Mazi
A booking and scheduling layer for independent service providers — tailors, mechanics, tutors — who take appointments over the phone by habit.
The problem
Independent service providers in Lagos were losing bookings to double-scheduling and missed calls. Most existing scheduling tools were built for salons in cities where customers expect to book online — that assumption didn't hold here.
The approach
Rebuilt the scheduling flow around the phone call rather than trying to replace it. The provider still talks to their customer; Mazi just makes sure the slot they offer is actually free and the appointment is written down the moment the call ends.
System diagram
Focus or hover a node for what it does.
By the numbers
Decisions I kept
- Designed for feature phones receiving SMS, not just smartphones
- One shared calendar per business instead of per staff member
- Manual override always available — the provider is never blocked by the system
- Paystack integration was optional, not forced
Things I didn't build
- A public booking website for customers — most bookings still start with a call
- Multi-location support — every provider using it ran a single site
- Native mobile app — SMS and a lightweight web view covered the need
What changed
Providers reported fewer double-bookings within the first month of daily use, and the shared calendar meant a provider's assistant could take a call without needing to ask them directly.