Clogged toilet? Book a plumber from your digital calendar with HomeAdvisor

By Lulu Chang September 22, 2016

homeadvisor book services 10294985 10153543767289050 6958086563838073085 o — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Booking that plumbing appointment is about to get a lot easier. On Thursday, the online home services marketplace HomeAdvisor announced a new expansion of its Instant Booking marketplace, which now allows users to book appointments directly on a business’s calendar. Whether you’re an Apple iCloud or Microsoft Outlook user, or a fan of ServiceTitan or MarketSharp, you’ll be able to sync your own calendar with that of a service provider, and skip the back and forth of finding a time that works for both of you.

“This announcement demonstrates our continued commitment to providing the best experience for homeowners to book home services,” said Brandon Ridenour, chief technical officer of HomeAdvisor. “Our Instant Booking Marketplace — a marketplace that will drive 1 million transactions since [its] launch last year — is unparalleled in the home services category, and the momentum we are building is remarkable.”

Recommended Videos

HomeAdvisor’s latest update allows homeowners to click a “Book Now” button to schedule appointments as needed for more than 500 different kinds of home projects. Whether you’re in need of new cabinetry for your kitchen or new rose bushes for your garden, HomeAdvisor will not only be able to connect you to the right people, but help you set up an appointment with ease.

“Our philosophy when we built this technology was to make it easy for service professionals to participate in our Instant Booking marketplace,” continued Ridenour. “One approach we see competitors taking is to build their own platform and force participation in their ecosystem. We believe the smarter approach is to let businesses keep their current digital calendaring functions and allow for seamless integration into our marketplace.”

And don’t worry — you won’t be letting just anyone into your house. All service providers on HomeAdvisor undergo a “rigorous criminal and financial background screening prior to being accepted into the exclusive network.” In the last year alone, the online platform has seen more than 11 million project requests from users looking to complete a home project, and now that booking is easier than ever, that number is only likely to rise.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Smart Home

Is your smart home child-safe?

Roborock S7 cleaning while kids and pets play.

Smart home devices excel at saving time and taking orders, as well as provide us with a lot more data about how our homes behave. But those capabilities are mostly focused on adults – what happens when you add kids to the mix? While some brands like to tout the ability to track or monitor your kids, it’s not always that simple.

Families quickly learn that their children can become masters at using smart home tech, but that doesn’t mean all home automation is safe for them. That’s especially true for toddlers who may not understand what smart homes can do yet.

Smart Home

Cura can turn any corner of your home into a garden

CURA mounted on a wall over green plants.

Altifarm Enverde -- a startup company based in the U.S. and India -- has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its unique indoor garden system, Cura. The gadget has already surpassed its fundraising goal by more than $100,000, although you can still back the project until May 19 (and save a bit of money in the process).

Cura is an app-controlled watering and lighting system for indoor plants. The circular product is filled with LED lights to promote growth, and you'll have access to a variety of preset options to maximize plant health. Aside from providing light, Cura can also be programmed to water your indoor garden in a manner not unlike those seen in drip-irrigation systems on large-scale farms.

Smart Home

Ecovacs’ new Deebot X1 cleans your home and itself

ECOVACS DEEBOT X1.

Well-known robot vacuum maker Ecovacs has revealed its newest robot floor cleaner as part of CES 2022: The Ecovacs Deebot X1, and this one is a pretty significant upgrade, with useful new tech.

By now we’re all familiar with robot vacuums and mops, and perhaps even the models that will do both all in one bot. So far these have been super handy automated cleaning helpers, but their biggest downside has been the maintenance; if you don’t empty your bot’s onboard dustbin daily, or refill the water tank, they aren’t as effective. So far, manufacturers have made them capable of evacuating the dustbin all on their own, but the mopping maintenance has been elusive. Until now.