A ‘FASTFIX’ for COVID-19 related worries of daily wage earners

St. Anthony’s Industries Group Executive Director Jeevan Gnanam (left) launches the new ‘FASTFIX’ app together with FASTFIX Head of Operations Krishantha Pathiraja(Pic by Kamal Bogoda)

By Hiran H.Senewiratne

Sri Lankan community is now getting used to deploying mobile apps to work from their respective homes following the Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, this novel app which we are launching today should be made available island wide, Executive Director, St. Anthony’s Industries Group Jeevan Gnanam said.

“Daily wage earners had to face the largest financial struggle as they were one of the first groups to be affected when Covid-19 impacted the country. This new technology will provide those who have lost their jobs with a platform to find work and earn a living to cover their daily wages, Gnanam said at the launch of the device, “FASTFIX” app, last Friday in Colombo.

‘FASTFIX’ partnered with Anton, a fully owned subsidiary of St. Anthony’s Industries Group, to extend the services provided by the app. The app, offers a gateway to conveniently carry out plumbing related repairs and other chores. The app enables users to immediately locate the nearest service providers, contact the most suitable person for the requirement, and get the required services done according to their satisfaction.

Gnanam said this is Sri Lanka’s first app to facilitate easy home repairs from plumbing to electrical and is launched in a bid to connect end users with service providers.

He said more features are expected to be added to the app, including a feature to locate the nearest Anton product outlet which further assists the app’s users when searching for the required materials needed for repairs. These could be bought at a special rate when purchased through the app.

‘Depending on the quality of the services, workers can find constant work, thus enabling them to be fully occupied with work found through the FASTFIX app. In this way, the app contributes to a larger section of the society to step up and be financially stable.

‘The app has a feature to rate the services carried out by the workers which indeed is an opportunity for service providers to be recognized and encourages them to consistently provide a high-quality service. ‘FASTFIX’ app is currently in operation and is serving the Gampaha and Colombo districts for both consumers and service providers, and is available to download via Android Play Store, while an IOS version is to be launched in the coming few months, Gnanam added.

“We are extremely proud to launch the ‘FASTFIX’ app, which we believe would be a great convenience for home services related issues, should it be a plumbing issue, electric issue or any other repair, Head of Operations at FASTFIX Krishantha Pathiraja said.

Pathiraja said not all are experienced in everyday repairs and it is safer and more apt to hire a professional who has knowledge and experience to attend to this work. However, finding the right person for the right job is quite difficult at present and people often face issues when negotiating prices to get the job done.

‘No one thought that an app could assist with such a process, but now it is just at the tip of our fingers by downloading the ‘FASTFIX’ app and connecting to a professional to find solutions to household problems conveniently and cost-effectively, he added.