logo
logo
Sign in

How to develop an app like Uber for your roadside assistance business

avatar
jennifer jean
How to develop an app like Uber for your roadside assistance business

Truck drivers travel all over the country, crossing thousands of miles, sometimes they even drive to other countries. Every driver would have faced the trouble of a flat tire or getting stranded in some way. It gets worse when they encounter these troubles at unknown places or at midnight. Even if they find a mechanic at odd hours, there are high chances of getting ripped off. Uber for tow trucks comes as an all-in-one solution for these problems. It also offers an opportunity for entrepreneurs to grow their business and make most of it. 

The on-demand roadside assistance app brings peace of mind to the truck drivers. The app is popularly known as Uber for tow trucks because of the similarity with the taxi service app Uber. It follows the same business model and operations as the ride-hailing giant. Users can easily download the app from their app market and start using it. They can request roadside assistance anytime and anywhere. They just need to register their account and enter the details required. 

The services also include some useful features like quick booking, easy payment, and customer support. If you already own a similar business, you can quickly adapt the solution to your business model. It offers you unlimited opportunities to expand your services in terms of area and explore the full potential of on-demand service apps. It stands as an overall aiding solution for your business. The on-demand roadside assistance services come as a whole package, consisting of an admin panel, an app for users, and an app for the mechanics.  Each one of them is unique in terms of features and functionalities,  created to serve their purpose. 

These apps help you minimize human resources and paperwork by digitizing almost every aspect of your business. The powerful admin panel makes it easier to manage and assist every business operation from your fingertips. But before proceeding any further, you must have an in-depth knowledge of the features. Even though the app is addressed as Uber for tow truck drivers, entrepreneurs will have to make some slight modifications to suit their business needs. The app’s framework must be complex-free for the users, and the workflow must be flawless. 

Customer side app:

Registration:

Customers will have to register their accounts on the platform before starting to use the services. Users can register with their email address or phone number. Some providers also integrate social media plugins on their apps so that the users can easily log in with their accounts. 

In-app call or chat:

Customers can chat with the mechanics to send additional location details or call them directly. They can also ask for minor issues and get it resolved over chat.

Notifications:

Notifications are a great way to keep the customers informed. They should get regular updates about the service request acceptance, payment confirmation, mechanic’s location, in-app call alert, etc. They should also get updates on promotions, discounts, offers, and other relevant news articles from the admin side. 

Rate and review:

Customers can give ratings and write reviews for every mechanic. This will be helpful for the mechanics to improve their services and for the customers to choose effectively. These ratings and reviews cannot be altered in any way to ensure the transparency of their services.

Search and filter:

The users can search for their required services near their vicinity. They can also use filters like vehicle type, breakdown issue, flat tire, etc., to get results efficiently. The search results will help the customers to find an appropriate mechanic based on their problems quickly. 

Book a mechanic/ schedule:

Customers can choose to book an appointment with the mechanics in their preferred time/ date. They can either choose to get a mechanic right away or book an appointment with them. 

Driver tracking:

Customers will receive a notification on their smartphones once their request gets accepted by a mechanic. The real-time location of the mechanic will be attached to the notification for the users to track. The customers can use in-app chat options to guide them if necessary.

In-app payment:

Customers can choose to pay in cash directly to the mechanic or choose from an array of in-app payment methods available. They can choose from credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, net banking, UPI, etc. The payment gateway will be built with the latest security encryption to avoid any fraudulent activities on the platform. 

App for the mechanics:

Registration:

The registration process for mechanics will be the same as the user side application, but they will be asked to submit their credentials. It will include their driving license, vehicle documents, certifications, and others. 

Notifications:

The mechanics will get requests from customers who are in need of their services, which they can choose to accept or reject. They will get other notifications regarding payment confirmation, in-app chat requests, customer calls, etc. 

Availability toggle:

The service providers can choose to work in their preferred hours. They should turn on their work status as available so that they can be visible on the customer’s map. Once they switch their status to unavailable, the customers cannot request their service. 

Payments:

The entrepreneurs will deduct a commission fee from the customer’s bill amount. The rest will be transferred directly to the mechanic’s account. They will be asked to enter their details during the time of registering their account.  

Customer information:

Once the request is accepted, the mechanic will get the customer’s details on their smartphone. It will include their name, gender, vehicle type, the issue faced, etc. They can prepare themselves before getting to the location based on the problem.

Help and support:

The mechanic can contact the customer care anytime to clear their doubts on using the application. They can share their smartphone screen with the customer care team to address their issues directly and efficiently. 

Work history:

They can access their previous works on the app anytime they need it. Their jobs will be categorized based on time, date, year, etc., to make it easier. 

Admin panel:

Secure login:

The admin portal can be accessed only with appropriate credentials. It can be changed only with proper authorization. 

Analytics and reports:

The admin panel offers a variety of analytics on the screen. The admin team can get robust data about the revenue, user engagement, driver’s response, hotspot, etc., anytime. They can also generate reports of the analytics in any format so that they can put it to use further. 

Notification management:

The admin can choose to send customized notifications or bulk notifications based on the necessity. They can also send notifications to users belonging to a specific demographic or location. 

Driver management:

The administrator can access the driver’s profile and monitor them anytime. They also have the authorization to add/remove profiles on the platform. 

Customer management:

The admin team can monitor a user’s behavior on the app and collect feedback to improve the services. They can also oversee the service requests, location, and other operations. 

Payment management:

The administrators will have full control over the payment gateway, driver payouts, customer refunds, etc. 

Price management:

The administrators control the price of booking appointments with the mechanics entirely. They can choose to add surge prices, late-night fee, distance fee, etc.

Promotion management:

The admins will control the promotions and discounts on the app. They can also choose to offer personalized discounts for a particular user for various reasons. 

In a nutshell:

Currently, there are not many on-demand roadside assistance providers in the market, and so if you are planning on becoming one, now is the right time. In this technology-driven world, building an app might be easy, but you should focus on the long run. Ensure that your app is future proof with all the necessary features to get ahead of the competition. 

collect
0
avatar
jennifer jean
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more