How it works
From application to first paid job — the whole flow.
No magic. No platform-speak. Below is exactly what happens at every step, in the order it happens, with timing.
Step 01
First, here's what the customer experiences.
Steps 1-4 describe the booking-service flow (detailing, ceramic, headlight restoration, upholstery, rentals). Insurance works differently — see the Insurance broker track below.
The customer books on sleekride.com. They pick a service, choose a package off a posted menu, and pay up front through Stripe. They'll see real prices, not quote forms.
Once payment clears, our routing logic looks at the service + the customer's zip code and picks the right shop — based on coverage tier (Exclusive beats Priority beats Standard) and capacity. They never see your shop name on the booking page. They see SleekRide.
That's the moat. The customer trusts the platform. You get the work without bidding for the click.
Step 02
Job lands in your inbox. You decide.
Booking-service providers have a defined accept window — default 2 hours. Accept, and the job is yours and the address unlocks. Decline, and it cascades to the next shop in line by tier. (Insurance brokers use the lead marketplace with 24-hour tier rounds — see the Insurance broker track below.)
What lands on the card
- Customer name + contact
- Vehicle (year/make/model + photos)
- Service requested + package picked
- Pickup address + zip + scheduled window
- Pre-paid amount + your share
- Customer notes from intake
Step 03
Standard work, with a few extra steps.
Update the job status as you go. The customer sees these updates live in their tracker, so you don't field “is it ready yet?” calls. In-app messaging lets you ask questions without exchanging phone numbers.
In progress
You flip the job to In progress when work starts. Customer gets a live update.
Photos uploaded
Drop before/during/after photos in. Customers see them in their tracker.
Ready
Mark Ready and the customer can pick up (or you complete a mobile job).
Step 04
Job complete. Payment released.
Booking services (detailing, ceramic, headlight, upholstery, rentals): you mark the job complete and Stripe Connect transfers your share — net of the platform fee — to your bank within 2-3 business days. Insurance brokers are paid directly by the carrier on policies they bind — see the Insurance broker track below.
Platform fee
Tier-dependent: 15% on jobs in your Standard zips, 10% on jobs in zips where you hold Priority or Exclusive coverage. Trade lower per-booking fees for the small monthly zip subscription.
Numbers are current placeholders for the testing phase. Final fees confirmed before any provider is billed.
Insurance broker track
Insurance runs on a pay-per-lead marketplace — not a pre-paid-booking flow.
SleekRide isn't a licensed insurance agency, so we can't collect commissions and redistribute them. Instead, brokers pay per delivered lead from a prepaid wallet, and the licensed partner who actually binds the policy is paid directly by the carrier. The mechanic below is unique to insurance; every other service uses the booking flow above.
- 01
Fund your lead wallet
Brokers prepay into a lead_fund via Stripe. Every dollar you pay on an insurance coverage subscription auto-credits the same wallet (matching deposit). You're shopping with real money, but your subscription does double duty.
- 02
Lead delivered + wallet charged
Customer intake lands on /provider/leads with contact info, vehicles, current carrier. Your wallet is charged at tier price the moment the lead routes to you — $15 Exclusive / $20 Priority / $25 Standard (placeholder rates).
- 03
Tier cascade, 24 hours each
Exclusive (solo for 24h) → Priority (all Priority holders, 24h) → Standard (all Standard holders, 24h) → Crossroads fallback. Your Exclusive round is yours alone. Priority + Standard rounds compete on quote, not speed.
- 04
Submit your quote in-app
Carrier + monthly premium + deductible + coverage notes. Shop multiple carriers on one lead if you want. Customer sees every broker's quote side-by-side on their dashboard.
- 05
Customer picks — winner binds
The customer picks one quote, the rest get marked lost. Winning broker binds the policy off-platform + is paid directly by the carrier (we're not a licensed agency). Lost brokers keep their lead fee paid; bad-lead refunds are available via ops.
Per-lead + subscription numbers are placeholders for the testing phase. Final pricing confirmed before any broker is billed.
The vetting standard
What we verify before you can take a single job.
Every shop in the network passed the same gate. That's what makes the SleekRide brand trustworthy on the customer side — and what makes the leads you receive worth more than anything you'd buy on a marketplace.
Business license
Current and valid in your state. Verified directly with the issuing authority.
Insurance
General liability + (where applicable) garage keepers. We pull your COI.
Sample work
Recent job photos or an in-person inspection. We look at the work that pays your bills.
References
We call three real customers from the last 12 months. No throwaway lists.
Response time
We measure how fast you reply during the application process. Slow now → slow later.
Facility check
For shop-based services, we visit. Mobile-only? We confirm setup with photos.
Timeline
From “apply” to “first job” — typically 7-14 days.
- Day 0
Application submitted
You finish the five-minute apply form. Confirmation email lands instantly.
- Day 1-3
Initial review + document verification
We pull your license + insurance. Most clean applications clear in 48-72 hours.
- Day 3-7
Site visit or sample work inspection
We see what you actually do. In person for shop-based, photos + video for mobile.
- Day 7-10
Reference calls + payment setup
Three real customers, plus you connect your Stripe account. Five minutes of clicking.
- Day 10-14
Profile activated. First job routes.
We flip you live in the network. Your home zip is free; pre-paid bookings start landing.
Ready to start?
Five minutes for the application. A week or two for the vetting. Then the work flows.