Amazon Home Services: One of the Platform’s Best Kept Secrets

By: Robert Segall

Amazon Home Services Photo

Typically, getting someone to help you with an “odd job” around the home makes one think of calling a friend or relative, or maybe performing a quick google search for a handyman. However, most people do not want to wait for hired help to arrive, and often take on tasks by themselves that are above their skill level because of their impatience. The Amazon platform has become a near monopoly in terms of their product offerings, but now, Amazon is making its way into the service industry as well and is offering consumers the opportunity to purchase assistance with everyday tasks, product installations, and product assembly.

 

What is Amazon Home Services?

Amazon Home Services provides consumers with the opportunity purchase services, from vetted and licensed professionals in almost any field imaginable. Only a few years ago, if someone needed any kind of general home service, whether it was a repairing a pipe or installing a new dishwasher, the typical course of action would be to find a plumber or electrician in the phone book and wait for them to become available. Now, Amazon Home Services offers an alternative, and allows consumers to have professionals come to their house and perform services ranging from plumbing to furniture assembly.

Amazon also uses its home services feature to target consumers who have recently made large purchases. For example, for those new 4k televisions, Amazon can provide professional wall mounting services, or when customers buy a new bedroom set, Amazon can provide help with the assembly. You may not realize how difficult it can be to perform what you thought were simple tasks, but after spending your heard earned cash, it might be better to leave the job to the professionals.

 

Can I Trust Amazon Services?  

In order to become eligible to offer their services for sale, “Amazon Pros” must apply on Amazon.com for approval, or receive an official invite from Amazon themselves. Then, customers, directly from Amazon.com can search for, purchase, and schedule professional services like lawn care, house cleaning and furniture assembly. To ensure that consumers are getting the best treatment, Amazon performs background checks, verifies that service providers are insured, and where required, authenticates their licenses. Amazon requires not only comprehensive business background checks, but any pro who will travel to your home is also required to pass a 6-part criminal background check.

One of the best parts of Amazon home Services is that it keeps the trusted and well known Amazon system of reviews and quality assurances in place. Prior to purchasing a service, consumers can find out exactly what the cost will be as well as read reviews from other customers who have purchased the service to help make the most informed decision. Pre-packaged services are made available for purchase directly to the customers Amazon cart, and all purchases are backed up by Amazon’s Happiness Guarantee. This means that consumers do not pay for services until they are complete and that if the customer is not completely satisfied, Amazon will correct the issue or give the customer a full refund.

 

Conclusion

As Amazon continues to grow, their focus remains on the customer experience and the age-old philosophy that the customer is always right. Amazon services is not well known, but may just be one of the platforms best kept secrets as finding “good help” in today’s day and age is becoming increasingly more difficult. By offering the same guarantees and review systems for its home service offerings, Amazon seems to be taking the same strategy that has worked so well for them already in online product retail, and applying it to their new service division. Only time will tell if Amazon Home Services will catch on just as well.