Coming soon: An app to order plumbing services
Ordering plumbing services will be just a tap away in Oman from January.
Five Omanis, Hamed al Mahrouqi, Younis al Rawahi, Aysha al Shibli, Asad Ambusaidi and Mutaz al Zadjali have come together to develop the Musalih mobile app platform which will offer this service.
Speaking to Muscat Daily, Mahrouqi, 28, a graduate from the Sultan Qaboos University, and team leader, said, “The idea to work on the project came up when I faced problem in my apartment. The water pipe was leaking and needed to be fixed immediately. I called many plumbers but they were unavailable because of other works. I realised then that many people like me would be facing the same problem around Oman.”
Mahrouqi said that the Musalih app is a place to bring together home owners and handymen (Mahir). “A handyman specialises in a wide range of repairs particularly those related to homes. We did research about the society in Oman and found that there is a big demand for such services. People are usually busy with their lives. Our aim is to save time and offer a range of services on our platform.
“We are committed to train Omani youths to become Mahirs and join our platform to grow their business. We are still in the demo stage and developing the Musalih app with our partners
CTO Mutaz.”
Speaking of the challenges, he said, “There were many challenges. It started with forming a core team and finding the right partner to work on the idea.
“We want the Omani society to use such apps to get their work done easily. We did a lot of research before developing the app. The key was to understand the need for such a platform and come up with right strategies before we hit the market. We are looking for angel investors to take the project forward.”
Mahrouqi said that he keeps meeting people to work on concepts and ideas. He added, “I am employed in the oil sector. I keep meeting people and discuss ideas with them. Today, we get lots of support from the Omani government and the private sector. Riyada is supporting startups There is support from the Diwan of Royal Court, Towell Group, Alasfoor et al. All are trying to support Omani entrepreneurs.
“We have registered the project with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Oman and with international organisations like Seed Star and Pitch Palace in Bahrain.”
The team is using social media channels like Instagram and Twitter to promote the Musalih app platform. “We can be reached on Instagram and Twitter under the name of @musalih_om and through email at musalih.oman@gmail.com.”
About future, he said that the team wants to include more utility services in future.
“We hope to launch the platform in January. I thank His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the National Youth Program for Skills Development for continued support. I also thank the Musalih team members and my family for believing in me and my idea.”
People are usually busy with their lives. Our aim is to save time and offer a range of services on our platform Hamed al Mahrouqi