Introducing Instant Book

by Alexis Baird

Today we introduced Instant Book. We could not be happier at the reception it has received from pros and homeowners alike. But I wouldn’t say I’m surprised.

Not long after I joined Thumbtack, I was talking to my brother, who had recently purchased his first home. He was frustrated at how difficult it was to get a simple repair on the front door of his (brand new) home.

At the time, I remember thinking to myself: we have some work to do. Hailing a ride or getting groceries delivered has been transformed by the ability to easily and instantly schedule a ride or delivery. But when it came to a simple task like repairing your front door or even getting your gutters cleaned, we didn’t yet deliver instant gratification. Even on Thumbtack’s marketplace, homeowners still had to search for a pro, then message back and forth to schedule a time.

Instant Book changes everything. Now, homeowners can quickly find a pro and book the service they need on the spot. Pros can also see potential customers turn into guaranteed jobs without any back and forth.

Building a service like Instant Book required the deep experience and insights that Thumbtack has acquired over years of connecting millions homeowners to local pros in their neighborhoods. We already had a very clear understanding of two things: what homeowners need to know to go straight to booking and what pros need to share so the bookings they receive are the right jobs for them.

Thumbtack offers a wide variety of categories on our new Instant Book experience. Some have standard offerings and can be confirmed instantly — like junk removal, TV mounting or house cleaning. Other projects are a bit more specialized and require a pro to see and assess the job before confirming — like HVAC installation, exterior painting, or appliance repair. For more complex categories, customers can instantly book an on-site or virtual consultation where a pro can assess the scope of the work.

Instant Book removes the uncertainty that both customers and pros experience before a confirmed booking. In limited testing of the new capabilities, we found that homeowners using Instant Book features showed higher repeat and retention rates. And pros saw a dramatically improved close rate for projects while being more than twice as likely to get reviews on these new Instant Book jobs.

With this new offering, anxiety and hassle is transformed into ease and confidence. And we’ve got more in store.

At Thumbtack, we are focused on giving homeowners peace of mind by making it easy to fix, maintain, and improve their largest asset. All things my brother could have used not so long ago.

Alexis Baird is Director of Product for Customer Experience and Growth at Thumbtack.