It’s going to cost how much? Send a GIF and get a repairman with Facebook

Your dryer decides to quit mid-cycle while you’re drying your only set of sheets. Who you gonna call — or better yet, text?

If you’re in Seattle or San Francisco, you can get repair and home improvement help via Pro.com by texting or using Facebook Messenger. The company’s new service, Text-a-Pro, gives customers a flat-rate for these services. When customers text 776-776, a home project manager replies with advice and to help connect you with a certified, background-checked professional who can fix your dryer or install your new smart-home kit. (Earlier this year, Pro.com partnered with Wink to be a go-to service provider when it comes to setting up the smart-home hub and components.)

The benefit of using Messenger is apparently that you can express your sticker shock with an appropriate GIF. “People will also be able to use features they know and love from Messenger, like stickers and GIFs, for more expressive conversations,” according Pro.com. More helpful is the “read receipt” the service offers, so you’ll get a little more insight into what’s going on with your question or request.

Pro.com plans to expand the new service to other cities in the future, no doubt in a bid to compete with the likes of Angie’s List. Amazon made a similar move earlier this year with its Amazon Home Services, which was a sort of rebranding of its Local Services. It offers a variety of repair, installation, and other home-improvement help, along with niche services like goat grazing. While the idea was to keep you within Amazon when looking for someone to help you hook up the dishwasher you just bought from the retail giant, it clearly has its eye on incorporating itself into every part of your home.

from Planet GS via John Jason Fallows on Inoreader http://ift.tt/1Q8E9ii
Jenny McGrath