Kandua, a wholly owned subsidiary of Santam, has launched Jess, an AI-powered home companion designed to simplify home maintenance while improving trust, transparency and safety in South Africa’s home services sector.
Described as the country’s first AI home companion, Jess guides homeowners through the entire repair and maintenance journey using a conversational interface. Through its “Ask Jess” feature, users can describe a home problem and receive assistance in identifying the issue. If professional help is needed, the platform’s “Book a Job” function connects users with trusted, vetted service providers.
According to Vinolan Pillay, CEO of Kandua, the platform combines artificial intelligence, data and cloud technologies to create a personalised experience that replaces fragmented booking processes.
“We saw an opportunity to rethink how homeowners engage with home services,” Pillay said. “Jess creates a personalised, context-aware experience that delivers better outcomes for homeowners while unlocking new value for service providers.”
Beyond diagnosing problems, Jess provides users with cost estimates, highlights potential complications and supports them throughout the booking process, helping reduce abandoned requests and enabling more informed decisions.
