at ways we can innovate and introduce new technologies that make the services more convenient for customers and service professionals alike.

What is your vision of ultimate success?

The ultimate goal is to have UrbanOutsource available all throughout Australia. We’ve spent the last two years perfecting the model, understanding our consumer and how best to work within the daily operations of our providers. Our new customised platform launches in a few weeks, and with our combined expertise in on-demand marketplaces, we have the opportunity to scale quickly and expand categories.

What is your one piece of advice for someone starting out in the industry with a goal of making it to the top?

Believe in yourself and remember that nobody knows your business better than you do.

You can visit UrbanOutsource’s website here.