Sometimes your pipes burst, your bulbs have a weird flicker or you just need a good paint job and getting someone to give your walls that glossy finish becomes quite challenging. Many people can relate to how much of a struggle this is particularly getting someone who does a good job. If you are not on phone tracking the whereabouts of your handyman, you are busy praying hard not to knock their teeth off for a shady job. However, with Fundis all you have to worry about now is getting cash to pay for repairs.
Fundi is swahili for handyman and that is exactly what the mobile and web service is offering Kenyans, a handyman just by the tap of a button.
The app that launched just a month ago offers a wide range of quick fix services from plumbing to general repairs, to households and business owners within Nairobi.
The app signs up Fundis with expertise in the different fields of services they offer, vets, trains and connects them to potential clients.
On launching, Fundis an initiative by three Strathmore students, had already signed up 300 Fundis.
The app is quite easy to use and is customer friendly. All you have to do is select the service you would like, identify your location, provide contact information, time you would like the service, hit send and get immediate notification on the available handyman.
Customer retention is every business’s goal and as such Fundis issues a 7 day warranty upon request of service to cater for any eventualities such as poor quality services, issuing a refund or replacement of the handyman.
Fundis also has their own delivery system, to save clients the hassle of having to wait long after a request, getting handymen to the designated location in the 10 or so minutes promised.
Payment for services is through mobile services, both Airtel and Safaricom, hence easy tracking of payments by both clients and the company.
To ensure client’s security, the company thoroughly vets their handymen and provides them with identification cards.
The app also allows you to schedule a handyman which is quite convenient as you can easily plan when to have repairs done and also saves time given that a handyman may be unavailable at the time of request.
The first phase of the app is only available in 4 areas, Kilimani, Kileleshwa Lavington and Hurlingham with promise to cover more areas in Nairobi and in future whole of Kenya.
Other than connecting homeowners to handymen, Fundis has a nifty feature, the toolbox, which offers tips on repair tools and DIY (do it yourself) solutions to simple home incidents.
The app is available on android, iOS and windows and is free to download.
Apps such as Fundis shows that Kenyans are willing to experiment with technology to find solutions to everyday problems. Experimentation is a catalyst for innovation and with the boom in tech start-ups more people and brands will be both inspired and challenged to not just create experiences but ones relevant to the Kenyan set-up in order to survive in an already demanding and knowledgeable consumer base.
