Exec, a startup that allows you to instantly hire local workers to perform basic jobs, is testing out a new version of its cleaning service. In the future, cleaning with Exec should be a higher quality, faster experience, and it will come with a higher price tag to match.
Until now, everything in Exec came at a standard price of $25 per hour. For the new cleaning service, the per-hour rate has more than doubled to $65. That doesn’t mean you’ll actually pay twice as much — Exec is now sending two people to do the job, so it should take less time.
Co-founder Justin Kan (formerly the Justin of Justin.tv) tells me this is very much an experiment. Cleaning is one of Exec’s most popular services, and he says the company noticed that it was doing a lot of work behind-the-scenes to improve the experience. So the team decided to go all out, asking itself, “If we could make this the best possible experience, what would we do?” The answer involves Exec-trained cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning supplies from the company, key pick-up and drop-off, and laundry service.
Exec is currently beta testing the system here, where existing customers can try out the service this week for a discounted $50 per hour. It plans to phase out the old cleaning system.
If Exec is willing to break away from the $25 per hour model for cleaning, can we expect it to do the same in other areas? Kan says that for the “near future,” he only plans to apply this model to cleaning: “I like to take things one step at a time.” But eventually, he says, it’s possible that Exec might start offering improved or “streamlined” experiences and charging more for them.