A good review...

Let me start with this, "This is a positive review". Why, well because I don't really see many positive reviews around, unless they are paid for or written by the owners of entity being reviewed. And frankly, there is a need for more positivity in this space. 

So the background: We wanted to get our home cleaned for Diwali, and not having the time, and seeing all the advertisements of Start-Ups providing home cleaning services, as vary as we are of startups, we decided to atleast explore the options. 

After talking to 3 - 4 such start-ups and getting quotes we decided on Helpr. We decided on the price, the terms & the date, they sent me a Text and we were done. On the day appointed, at the time mentioned, a 5 person crew showed up, with some basic equipment and self-organised themselves and started cleaning. They were done in about 8 hours, asked me to check, took the money and left. Simple!!!

Now why a full blog on this, I could just have tweeted about this. Well, because there were many things worth writing about. So here goes.

1. Why Helpr - Although Helpr gave me a competitive price, they were far more patient in answering all my questions. They were reassuring, to the extent that the lady I spoke to convinced my wife, and that's not easy, if you know what I am saying. And secondly, well, I spoke to a lady. That in self gave me confidence that these guys knew what they were talking about. Now, hold on a moment before you judge me as sexist, I think women in general know more about cleanliness and organising stuff then men, they just have that sense. (If anything, this is sexist against men). 

2. The crew and the quality of work - Think of maids and well any other service provider in India. Its always a stressful thing in India, you have to be on their case all the time - have you done this and done that, have you done it well, how long will be your lunch, will you come back after lunch. It actually starts right from 'Will they come?'. There is also the fear (unfounded maybe) that they might steal something. 
These guys, were good. Full Stop. They came, they knew what need to be done and started without any delay. They were thorough, asked questions when in doubt, suggested alternate solutions (sir, paints coming off when I used this chemical...Should I just clean it with Soap Water), got regular feedback (Sir this room is done, please check once.), handed over any money that was found under / behind the furniture), and were cautious (sir can you check this pile of paper to see if there's nothing important).
We didn't have to sit on top of their heads, forget that, I was working from home and I could actually 'Work from home'. 

3. The crew liked what they were doing - And I think this was what was responsible for 2, and I think this was because they took dignity in doing their jobs. Cleaning is traditionally considered a lowly job in India, and people doing this usually have low esteem. This comes out passively and sometimes as aggression. But these guys took pride in what they did. One of them, cleaned the bathroom for 3 hours, cleaned it so well that the tiles which we thought were cream in color actually came out to be white. After he was done, he called me, took me to the WC (pot, WC is the technical name, means WaterCloset, I was a construction engg in a previous life), and pointed me look inside, with a wide smile on his face. It was sparkling white (I wondered if I'd ever want to use it again), but that smile was the smile of man who is content with his work and feels that he deserves a shabashi. I was just taken aback, and pretty much decided to do this post to honour his work!. 

So the learning's and the gyaan:

·  Give dignity and money to the crew. These guys told me they are getting ₹200 /- per head for a full day, thats like minimum wages. Not just that, from a business point of view, its very easy for me as a customer to take their numbers, and call them directly to do the job. So if you want loyal workers, pay them well. 

·  As for helpr, Develop some processes, cleaning always starts from Inside out and top to bottom. So first thing, clean the insides of cupboards, and re-stack everything, then start from the cobwebs, and move to the floor. That ways, you don't dirty what you have already cleaned. Also, followup with the customer, first to assure that your person's gonna show up (especially when the booking is done couple of weeks in advance, and the general impression is that the customer usually has to follow up many times, break that taboo) and later on to take feedback. What went well, what didn't, how can we improve sorts. 

  A rare good experience with a startup which is actually just starting up. Hope they continue as they grow.