HandyTradie; the indigenous App transforming online service provision in Ghana

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Necessity is said to be the mother of all inventions and this axiom comes heavily into play in the conception of HandyTradie Ltd, a Ghanaian registered online company.

The journey to the creation of the HandyTradie App began in 2016 in a crammed small living room in Brunswick, Melbourne, Australia following a series of disappointing experiences in their search for handypersons and service providers over the years in Ghana.

A family-owned, fully Ghanaian homegrown startup, the App hosts both service providers and users on the same platform, with the singular goal of absorbing the excruciating hassle one goes through searching, for example, for artisans, tradespersons, private teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers and other service providers.

“HandyTradie was conceived through a need,” says Edem Lemaire, Customer Support Manager. “We moved to Accra and into a new house that needed a fair bit of work. Getting artisans to execute tasks was difficult. Not knowing service providers, we had to rely on recommendations by our neighbors,” she states

They were, however, left with uncompleted jobs; jobs done haphazardly; jobs that dragged on for longer than necessary or paying twice for the same job to be done most times. 

As a result, “we thought if we could create a platform where there is healthy competition, and all players are assured of receiving value for money, and fair payment for a job done, it would be a win-win situation,” Mrs. Lemaire notes.

And that was the beginning of a revolution in the Ghanaian online service provision space with the coming into being of the HandyTradie App.

How does the platform work? 

The HandyTradie App can be downloaded from Google Playstore or Apple Appstore. After downloading, one needs to sign up by giving his or her personal details including residential address and national ID. 

This is to eradicate fraud and other nefarious activities thus, protecting both the client and the service provider in line with the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843) to protect the privacy of the individual and personal data by regulating the processing of personal information.

This will be followed by the selection of the option to either make money (service provider) or post a task (as a client) or both. The app also recommends that one enables notifications for his or her areas of interest. 

When you need a job done after successfully signing onto the App, you go to the App Dashboard and click on the corresponding tile. You create the job, give details, including pictures or any relevant information (where applicable), to give a clear idea of the job requirements, due date, and budget.

Any tradesperson or service provider interested in the job will then put in a bid and provide any information or explanations on his or her particular quote. Once both client and tradie agree on a price, the client goes ahead to assign the task to the selected tradie. 

In assigning the task, the client is taken to his or her mobile money platform to complete the transaction. The agreed sum is deducted and held in an online account for HandyTradie. The tradie then gets a notification that he or she has been assigned the task and then accept. 

Generating revenue using HandyTradie

Payment on HandyTradie is extremely simple and easy, as it relies on an online payment platform, to hold and process payment from a client to a service provider. 

Once the provider completes the task, he or she clicks completed. The client is notified to approve and the payment to the provider is made immediately into his or her nominated mobile money account. 

There is nothing like “go and come” for the collection of money and then not returning to complete the task. Payment is almost instant as if your client is next to you giving you the money when you finish a job, and with the bonus of added security and peace of mind.

The payment is by 15 percent of the agreed amount as transaction charges.

Positive feedback

Since the HandyTradie App went live the feedback from the Ghanaian public has been nothing but massively positive. Some of the users of the App say it provides them the ability to post a task and have it reach many people at the same time, thus expanding their reach, giving them options and the perfect bid. 

“We appreciate the fact that it does not interfere with any other job we have; we are free to go about our everyday jobs,” some tradies intimate. “It’s just outstanding the ease with which one can generate income through this APP.”

 Also, clients who have had their tasks done through the app were happy with the job done and the timely completion of jobs. “It was simply amazing,” says Mo. Awal. 

Why you should sign onto HandyTradie?

Conceived out of the need to solve a problem, HandyTradie, connects you to verified handy-persons, trades-persons and varied professionals to complete your maintenance work and other jobs. You can arrange an inspection, select a service, and pay for completed work – all from your mobile app, in the comfort of your home.

With the ability to rate service providers, one will know who does what best and only get the very best for each job.

Look no further. HandyTradie is available where you need us, when you need us. We are committed to not just meeting your expectations, but exceeding them.

Visit HandyTradie.com.gh for more information. Also, you can reach out to us via our Facebook page: Handytradiegh. 

Give it a go and use the promo code WELCOME20 to get Ghc20 off your next job request.

By Mohammed Awal for HandyTradie Ghana Ltd