The easiest way to describe Dispatch is this: the Boston startup has built a software platform that lets people book home services professionals for things like pest control and appliance repair, with the ease of use found in apps like Uber.
After attracting dozens of enterprise brands and 20,000 service providers, Dispatch has raised a $12 million round led by Needham-based venture capital firm GrandBanks Capital and one of its largest customers, Fortune 1000 company ServiceMaster. Total funding is now $18 million. Other investors in the new round include Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, Salesforce and Assurant.
Beyond helping lead Dispatch's round, ServiceMaster will also start using Dispatch's software for its Terminix and American Home Shield Brand. Dispatch said early use of its software has already helped the two home services brands increase their Net Promoter Scores and reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a job.
Dispatch's software helps home service providers offer features that people have come to expect with the proliferation of apps like Uber, OpenTable and Airbnb, such as the ability to schedule appointments, communicate with providers directly, receive job updates and make payments. The startup said its software now serves more than 50,000 homes a day.
Avi Goldberg, Dispatch's CEO and co-founder, told BostInno that Dispatch's goal is to be the operating system for home service providers that want to provide a modern customer experience. In fact, he said the focus of Dispatch's funding news shouldn't be the company but the companies that are able to make business improvements through its software.
"By creating that operating system and infrastructure, we're giving the toolkit to enterprises so they can compete for homeowners that want a modern customer experience," Goldberg said.
Dispatch's customer base is a mix of large enterprise brands like ServiceMaster and small- to medium-sized businesses. Goldberg said he couldn't disclose the names of other large customers, which he described as some of the largest brands and franchises in the United States.
Beyond improving customer satisfaction and speeding up the completion of jobs, Goldberg said the other area where Dispatch has made an impact is lowering the overhead cost associated with managing a network of service providers.
The startup has 45 employees working from its office in Boston's North End.
