How tech-savvy are traders?
There’s an assumption that modern technologies do not have a place in the trades, or that tradespeople are unwilling to adopt them, but the latest survey from Logic4training has proved these assumptions wrong.
A staggering 90%1 of traders now own a smartphone or tablet. Electricians and gas engineers are the most likely to have embraced mobile technology, whilst plumbers are slower to the uptake, being less likely to have a website, embrace social media, and use apps for business purposes.
Considering the fact that iPhones only first came to market ten years ago, these latest findings demonstrate how integral mobile technologies have become to all aspects of our modern-day lives.
Which traders use apps at work?
- 83% of electricians
- 72% of gas engineers
- 67% of oil installers
- 44% of plumbers
Whilst the primary use of apps is likely to be to take bookings or schedule appointments, 18% of all the recipients that took part in the survey take payment through an app.
Smartphone vs. tablet? Plenty of traders are using both.
- 40% of gas engineers
- 33% of electricians
- 33% of oil installers
Interestingly, none of the plumbers surveyed use smartphones and tablets, presumably opting for one technology over the other.
Just over half of traders have a website.
In this day and age, you’d think that every business would have a website, but not all traders do. Of the traders that do have a website, electricians are leading the way in terms of mobile-friendly sites – an essential feature to reach more customers and rank higher in Google searches.
All traders said that they receive enquiries via the internet and some from traditional mediums, such as word of mouth and print advertising. Only plumbers report that the majority of their work is acquired offline.
Social media remains unexplored territory.
The industry lags behind other sectors when it comes to social media, with the majority of electricians and plumbers still not having set up a Facebook page for their business. Gas engineers do fair a little better; nearly half use Facebook and a third use Twitter.
At WPJ Heating, we want to help as many people as possible, so we have embraced modern mobile technologies. Our website is responsive, so even if you’re browsing for a local plumber or gas engineer from your mobile, it’s easy to find the information you need, plus you can book your job online by clicking on the orange button.
We have Facebook, Twitter and Google+ accounts, which we update regularly with information, news and guides that we hope you’ll find useful, and we even have an Instagram account to share pictures from some of our most unusual jobs!
1 HPV, 2015. How techy are the trades?. [Online] Available at: http://hvpmag.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/3479/How_techy_are_the_trades_.html. [Accessed 19th August 2015].