Revolutionizing Neighborhood Connections through Trusted Local Services
Streetfair is an innovative platform designed to connect homeowners with trusted local businesses, simplifying the process of finding quality services in their neighbourhoods. By leveraging the power of community-driven recommendations, Streetfair ensures that users receive reliable referrals from neighbours they trust.
Unlike traditional platforms, which require repeated inquiries and manual searching, Streetfair centralises these exchanges into a streamlined, easily accessible system. This unique approach allows homeowners to find service providers with confidence, knowing they are backed by real experiences from their local community.
Overcoming Communication Barriers: The Journey to In-App Chat
As Streetfair continued to grow, they identified key challenges in the communication process between homeowners and local service providers. While their platform enabled users to search for and request services, most of the communication between homeowners and providers took place offline—through calls, texts, or emails. This off-platform interaction created several hurdles:
01.
Lack of visibility
Once a service request was submitted, Streetfair had limited insight into the interactions between the homeowner and the service provider. This lack of visibility often resulted in communication breakdowns, delays, and an overall lack of control in managing the user experience.
02.
Fragmented communication
The reliance on external channels like phone calls and emails added unnecessary friction to the process. Users often had to share personal contact information, which raised privacy concerns and slowed down the process.
03.
Missed opportunities for engagement
With conversations happening outside the platform, Streetfair missed valuable opportunities to engage users, track progress, and enhance the service flow between neighbours and businesses.
Recognizing these challenges, Streetfair sought a solution that would bring the entire communication process onto the platform itself. By integrating an in-app chat, they aimed to:
01.
Keep all conversations between homeowners and service providers on the platform
02.
Allow users to communicate without sharing personal contact information, which would increase trust and reduce friction.
03.
Offer a more seamless, efficient way for service providers and customers to stay connected
How Streetfair uses CometChat
Streetfair evaluated several solutions before choosing CometChat as the ideal platform to enable seamless chat functionality. The decision to go with CometChat was driven by its ease of integration, rich feature set, and scalability, all of which aligned perfectly with Streetfair’s vision to enhance the user experience between homeowners and service providers.
The Streetfair team were particularly impressed with CometChat’s ability to offer both messaging and calling capabilities. This flexibility meant they could launch with messaging first, which was essential for getting to market quickly, and later add voice communication for users who preferred phone conversations.
The out-of-the-box UI kit also helped Streetfair expedite the integration process, especially for mobile platforms.
Here’s how Streetfair integrated in-app chat capabilities in their product flow.
Onboarding and selecting a service provider:
When a user opens the app, they can either browse as a guest or sign up to create a personalized profile. This profile helps them manage service requests, view recommendations, and engage with local businesses more effectively.Then the user starts by entering the type of service they’re looking for, such as an electrician or landscaper. Based on their location, the app recommends businesses that have been reviewed and recommended by neighbours. Users can compare services, read reviews, and select a provider that best fits their needs.
Service provider <> user connection:
Once a service provider is selected, the user submits a service request through the app. The request is then sent to the service provider to accept.
After the matching is done, a 1:1 chat is created between the homeowners and service providers to enable discussion of job details, availability, pricing, and more in real-time, all within the app. This ensures that all communications are securely handled through the platform, eliminating the need for external contact methods and providing a seamless user experience.
The integration of CometChat provided several key enhancements to improve communication and overall user experience on the platform:
01.
Privacy-first Communication
CometChat ensures that users can communicate without needing to share personal contact information, such as phone numbers. This privacy-first approach builds trust between homeowners and service providers, allowing for seamless interaction without compromising personal details.
02.
Predefined Response Templates
To enhance response efficiency, service providers can select from a set of predefined responses, speeding up communication. This feature allows quick replies like “I'll get back to you soon” or “Thanks for your request,” saving time and improving user experience.
03.
File Sharing
File upload and sharing capabilities allows users to exchange necessary documents, images, and other files directly within the chat. This enhances collaboration and streamlines service requests.
04.
Customized Notifications
Streetfair utilizes CometChat’s in-built notification engine to send updates through SMS, email, and push notifications, keeping users informed on service requests and conversations.
How Streetfair Plans to Evolve with CometChat
CometChat’s flexibility and robust feature set provide a strong foundation for ongoing development and enhancements. The platform's adaptability allows Streetfair to consider expanding their chat capabilities as they continue to refine their service. Here are the upcoming features they are planning to integrate:
Bot Assistance for Conversations
CometChat offers the potential to integrate bots that assist in service request conversations. In the future, bots will be able to automate updates on service status, provide reminders, and help move conversations forward when responses slow down. This will further streamline communication and reduce manual follow-ups.
Calling Capabilities
CometChat provides the option to integrate calling features, which the client plans to implement after the initial messaging launch. This capability will allow users to make voice and video calls directly within the platform, enhancing real-time communication and providing a more comprehensive solution for service interactions.
Through this seamless integration of chat into the app workflow, Streetfair has significantly improved communication between homeowners and service providers, reducing friction and enhancing user satisfaction. The platform now serves as a complete solution—from service discovery to booking, communication, and beyond.
