On-Demand Services Are the Future — But Most Startups Miss This Important Fact

When you think of tech-driven industries, junk removal is probably not first on your list. Like all of our brands, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? provides a simple service — no need for fancy apps or complicated algorithms. That is, until now.

Lately, it seems like every industry has undergone a process of “Uberification”, as companies capitalize on consumers’ desire for on-demand services. Basically, burgeoning startups (like Recycle Track Systems (RTS), Paintzen and Dolly, for example) have combined technology with a physical service to create a lucrative business opportunity — all powered by and operated from a smartphone.

The idea is surprisingly simple: these companies act as aggregators that match independent service providers with customers through a digital platform. Through the app or website, you can easily schedule a junk pick-up, painting job, or moving service, without having to do your own price comparison or read through endless reviews. Each offers its own unique set of perks: RTS, for example, allows you to track when the truck will arrive and where it goes once it leaves your door — better yet, they do it all with LEED sustainability certification.

You might think these technological revolutionaries would make us a little nervous about our fate. But instead, we’re watching them closely to see what we can learn. And just like they have their competitive advantage, we have ours: we deliver an unparalleled customer experience through professionalism and quality control.

Companies who neglect this final part of the customer journey (in this case, the last mile where you follow through on the service) risk compromising the entire B2C relationship. When you take your customer-facing employees out of house, you put your reputation and quality assurance into someone else’s hands. If these emerging startups are truly the Uberification of our industries, they’d be well-advised to examine the troubles the rideshare giant has faced itself — poor vetting processes for drivers and a misleading rating system, to name a few.

Of course, in a tech-driven world, we’d be naive not to embrace and leverage new technology to further our business. We regularly revisit how we can best meet our customers’ needs, and bring in experts to help us out. From what we’ve seen, the ‘Ubers of Everything’ have hit the nail on the head with what customers are after: an easier process, from first booking to a service provider knocking on your door.

There’s no doubt it’s a high-tech issue. In fact, we once considered building our own app for 1-800-GOT-JUNK? to provide a service similar to RTS. But we realized no one wants to download an app for a one-off service like junk removal (same goes for painting and moving). Sometimes, a customized app acts more in the company’s best interests — not the consumer’s.

We’re not a tech company and we’ll never pretend to be. Instead of joining the race to develop our own high-tech software, we have a different way to innovate: through people, not product. Simplifying the booking process might be where you win customers — but it’s a commitment to customer service that will keep them in the end.