According to a new survey by Logic4training, 90% of tradespeople own a smart phone or tablet, with 98% of these owners using them as part of their job.
Electricians and gas engineers came out top of the techy trades, with plumbers falling behind when it comes to using new technology, such as apps, having a website and embracing social media.
The statistics show just how integral mobile internet devices have become in all of our lives, in a very short time-frame – the iPhone was launched less than 10 years ago.
Who uses apps at work?
- 83% of electricians
- 72% of gas engineers
- 67% of oil installers
- 44% of plumbers
- 18% of all the recipients use apps to take payment
Smartphone or tablet? Many are using both:
- 40% of gas engineers
- 33% of electricians
- 33% of oil installers
- 0% of plumbers
Just over half of all respondents said they had a website, with electricians leading the way when it comes to mobile friendly sites – a must for reaching customers and doing well on google. At the moment, all groups get some business from the internet and some from traditional mediums, such as word of mouth and print advertising – only plumbers report that most of this comes ‘off-line’.
When it comes to social media, the building services industry is lagging behind compared with other sectors, with the vast majority of electricians and plumbers still not having a Facebook page for their business. Gas engineers fared a little better, with nearly half using a Facebook page and nearly a third on twitter.
Jonny Lawrence, Logic4training’s Digital Marketing Expert, said: “This survey provides a snapshot of a building services engineering sector which is embracing technology to help make jobs easier and win new business. While, for some, more traditional means still lead the way – and are obviously very effective – utilising the internet will eventually become unavoidable and is a definite positive for our industry. The next step for many of the recipients is to get a website sorted and have a go at social media; it’s never been easier to target hundreds, if not thousands of potential customers, in a quick and cost-effective manner.”
Need help getting online? Logic4training has teamed up with SoleTrader, which specialises in well-built and cost-effective websites for the trades. Costing just £179 +VAT, installers can get a further 15% off by visiting www.soletrader.com/logic4training/ and quoting the code L4T179.
