With stellar reviews and metrics across the board, Clients hire–and rehire–Alphonse M. for a wide range of tasks in categories like Minor Home Repairs, Mounting, and Electrical Help. We were fascinated to learn that he speaks French, English, Chinese, and Spanish and has lived in Senegal and China, although now he calls Orange County home.
Read on for Alphonse’s unique story and the touching way he’s used his TaskRabbit earnings!
What is your unique story?
I was born and raised in Senegal. Growing up, I handled most of the home repairs, and if I couldn’t do it, I would hire someone to do it but with one condition–that I’d be the assistant so I could learn. After graduating from high school, I moved with some friends to China with no specific plans. But it worked out well, because we ended up getting scholarships to attend school there. From China, I moved to Orange County and started working for an engineering company. A friend recommended that I look into TaskRabbit in my spare time, so I signed up in 2016 and I’ve been loving it ever since. I’m not sure how special my story is, but I’m very proud of coming from the other side of the world and am happy with how things turned out!
What is the best thing you’ve done with your earnings from TaskRabbit?
I used more than 50% of my 2017 earnings to help kids in my old neighborhood in Senegal to attend high school. When some of them graduated last year, it was such a great feeling!
Why did you decide to join your top categories?
I work full-time at an engineering company and task part-time in the Electrical Help, Furniture Assembly, Help Moving, Minor Home Repairs, Mounting, and Plumbing Help categories. I am skilled and comfortable in these areas, and I’m able to complete these tasks quickly. I went to engineering school so am skilled at figuring out problems, but I’ve also gained experience from tasking.
What top tip would you give to people wanting to get started in one of your top categories?
Be confident in your explanations and the details you share so that the Client can trust you to do the task. Do your homework the night before the task, and get your tools and materials ready. There’s nothing more uncool that showing up to a task unprepared.
What is your “special touch” to provide memorable, excellent customer service?
First, make sure the Client feels you’re competent, and make sure you have their confidence. Second, like anyone, Clients often want to save money. So, I always try to let them know (without saying it) my main priority is to do the job right. If you show you’re capable and that money is not your main driver, Clients are more likely to hire you again. Build that relationship with your Clients.
We can definitely see, based on his advice above, how Alphonse has been described by Clients as “professional,” “thorough,” “timely,” and “friendly.” But what stood out the most to us was how Alphonse has sponsored youth in his hometown to attend high school. While TaskRabbit is building out our TaskRabbit for Good programming, hearing how the platform pays it forward is a major inspiration for the multitude of ways we can all give back to our communities–as Taskers, as Clients, and as employees.
Have you donated any of your Tasker earnings to a cause near and dear to you? Tell us about it!
