HomeDome

There’s a cool new Namibian app on the block and it’s called HomeDome, a directory that connects you to service providers in and around Windhoek and Swakopmund.

The innovative mobile advertising app brings together multiple service providers such as plumbers, electricians and real estate agents and boasts an easy-to navigate interface.

The app’s founder, Jaylee Venter, says the main point of her creation is for people to have quick and easy access to important numbers. After suffering a home invasion that left her without her belongings and a number to call, Venter realised many people in Namibia needed a central place from which they could find business persons and emergency services.

“After taking about two to three years to develop the idea into something tangible, HomeDome is now a fully fledged virtual world where you can look up any contact detail.

The app is simple to use: It targets anyone between 14 and 80 years old and takes up very little space on your phone. Not only will it allow you to find a contact number and address you are looking for, but it also makes it easier to report any suspicious activity to your local neighbourhood watch.

Venter says it’s important for people to use what she says is “similar to the yellow pages of a phone directory”, because it also lists the service providers based on user rankings and feedback, trying to ensure that the consumer experience is always a pleasant one.

HomeDome’s main menu is divided into categories like emergency, finance, services, markets, education, real estate, medical and other.

Once you click on any of these, more options are available to you. If you enter the emergency tab, you can search for an ambulance, hospital, the police or related services. In the markets tab, you are directed to malls and shopping centres, while the finance tab shows you a list of banks and insurance companies and their locations.

If you are someone who is always in need of a number, but cannot always access the internet, or if you are in a hurry, HomeDome is for you. It has all the basic businesses, but since it is still new, more local service providers still need to be added, such as SMEs and personal brands.

HomeDome is good for business owners as well, because being listed is free.

One such user of the app, social media and consumer news expert Rob Parker of SOMA Social Marketing, said he found it extremely convenient to use, but hoped to see more small enterprises taking advantage of the platform.

“The app is still new, so I don’t always find the exact company I’m looking to contact.”

But the growth is evident. What started out as a Windhoek-based virtual phone book has recently expanded to Swakopmund, with plans to grow its reach even further.

Other goals for the small company include ensuring that people are only going to businesses that provide top notch service as well as to grow, serve people and consumers in other towns and continuously improve its user friendliness.

HomeDome is available on Google Play.

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