According to the press release, the initial idea was simple. Searching for quotes for services is not easy for both laypeople and companies. To find the right company, firstly you have to know or search for them and secondly you have to contact each company individually. This often takes a lot of time and nerves. The idea for Offertube - a service portal on the Internet that solves precisely this problem - was born.
Interdisciplinary team
Marius Maissen and Marcel Thomann are behind the idea. Maissen studied journalism at the University of Zurich and now works part-time as a communications specialist for a large industry association. Marcel Thomman covers the technical side of things. As a web programmer, he is familiar with building websites and databases and has the technical know-how to create such a platform. Together they founded the start-up company Dema Media to work on their concept. However, it took longer from the basic idea to completion than the two of them expected at the beginning.
All beginnings are difficult
Once the basic idea had been formulated, the young team was quickly confronted with questions that turned out to be quite difficult. How do you ensure that only high-quality companies are involved in the platform? For which industries does such a system make sense at all and how do you actually want to earn money with it? These and other difficulties meant that the development of the service platform took longer than expected. The two young entrepreneurs are now so satisfied with the final product that they have decided to go online.
Convincing system
If a private individual or a company is looking for a service, for example catering for an event, this quote request can simply be entered on Offertube.ch. The operators have created detailed questionnaires for each sector, which define the type and scope of the order very precisely. For example, it makes a difference whether a catering service only includes the food or also the crockery and staff. The Offertube team checks the requests for completeness and seriousness and then automatically forwards them to companies that offer these services. Three of these companies can then purchase the customer's contact from Offertube and offer it in a personal meeting. Of course, it is not only possible to order sandwiches on the platform. The services on offer range from creative marketing work to legal and financial matters, cleaning services and transportation.
What does it all cost?
This service is free of charge for the customer. For the company that purchases a contact for the purpose of making an offer, Offertube only becomes chargeable when it buys a contact. Registration and receiving inquiry e-mails are free of charge. To make the system attractive, Offertube offers a registration bonus of two free customer contacts. So when a new company registers, it is not taking any financial risk, but can even test the system free of charge for the first two orders.
Good response
Even though the platform is now online, the work for the start-up company is only just beginning. With campaigns on the Internet, social media appearances and the tried-and-tested door handle cleaning, the two young entrepreneurs are constantly bringing new companies to their website, which register free of charge. In addition, the website is constantly being optimized and adapted. The response so far has been very positive. Companies have already registered in all areas. A lot still needs to happen before the platform can compete with Facebook, eBay or Google. So if you have your own company or hold a managerial position, you can register with Offertube.ch register free of charge and make a small contribution to getting the young entrepreneurs' company up and running.