AskforTask is a Toronto tech startup that provides a competitive, transparent online marketplace for on-the-spot projects and chores. Users can set their task requirements and how much they’re willing to pay, and offers will come in from taskers looking to do the task. Users can then choose who they want to assign the job to, based on reviews and the type of work they need.
AskforTask is all about mobilizing human capital, allowing people with extra time to make some extra cash. Currently active in over a hundred cities in Canada, AskforTask has 150 thousand users and $4 million worth of jobs posted since they launched in 2012.
How it got started
For Co-Founder Muneeb Mushtaq, one incident in particular was the catalyst for creating AskforTask: a family member had a poor experience with a plumber, however there was no way to rate or review the service to provide feedback or inform others. Given that many people hire these types of service providers for one-off projects and tasks, there is a lack of transparency, making it difficult for people to find quality service for their various needs. AskforTask aimed to fill this void, providing an open, transparent marketplace with a comprehensive verification process, user-generated reviews, a credible payment system (Paypal), and other features that give users and taskers more credibility.
The team started with $150K of angel funding from local Toronto and international investors. According to Muneeb, “Canadian investors are risk averse, which is why a lot of startups go to the U.S. to find investors.” He believes there’s potential for Toronto though, especially given the growth in Toronto’s tech landscape.
The tasks
Tasks range from small errands to manual labour to more extravagant requests. Initially, the most popular tasks were handy-man services like plumbing or electrician work. This then grew to more menial tasks like putting together Ikea furniture and garage cleaning. There also seasonal trends, like snow removal in the winter time or key dates like Black Friday and Boxing Day.
In fact, waiting in line has become a fairly popular ask, with one tasker spending 4 days at a major mall in Toronto for the iPhone 6 launch. Some other tasks have included an offer of $250K to rebuild a cottage, to someone offering $500 to improve his online and offline image.
Why it’s relevant
AskforTask differentiates from competitors in 2 ways: first, taskers can bid for the tasks they want and askers can choose who they deem fit for the job. This is unlike Task Rabbit, which uses a model that assigns jobs to taskers, a recent pivot. Second, AskforTask is very proactive about continuously improving user experience, going as far as updating their product every 3 days based on customer feedback and comments.
It also allows a user to post all their tasks in one place versus going on multiple websites that specialize in different services. In Muneeb’s words, “I want AskforTask to be a one-stop shop for everything on your to do list.”
Future vision
Muneeb’s vision is for AskforTask to be the world’s largest local marketplace for errands. He believes in the power of community and bringing people together, like a neighbour who’s a great cook with a neighbour who’s an electrician. In this way, AskforTask can help build stronger and more connected communities.
The company is also looking to grow to 8 U.S. cities very soon, and aims to have a local network of city managers to work on outreach and marketing programs specific to each city. So while the platform is only available in Canada today, AskforTask has ambitious plans for growth worldwide.
Recently had a bad experience with AskforTask. Ended by cancelling the request. My appointment had been missed, I contacted them and was told an ‘Alert’ had been sent to my cell, I do not have a cell!! They said their platform for communication is via text to cells. A long frustrating ‘discussion ensued, not once did I get an apology or explanation as to why this important detail is missing from every online site I had read, I cancelled the request, no effort to save the the sale,just a pouty ‘OK’ and hang up. So fed up with this kind of attitude and lack of customer srvice.