This article first appeared on Vulcan Post Malaysia.
It never hurts to have some help with housework. Whether you’re a young entrepreneur juggling a few small businesses at once, or a working parent with three children to care for, having a part-time cleaner can often take a load off your shoulders. And as the lives of urban dwellers get from busy to busier, the demand for part-time cleaners have also been getting higher.
When Sim Bee Bee tried looking for a part-time cleaner, however, she realised that the process of finding an affordable, trustworthy helper with a flexible schedule could be quite a pain. Most cleaning services in Malaysia do not provide sufficient information on their websites, nor do they have efficient online payment systems.
“I saw a market that was begging for a change and so I decided to be the one to do it,” she told Vulcan Post. So together with her business partner Azrul Rahim, they started MaidEasy, an online platform where anyone can source for part-time cleaning services at affordable prices.
Image Credit: MaidEasy
MaidEasy’s platform is simple: all you need to do is make a booking via your mobile phone, stating the date and time you require the help of a cleaner. For RM20 an hour, you’ll have someone to help you clean, tidy, and upkeep the house, just as you like it.
Their services cover Bangsar, Petaling Jaya, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Hartamas, Mont Kiara, Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Puchong and even Kota Kemuning. Rescheduling or cancellations are free-of-charge too!
Image Credit: MaidEasy
The Trust Factor
Both Bee Bee and Azrul understand that one of the biggest concerns for Malaysians is safety. To give clients peace of mind, they work with existing cleaning companies such that each cleaner is tied to a cleaning company. Cleaning services are also tested before companies become partners with MaidEasy. “We are very careful with our cleaning vendors and we monitor every booking that has been done with us. So far we have not encountered any safety issues,” she said.
A Perfect Match
Quality of service is also a concern, and it’s a difficult factor to manage as owners of different of households would have varied expectations. What MaidEasy does is match the right cleaners with customers. Through the platform, customers are able to try out different cleaners; once they have found the right match, they can set a recurring session with the same cleaner so the cleaner gets familiar with the home after a few sessions and will eventually be able to execute tasks with minimal supervision. More training is provided where needed.
A Win For All
Cleaning companies who choose to partner with MaidEasy are able to grow their businesses through this easy-to-use platform. It saves them time and costs on customer acquisition, helps them to fill up empty slots, and also optimize their schedules by serving customers within their service area. Bookings are automated on MaidEasy, which makes scheduling hassle-free for both customers and cleaning partners.
The MaidEasy Team
We asked Bee Bee what makes her and Azrul such a great team, and we found out that their skills are actually quite complimentary.
With a background in accounting and as an entrepreneur, Bee Bee’s certainly got the eye for numbers and business processes. “When you run a business, you are no longer compartmentalised into a specific role and life becomes quite crazy! It helps that I was once in a very demanding job that needed me to multitask…it definitely taught me to put the customer first,” she said.
Meanwhile, Azrul brings to the table his 15 years of software development experience to build a seamless and efficient platform for MaidEasy. “He has a real knack for looking at technology and business as a whole,” Bee Bee added.
The duo met after she completed a pre-accelerator program. Azrul, who was a tech entrepreneur-turned-investor, saw her pitch and became the angel investor for MaidEasy. He later decided to join MaidEasy as Co-Founder and CTO, while Bee Bee holds the position of Co-Founder and CEO.
“Both of us are very passionate and believe that technology can make the booking process so much more efficient and we want to revolutionise the way people book part time cleaners online,” said Bee Bee. “We also strongly believe that through MaidEasy, SMEs in the cleaning industry will be able to grow as we’re helping them save time and cost by giving them jobs and making scheduling much easier.”
Bee Bee’s hopes are also to change the way people treat domestic workers with this part-time cleaner concept. Because it works like a matchmaking process, the overall experience is meant to be pleasant as customers are able to work with someone they approve of and are comfortable with.
“Malaysians are actually very generous and many times, our customers have tipped cleaners who do a good job. It encourages cleaners do their best every time,” said Bee Bee.
If you would like to engage MaidEasy’s services, visit their website for more information.
