Hi, my name is Apoorva. I've chosen Urban Company for my Onboarding Project.

What does Urban Company do?

It's a technology platform that connects verified, trained, and skilled professionals to customers who require services at their doorstep in various categories, such as beauty treatments, haircuts, massage therapy, cleaning, plumbing, carpentry, appliance repair, and painting.

They have mobile and desktop app versions and are present across India and many other countries, as mentioned below.

UC has cracked the code and expanded solely on the ease of booking a service, the categories it offers, and delivering the quality it provides.

Why Urban Company?

Home services in India are fragmented. Urban Company fused the traditional model with its simplified technology, allowing everyone to use the platform regardless of background, education, or tech knowledge. They also do exceptional work in skilling and educating service professionals, which has set a precedent for many companies in the segment of providing services.

There are two Urban Company apps.

• Urban Company
• Urban Company Partner

I'm considering only the Urban Company app for Customers for this onboarding project.

The app modifies and presents services available by location. Here's a sneak peek of the service categories available in Bengaluru, India.

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Ideal Customer Profile

After conducting thorough user research by circulating a survey on LinkedIn and with our GrowthX network, we received over 25 responses. We had follow-up conversations with 4 of them for more in-depth insights.

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Jobs to be done

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Narrowing down ICP when the business verticals, services offered, and the number of users are high

Urban Company’s mission is to deliver quick, affordable, and trusted home services to users' doorstep. It strives to solve problems delightfully. Urban Company serves distinct types of individuals broadly:

• Prem - Married males who are juggling home and work, living with spouse, kids, and/or parents, and maintaining a home.
• Sandhya - juggling home and work, living with spouse, kids, and/or in-laws, multi-tasking, and maintaining a home
• Rani - Unmarried/single Females who are usually away from family in a new city, working and multi-tasking to maintain a home
• Rocky - Unmarried/single Males who are usually away from family in a new city, working and multi-tasking to maintain a home.

This broad range of users drives Urban Company to offer many services, from deep cleaning to IKEA furniture installation. Getting to a high level of users is their key to having repeat customers and building a habit among them to use Urban Company for all home needs. It’s all about understanding how different personas use Urban Company and how they benefit from it.

They have built a professional community of experts who adhere to Urban Company's standard protocol and discipline, like wearing professional, UC-branded attire and carrying UC-branded bags and products. This increases customer loyalty to the services as they are more confident in the products used and builds assurance that they know how to be professional. Also, Urban Company's concentration ratings and reviews for professionals from users add to the service standard they provide. All professionals usually arrive on time, call before their appointment to confirm again and ask for a rating and review after completing their service.

​Through these positive experiences, Urban Company creates an army of brand advocates who most often do WOM promotions for the company and build a funnel of new users into the growth loop.

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Based on the above:

1. We’ll primarily focus on Married Males, Married Females, Unmarried Males, and Unmarried Females as our primary ICPs.
2. 1. These individuals are the brand ambassadors for Urban Company and book for Urban Company services at least 1-2 times a month.
   2. There’s a clear overlap w.r.t. functional goals in all the ICPs
   3. 1. For instance, they book UC services because it's convenient, they offer a catalog of services, they can expect professional services anytime from anywhere, the app is easy to use and makes booking easy, and the professionals show up presentable and offer quality services.
      2. Some say it's price-effective and saves them money and time
3. The decision-making process will hinge upon how well Urban Company can help realize its CVP to the primary ICPs.

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Validation from user calls

Question: Why do you choose Urban Company?

Prem - Home Automation Consultant, Married, using Urban Company for 3 years

[Stage of awareness about Urban Company: Aware] Services: Deep cleaning - Bathroom, fans, AC; plumber, electrician, Water Purifier cleaning, Salon for wife, Haircut for Kids

Subscribed to UC annual membership - NO

Urban Company usage - for a whole family of 4 people, and his parents back home ​

"Since moving to Bangalore, I've been using Urban Company. It's an easy-to-use app and has become my go-to for deep cleaning. We have a house help who comes regularly, but their cleaning doesn't compare to the professional touch from Urban Company. Their cleaning lasts longer, so we make it a point to call for professional cleaning services once or twice a month."

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Sandhya - Growth and Retention, Married, using Urban Company for 6-7 years

[Stage of awareness about Urban Company: Most Aware] Services: Pest control, Bathroom cleaning, Women's Salon, Plumber, Electrician.

Subscribed to UC annual membership - NO ​

Urban Company usage: For a family of 2 and parents and in-laws in Noida and Kolkatta, respectively

"I've been using Urban Company since I started working and living independently. It was such a hassle finding trusted people to do the job I wanted, at the time I wanted, before UC. I like that they have slots available throughout the day, early in the morning, and late in the evening. Also, they have an express service feature in case I need a service. This makes it super convenient."

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Rani - Career Matching, Unmarried, using Urban Company for 6-8 years

[Stage of awareness about Urban Company: Most Aware] Services: Repairs, Deep cleaning, Salon

Subscribed to UC annual membership - NO

Urban Company usage: For individual needs

"I can't imagine setting up a new house without UC. Knowing I can find everything from inverter repair to deep cleaning in one app is a relief. Researching, asking around, and finding trusted people without UC would take a lot of effort. Urban Company has organized this unorganized sector quite well."

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Rocky - Machine Learning Engineer, Unmarried, using Urban Company for 2 years

​[Stage of awareness about Urban Company: Most Aware] Services: Repairs, Deep cleaning, Salon, plumber, electrician, carpenter, laptop service

Subscribed to UC annual membership - YES

Urban Company usage: For individual and girl friend's home needs, as well as for parents in Lucknow​

"I'm originally from Lucknow, but I moved to Bengaluru. Urban Company has made booking trusted and reliable services convenient for people our age. In the past, our parents were more connected and knew our neighborhood better, making finding people for home services easier. However, today, we don't have the same connections, and it's much easier to use an app like Urban Company, which has already done the groundwork for you, to book services at your preferred time, practically anywhere in the country. If not for Urban Company, I would have to spend hours finding trusted people who will do a good job. Also, there's the assurance that we can always approach Urban Company for help if something goes wrong."

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Teardown

Here is a summary of Urban Company's User Experience (UX) in the new user onboarding flow:

What worked well

1. Clear Branding and Messaging:
2. 1. Mentions Urban Company and its services on both ad copy and homepage.
   2. Uses key phrases like "on-demand" and "one-stop destination" to highlight trusted, expert professionals.
3. SEO Strategy:
4. 1. FAQ section curated by Google on the second scroll boosts SEO effectiveness.
5. Service Breadth and Appeal:
6. 1. Emphasizes the wide range of services, encouraging app installation.
   2. Highlights previous branding (Urban Clap) for returning users.
7. Visual and Informational Clarity:
8. 1. The preview carousel shows a comprehensive snapshot of Urban Company, focusing on ratings, new services, professionals, booking convenience, and affordability.
   2. Minimal screen clutter despite offering 50+ services, indicating organization.
9. User-Friendly Navigation:
10. 1. No mandatory login or signup, allowing quick access to the home screen.
    2. Auto-location detection with easy adjustment options.
    3. Prominent search feature with auto-shuffled services and trending searches.
11. Relevant and Targeted Nudges:
12. 1. Embedded pop-up screens for quick service views.
    2. Service-specific takeovers with detailed information and ad placements.
    3. Emojis and human thumbnails add a personal touch.
    4. Introduction of coupons and discounts, with emphasis on booking.
13. 7. Progressive Disclosure:
14. 1. Detailed guidelines create trust, mentioning service details and aftercare tips.
    2. Customer reviews establish credibility.
15. Booking and Service Management:
16. 1. Clear cancellation policy and tip options build transparency and respect for professionals.
    2. Options for add-on services increase order value.
    3. Convenient date and time slot selection for bookings, with express service options for members.
17. Order Confirmation and Trust Building:
18. 1. The booking acceptance screen confirms order success and highlights the products used.
    2. Showcases professionals, creating empathy and trust.
    3. Easy options for rescheduling or canceling are available with linked policies for reference.

What didn't work well:

• Too many flows for the user to complete one transaction
• There are no options for the user to select the professional, given that WOM is popular, so there are chances for referring to the professional as well.
• There's no categorization of professionals based on years of experience or no services completed, which can add to the trust-building quotient of the user.
• Cannot club services, separate checkouts for each service.
• Customer support is not very visible, which demotes people to booking services when skeptical.
• There are no updates on upcoming services on the home screen; the user has to go to My Booking from the profile tab to check.

Teardown PDF:

Urban Company Teardown _ Onboarding Project .pdf

Activation Metrics

P1: Login using phone number and book one service without cancellation

• The user has added a home address and made a payment

P1: The user who completed the service and left a 4.5-5.0 rating and added a short comment as a review for the professional

P1: The user has booked more than 1-2 services in at least 3 months

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P2: The user has installed the app and given a positive review on the App Store/Playstore

P3: The user promotes Urban Company services to friends and families through WOM or a referral link

P3: The user has tipped the professional while booking the service or after taking the service

P3: The user sees value in purchasing the Annual membership and saves money while booking services

Activation metrics 1: Number of services booked

Hypothesis: If the user books more than 1 service from across UC offerings, it shows users are likely to complete activation, indicating that they find value in UC's offerings.

Activation metrics 2: User engagement

Hypothesis: Users who make repeat bookings for one service are likelier to use the app frequently and try new services.

Activation metrics 3: Ratings and reviews

Hypothesis: Users leaving ratings and reviews show that they are invested in the service and will keep returning to the app for repeat bookings.

Activation metrics 4: Booking for others addresses

Hypothesis: Users who are using the app and have uploaded multiple addresses ensure that they rely on UC for their needs and their loved ones.

Activation metrics 5: Downloading app

Hypothesis: Downloading the app and enabling notifications shows users intent to know what's upcoming and the best deals from UC, which may result in them booking the services frequently.

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