Porch?s new app that lets homeowners connect with professionals and a pilot program that lets pros accept small job requests reflects its effort to capitalize on consumer demand for quick service accelerated by the mobile mind shift.

The app, available for iPhone and iPod touch, gives homeowners three new ways to connect with professionals - Concierge, Pro Dial, and Pro Search. The app shows how Porch, a home-improvement network which has gained broader exposure through its partnership with Lowe?s, is benefiting from leveraging mobile?s ability to bring homeowners and professionals together. 

?For so long there has been so much pain involved in the home improvement and maintenance space,? said Matt Ehrlichman, Porch?s CEO. ?It is not as easy as it should be for homeowners to connect with great professionals. 

?By taking the friction away and making it easier to create valuable connections, we can help make the process far more delightful than it has been.? 

 

Of the new services, Concierge lets customers have a live chat with a Porch representative who will help them figure out which pro type to use and connect them with a home professional who has done similar work in their neighborhood.

Pro Dial lets customers who know the pro type they need get connected to a professional in less than 60 seconds.

And Pro Search lets customers browse professionals and find the match for their needs.

The app makes it easier for professionals to manage their business so they can focus on doing the work they love and helping their customers. 

That advantage also is contained in Porch Booking, a feature the Web site is piloting in its headquarters city of Seattle. In Porch Booking, pre-qualified professionals can accept incoming small job requests by homeowners. Porch handles everything from booking, coordinating scheduling, and payment to make the experience as seamless as possible for everyone involved.

Porch Booking?s beta-testing will continue in other cities in the coming months.

Porch?s stature has grown through its partnership with Lowe?s.

Under the tie-up, a mobile application connected customers to Porch?s authorities on services that Lowe?s did not offer. By offering products in correlation with home improvement assistance, Lowe?s aimed to better meet the needs of customers and prompt them to make home improvement projects a reality.

Professionals could create a free profile on Porch which displayed their nearby projects and allowed happy customers to endorse their services.

Porch also aggregates home improvement data about millions of United States homes. Its data allows the company to provide interested parties with information about who the most popular contractors are in a given demographic. 

And, in partnership with Realtor.com, it can tell a party what type of remodel work was done by a previous owner on a house an individual was interested in buying, such as the type of project, when it was completed, what it cost and who did the work.

As prices and inventory availability become more transparent online, retailers have to give consumers a reason to choose their store over the competition.

Consumers no longer shop at a retailer simply because it happens to be where a product is carried. Instead, they will seek out retailers that provide value in new and innovative ways.

When homeowners seek out information on local homes or for professional services, sites such as Zillow or Trulia similarly provide facts, including a home?s most recent selling price.

Angie?s List and Craigslist also aid with search, pulling up local and trusted service providers. 

?What makes the process easier is our approach to data ? we love data!? Mr. Ehrlichman said. ?We have a foundation of data analytics that helps people connect with the professionals their neighbors have used and loved. 

?Our home network, with over 120 million projects and insights into over 2.8 million professionals, gives homeowners results that are tailored for their specific needs,? he said.

 

?If you want a great professional, the data is what makes that connection possible in a way that hasn?t been delivered before.?