Shrink that to-do list with Croqqer
Service: Croqqer
Where: The Netherlands; Dutch language only
Category: Peer-to-peer task marketplace
Sign-up: Free
Costs: Placing tasks is free, the task-giver defines a value and Croqqers bid for a task
Shape: Website
For whom: Personal and business
Croqqer is a marketplace for tasks. It lets people outsource their to-do list, or earn extra money doing others tasks. The to-dos can be anything from running errands, to household or garden tasks - even distributing flyers or building websites. The people who undertake tasks are called Croqqers.
Plus: It’s a place where you can reduce your to-do list without having to search different platforms for different task types. Croqqer’s local community managers provide support in their areas, bridging online and offline.
Minus: The website is pretty packed and it takes a while to familiarise and figure out the navigation. It’s not always intuitive either, especially when you navigate categories, or when you click private messages (and find everyone’s irrelevant messages). A lot of functionality doesn’t work yet, like rating. It’s also hard to choose your specialist, as a wide variety of Croqqer’s skills are listed in random order, making it difficult to find what you need.
When I heard about the concept, I was very keen to try it. Who doesn’t burn energy just thinking about their endless to-do list? How great would it be to have specialists taking care of all those tasks? Be aware that if you also want to carry out tasks, you must have a full profile including social media links, skills etc.
I placed a request seeking someone to help make this blog easy to find on the internet (SEO). Without a benchmark or experience, it was tricky to select a suitable price, so I decided to offer €50. Within a day I received two comments and a bid of €50 from a 24-year-old student. The next day I got an offer from an experienced marketer, and a week later, one from a Croqqer who had no profile. Both priced at €25.
I picked the marketer, was brought through to pay for the job and then….silence. The next step was not clear. After a few days the founder introduced the Croqqer and I to each other by email. We took it from there, exchanging emails, and in the end I got some good advice from a positive Croqqer. Again, it was not clear what the next step was – it definitely seems that some important functionality is still missing. The job was closed by the Croqqer and I was asked to send a review by mail, for inclusion in the next release of the site.
My 2 cents: It is a great idea to have a Dutch version of TaskRabbit - it’s like getting a Personal Assistant that saves you time. But Croqqer still needs to improve the user experience, so I’ll park this service for now, until it flows a bit smoother.
