Telling It Like It Is With Jade Alberts This issue of Telling It Like It Is
features Rob Bartko founder of FixIt Service Pros You started your career at Deloitte, and you have launched FixIt Service Pros during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please share how you came up with the idea, and some of the issues you had to overcome when COVID-19 hit? FixIt Service Pros started in the summer of 2019. The idea was generated while I was in the middle of renovating my residential property. I was having a difficult time finding the right contractor for a variety of work required to meet building code and permit requirements. This experience made me want to find a better way to connect property owners with vetted contractors. Sam Beaudoin, the other Co-Founder of FixIt, was leaving a role in commercial construction and he was chasing an idea on how to better optimize independent contractors’ administrative needs. Naturally, the two ideas merged to create a marketplace, enabling property owners to source vetted contractors on-demand, while also providing contractors the administrative support to grow and manage their business more efficiently. It’s about improvements for everyone! The impact from COVID-19 hit FixIt Service Pros right when we were getting ready to launch our first version in the Calgary area. We were delayed by a few weeks while we were all trying to determine the implications of COVID. As everyone started to normalize to our new situation, property owners were spending more time in and around their homes. This brought focus to much-needed (and often overdue) home maintenance repairs. and motivated folks to invest in upgrades to be able to better enjoy their property while physical distancing. This gave FixIt Service Pros the opportunity to showcase our value to homeowners,
18 // Community Now!
landlords, and property managers - that is, allowing them to easily and successfully delegate all of their repair and maintenance needs at their properties. Please explain how FixIt Service Pros Works? The new way to complete your home service repairs starts with simply describing your problem on our FixIt Service Pros website (fixitservicepros.com), selecting a date and time that works best with your schedule, and being able to kick back and relax knowing that your work is getting handled by prescreened pros! Behind the scenes, once your work order has been submitted, our network of pre-screened home maintenance experts will claim your work order within a matter of minutes. Screening of our contractors includes: insurance verification (at least $2 Million in coverage), Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) verification, certification or license verification for plumbers, electricians, and HVAC, reference checks, as well as background checks. Once on site, your “FixIt Pro” (a “FixIt Pro” is a vetted contractor on the FixIt platform) will diagnose the problem and indicate to you if the repair will take longer than the hour you included with your booking. If your repair will take longer than 1 hour, your Pro will submit an “Adjustment Request” for your approval - this ensures you are involved and updated as the work proceeds, and avoids any unpleasant surprises. After your repair is complete, our 2-way review system allows both the property owner and the “FixIt Pro” to review one another, similar to other review systems like Uber’s ride-sharing. This is to ensure accountability of both parties, and provides FixIt Service Pros with more information on how to better improve your next FixIt experience.
