How to Find a Local Service Provider Without Sharing Your Phone Number
Sanjay Kushwaha · Founder, Proferly · September 16, 2026
When you need a plumber, handyman, electrician, cleaner, tutor, mover, or any other service, the usual process is pretty simple.
You search online.
You find a few businesses.
Then you call them or fill out a form.
And very often, the first thing you have to give them is your phone number.
For a simple job, this can become annoying.
You may only want to know who is available and what they would charge. You don't necessarily want to start receiving calls from several businesses.
So, is there a better way?
The usual way of finding a service provider
Let's say you need someone to fix something at home.
You might:
- Search Google
- Look through business listings
- Check reviews
- Call a few businesses
- Explain the same problem several times
- Wait for callbacks
- Compare prices
This works, but there is a problem.
You have to do most of the work.
And once you give your phone number to several businesses, you have less control over who contacts you.
What if you could just post what you need?
Instead of searching for individual businesses, another approach is to describe the service you need and let relevant businesses respond.
For example:
"I need someone to drill a hole and install a nail for a balcony grill."
You post the request.
Businesses that are interested can send you an offer.
You can then compare the offers and decide who you want to contact.
This is the idea behind Proferly.
Ready to try it? Post a request on Proferly.
Your phone number stays private
One of the main differences is that you don't have to publish your phone number with the request.
You can:
- Post the request
- Receive offers
- Compare them
- Choose a business
- Share your phone number with the business you chose
This gives you more control over the process.
You are not giving your number to every business that sees your request.
You don't have to know which business to call
This can also be useful when you don't know who to contact.
Maybe you need a small repair.
Maybe you need help moving something.
Maybe you need a tutor.
Maybe you need someone to assemble furniture.
You know what you need, but you don't know which local business is the right one.
Instead of spending time searching for the right business first, you can describe the request and let businesses respond.
What about getting multiple quotes?
You could contact five businesses yourself and ask each one for a price.
But that means:
- Finding five businesses
- Contacting five businesses
- Explaining the same thing five times
- Waiting for responses
- Comparing everything yourself
With Proferly, the idea is different.
You post the request once.
Businesses can send their offers.
You compare them in one place and choose the business you want.
Proferly is not a directory
Proferly is not designed for you to browse hundreds of businesses before posting a request.
The starting point is your request.
You tell Proferly what you need.
Businesses can respond.
You choose.
That's it.
How Proferly works
1. Post your request
Tell us what service you need and provide the relevant details.
2. Receive offers
Relevant businesses can review your request and send you an offer.
3. Compare
Look at the offers before deciding.
4. Choose
Choose the business you want.
5. Share your phone number
Your phone number is shared only with the business you choose.
A simpler way to find help
Finding a service provider doesn't always need to start with finding a business.
Sometimes it makes more sense to start with the problem.
Tell businesses what you need.
Let them come to you.
Then decide who you want to work with.
That's what Proferly is built for.
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Are you a service business?
Proferly also works from the other side.
Businesses can create a profile for free and receive relevant customer requests. You decide which requests you want to send an offer for.
No job? No fee. The Proferly fee applies only when the customer chooses your business.