Birdwatch SL Palooza 2024 Preso

Summary

The speaker introduces Bird Watch, a service designed to alleviate the stress of homeownership by providing a comprehensive solution for home maintenance and repair. With a focus on personalized service, Bird Watch offers a membership that includes a dedicated home manager, in-house technicians, and a preventive maintenance approach. The company aims to build trust and create an ecosystem around the home, leveraging technology to enhance customer experience and efficiency. The goal is to help homeowners enjoy their properties more by making home management effortless and reliable.

Takeaways

• 🏡 The company aims to assist homeowners in managing the responsibilities and challenges of home ownership, especially for those who feel overwhelmed by the lack of a 'user manual' for their homes.
• 🛠 Bird Watch differentiates itself from marketplaces by focusing on delivering outcomes rather than just providing options, emphasizing the importance of controlling the customer experience in home services.
• 👷‍♂️ The company employs in-house technicians (W2 staff) to handle about 70% of the home maintenance needs, offering a more consistent customer experience compared to a marketplace model.
• 💼 Bird Watch is both a service and tech company, focusing on the 'last mile delivery' and leveraging technology to enhance the customer experience and service efficiency.
• 👨‍👧‍👦 The target customers are upper-middle-class homeowners who value their time and are looking for a reliable and comprehensive solution to manage their homes.
• 🛂 The service includes a personalized approach with a dedicated 'home manager' who understands the homeowner's needs and evolves with their changing requirements over time.
• 🔒 The company has a low churn rate, indicating high customer retention and satisfaction with the service provided.
• 🌱 Bird Watch is a Public Benefit Corporation and a Delaware SE Corp, emphasizing community involvement and ethical business practices.
• 💰 The business model includes a membership fee of $80 a month, providing access to a range of services including a home evaluation and 24/7 safety and soundness visits.
• 📈 The company is focused on scaling within the DC and Philadelphia metro areas before considering geographic expansion, aiming for market domination rather than rapid expansion.
• 🔑 The long-term vision includes building an ecosystem around trust and the home, potentially offering additional services such as fintech, insurance products, and e-commerce, similar to Amazon's development of AWS.

Q & A

What is the primary concern for homeowners when they encounter issues with their home?

The primary concern for homeowners is to have the problem fixed efficiently and effectively, rather than spending time searching for service providers on platforms like Angie's List.

What is the fundamental flaw in the marketplace model for home services according to the speaker?

The fundamental flaw in the marketplace model for home services is the lack of control over the customer experience, which is critical given the variability in service delivery in home services.

What does Bird Watch aim to provide for homeowners?

Bird Watch aims to help homeowners save time, energy, and money by taking care of issues that arise in and around their homes, focusing on both large and small tasks that homeowners may not have the skills or time to handle themselves.

How does Bird Watch differentiate itself from a marketplace in the home services industry?

Bird Watch differentiates itself by providing a consistent customer experience through its in-house technicians and a focus on long-term relationships with customers, rather than the episodic, transactional relationships typical of marketplaces.

What is the significance of the membership model for Bird Watch?

The membership model is significant because it allows Bird Watch to build long-term relationships with customers, providing them with a reliable provider for all their home maintenance needs and fostering trust and customer retention.

What are the key features of Bird Watch's service?

Key features of Bird Watch's service include a dedicated home manager, in-house technicians for about 70% of homeowners' needs, personalized service based on the homeowner's property and preferences, and a focus on preventive maintenance programs.

How does Bird Watch view the importance of investing in its technicians?

Bird Watch views investing in its technicians as crucial for delivering a higher degree of customer experience. The company provides benefits and reliable, full-time pay to its technicians, recognizing their craft and the importance of their work.

What is the demographic that Bird Watch primarily serves?

Bird Watch primarily serves upper middle-class homeowners who make more than $150,000, value their time, and are in need of a reliable and comprehensive home maintenance solution.

What is Bird Watch's approach to scaling its business?

Bird Watch's approach to scaling involves focusing on dominating existing markets, such as the DC and Philadelphia metro areas, by building a solid playbook for customer acquisition and service operations before considering geographic expansion.

What is the long-term vision for Bird Watch's platform?

The long-term vision for Bird Watch's platform is to create an ecosystem around trust, similar to how Amazon built AWS. The platform aims to offer services that reduce the stress of homeownership and make home management easier, potentially including fintech, insurance products, and e-commerce.

How does Bird Watch plan to leverage technology to improve its services?

Bird Watch plans to leverage technology, such as AI, to automate processes like triage, pricing, deployment, and scheduling, thereby enhancing the customer experience and operational efficiency.