Useless middlemen who think they can do it better than you and me
“Middleman Companies.”
They exist in almost every industry.
Dominated now by “new tech start-ups” these companies simply act as connectors.
Uber is obviously, the most notable “middleman.” Getting around transportation regulations by simply “connecting” drivers and those who “want a ride.”
In other industries there are sites like “Home Advisor” who say they make hiring a “home service professional” a better experience.
There’s a countless amount of food ordering apps.
Sidenote: At least some of the delivery services do add a little value.
But… I am “meh” about letting my food travel with the Uber driver.
Personally… I have the most respect for AirBNB… At least they are taking an existing asset (house/space) and putting it to work in down-time. No judgement if someone prefers sleeping in a stranger’s apartment over a hotel. Whatever. We have space in our house that is not used a good portion of the time. We get AirBnB guests once in a while.
What I don’t have respect for are the middlemen companies who do nothing.
They simply wiggle their way in between you and your end customer.
They do not provide the service. They do not fulfill the order.
Why? Because they think they can do it better.
Sadly… in some cases they can. There are tradespeople out there who can’t return a phone call to a new potential customer if their life depended on it. There are customers out there who just want to easily order food for a large or small event and can’t get the caterer or restaurant to simply nail it down.
The middleman companies promise to make the “experience better.” And in some cases they have made it better.
But the tools are available for those that want to do simple things like…
Do online /mobile app scheduling.
Keep cards on files for repeat orders.
Communicate via text rather than only voice-calls.
Take orders via FB Messenger.
Take payments online.
All these things are not that hard.
Usually they’re pretty simple to implement too.
Don’t give the middlemen a leg up.