- May 23, 2015
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- Heating Engineer (Has GSR)
Welcome to the forum. Although you can post in any forum, the USA forum is here in case of local regs or laws
- Thread starter JasetheMace
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 35,144
- 1
- 14,996
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- Member Type
- Heating Engineer (Has GSR)
“I find twitter the worst for perfection, everyone is an amazing plumber with shiny pipes and invisible solder.”
They’re never real world jobs where you’re left with a dirty bit of old steel and cross crossing copper from the last install
Yeah, I was wandering about this- the cost of the jobs must be ridiculously high as they replace everything! They may be great at showing off but not making loads of money! Must be 3 days on a boiler swap!
If I may please give my perspective as a consumer, as I've read threads in the past about Checkatrade also but what is missing from these threads is the consumer's viewpoint. 🙂
I apologise in advance for the long post (I've had to put it in 2 posts 😳), or if I say the wrong thing, but I hope that it is useful to you. This is a very helpful forum and I'd like to give back to it by giving my perspective...
Here's what I do when I am in a new area/need a new tradesperson (in order):
I don't use Google for finding Tradespeople. Why? Because of the issue of searching for "local plumber" and ending up with a company that is based somewhere completely different that is sub-contracting to my area. I can usually tell by looking at the website. I'm not going to waste my time with Google.
When I'm going through Checkatrade/Which/Yell/boiler manufacturer's accredited installer list, I'm looking to put people on my shortlist.
When I'm looking on Checkatrade, I already know they should be genuine. Sometimes a tradesperson just lists on Checkatrade and subsequently has no website or Facebook and relies on that. In this case, I understand if a tradesperson doesn't have a website, and it's OK as Checkatrade has vetted them. So I'm happy to add anyone suitable to my shortlist.
Same goes for Boiler manufacturer's accredited installer list, anyone on there I trust to be genuine.
It is more difficult if I have had to resort to Yell. I find that most listings on Yell don't give me the information that I'm after (some are just blank!), there are just too many listings to go through and particularly if I'm intending to spend a lot of money/it's a big job, therefore, only businesses with a website will go on my shortlist. The problem is that anyone can list in Yell (and anyone can make a website). I've also got to be wary that the Yell listing is not a national company sub-contracting locally again. I'll look for businesses that have been on Yell for a long time and have some reviews on Yell or I'll Google them and look for their Google reviews. No reviews isn't necessarily a bad thing in my eyes - it just means that everyone is happy.
I'll have a shortlist with various weightings in my mind depending on where I have got their details from and what feeling I have got from their website and if they have a Facebook page, this will add further weightings.
I'll give my preferred choice a call first and (hopefully they will answer), have a chat and go from there. If they don't answer, I'll leave a message or call later and move on to the next choice.
I apologise in advance for the long post (I've had to put it in 2 posts 😳), or if I say the wrong thing, but I hope that it is useful to you. This is a very helpful forum and I'd like to give back to it by giving my perspective...
Yes for exactly that, if they have one.
Yes. If I'm looking around it is all about trust. So having a website and a Facebook page with regular postings on Facebook will certainly gain my trust. There are even some sole-traders now that only have a Facebook page (so it can be very difficult to search for these businesses sometimes) and a mobile number - no website and sometimes no address listed. I'm not so trusting of this (anyone can setup a Facebook page) but with regular postings of their work on their Facebook page, it goes a long way to show credibility and build trust - it is free and easy for them to do and gets them an online presence without the cost and hassle, so I get it. As other's have mentioned, I feel/find that if a business only has a presence on Facebook, it could be because they are keeping their overheads low and so their prices are often lower also. Therefore, I'd question why this is and for example, I'd be wary about engaging a plumber that only has a Facebook page, but I wouldn't have an issue engaging a gardener that only has a Facebook page. I try and weigh everything up.
Here's what I do when I am in a new area/need a new tradesperson (in order):
I don't use Google for finding Tradespeople. Why? Because of the issue of searching for "local plumber" and ending up with a company that is based somewhere completely different that is sub-contracting to my area. I can usually tell by looking at the website. I'm not going to waste my time with Google.
- I will think about vans that I have seen driving around and local ads in newspapers/community ads and look them up - see if they have a website and facebook to get an idea about the company - if they are what I am looking for I put them on my shortlist.
- I will ask for a recommendation from a friend/work colleague but preferably from another tradesman if I'm in contact with one. If they are what I am looking for I put them on my shortlist.
The above 2 are the easiest but aren't always the most successful for me because of 1. finding the ads again. Unless you (as a business) keep advertising every week, I (as a consumer) have likely thrown out your advert! So I try and keep a weekly newspaper and the community ad around for this very purpose - but it is difficult with so much marketing material coming through the door. Secondly, for various reasons, I don't have a network of contacts that I can call upon to get recommendations.
- For this reason, I usually end up on checkatrade which I find helpful for the following reasons:
The businesses are vetted as genuine to me as being local.
Checkatrade encourages a tradesperson to put much more information on their profile than their website often contains such as: Their qualifications, any CRB checks, whether they are 24hrs (for emergencies), an introduction to their business and what they can do (you can select from a long list chosen by checkatrade), any specialisms, any photos of their work. I look at a selection of their reviews but I take them with a pinch of salt as I know that the tradesman asks the customer to make the review so this can lead to only the "good" customers being asked to review. However, I do take note of the other stats such as tidiness, and invoicing. What I find helpful from Checkatrade also is that they verify with the tradesman their public liability insurance, which always feels awkward if I have to do it (almost feels like I don't trust them) and I have had replies of "I don't have it with me".
I value Which Trusted Trader's standards better (because I believe they are more stringent) than Checkatrade but Which don't have all of the above information that Checkatrade do, nor do they have as many tradespeople listed.
I have to be honest, I very rarely remember that there are other websites such as trustatrader available, I just stick to those 2. - If all else fails (ie. Checkatrade doesn't have what I'm after), I'll use Yell (online).
- For heating/plumbing, I may have also looked on the manufacturer's accredited installer list - try and cross reference with checkatrade. I might have also cross referenced or looked on watersafe.
When I'm going through Checkatrade/Which/Yell/boiler manufacturer's accredited installer list, I'm looking to put people on my shortlist.
When I'm looking on Checkatrade, I already know they should be genuine. Sometimes a tradesperson just lists on Checkatrade and subsequently has no website or Facebook and relies on that. In this case, I understand if a tradesperson doesn't have a website, and it's OK as Checkatrade has vetted them. So I'm happy to add anyone suitable to my shortlist.
Same goes for Boiler manufacturer's accredited installer list, anyone on there I trust to be genuine.
It is more difficult if I have had to resort to Yell. I find that most listings on Yell don't give me the information that I'm after (some are just blank!), there are just too many listings to go through and particularly if I'm intending to spend a lot of money/it's a big job, therefore, only businesses with a website will go on my shortlist. The problem is that anyone can list in Yell (and anyone can make a website). I've also got to be wary that the Yell listing is not a national company sub-contracting locally again. I'll look for businesses that have been on Yell for a long time and have some reviews on Yell or I'll Google them and look for their Google reviews. No reviews isn't necessarily a bad thing in my eyes - it just means that everyone is happy.
I'll have a shortlist with various weightings in my mind depending on where I have got their details from and what feeling I have got from their website and if they have a Facebook page, this will add further weightings.
I'll give my preferred choice a call first and (hopefully they will answer), have a chat and go from there. If they don't answer, I'll leave a message or call later and move on to the next choice.
Facebook: I'll use Facebook as an additional aid to gather more information. I'm not interested in messaging the company via Facebook (unless that is their only method of contacting them - I have come across it). I'm probably this way because I don't actively use Facebook, I won't go on there looking for businesses. What I'm looking for is up-to-date photos of work that they have done. The photos on checkatrade or their own website are often old from when the profile or website was first setup - and just a snapshot of their work. When I see an active profile on Facebook, I get an idea of the size of the company, type of work that they do and photos of the work that they do on a regular basis (so a look at the quality of their work on a regular basis) and it is reasonably current. I won't have to have (what feels to me) an awkward conversation to ask to see the tradesperson's recent work, as I would have seen it already on Facebook and I would have more faith that the work they do for me is going to be just as good as the last post they did X days ago. I wish to pay a tradesperson their due for quality work, so by seeing photos on Facebook of their standard of workmanship, I don't have to blindly make that leap of faith. The fact is that if you have a Facebook page with this information on it, I'm more likely to give you a call than someone that doesn't.
I can think of a few examples of how Facebook has been used and it will be "went to an emergency callout this morning, arrived within X minutes of call. Here is before photo and after photo. Customer very pleased. We are here 24/7." Type of thing, mixed in with ordinary installation work such as "today on site replacing X because such doesn't work. Here is before photo. Replacing with this X. Here is photo of work completed. Contact us for a quote if you would like your system upgraded and X installed in your home". There is nothing wrong with posting about the smaller jobs too - these are just as important - "no job too small" and all that.
That type of thing. So it is marketing mixed in with showing what type of work you do on a regular basis, mixed in with showing the quality of your work and your overall service that you provide. By providing it in a "timeline stream" like Facebook does, it does build up a level of trust like a Blog would do, only I imagine that it is a whole lot easier and snappier for you (as a tradesperson) to post on Facebook and reach a bigger audience.
For what I'm looking at your Facebook page for, at least a post a month would be reasonable - or more frequently when you come across a job - maybe weekly?
How about posting on Facebook about tips and then upselling? Installing a smart thermostat for example.
The thing is, you need to actually point out that you have a Facebook page and then you are committing to keeping it at least up-to-date as you can with some content. Otherwise, you are better off not having it in my opinion, as it looks bad. So if you have a website you need the Facebook logo and a link to the page at the very least, but if your website layout allows (and with the appropriate Cookie/privacy policy), I would suggest to integrate your Facebook feed into your website in a little box - that way when I visit your website it is in my face (this option would definitely need a commitment to keep the Facebook content somewhat current). Also the Facebook logo at the very least in your local ads and on your van. There seem to be so many different Facebook logos to choose from, such as "Find us on Facebook" to the straight forward "F" symbol.
I can think of a few examples of how Facebook has been used and it will be "went to an emergency callout this morning, arrived within X minutes of call. Here is before photo and after photo. Customer very pleased. We are here 24/7." Type of thing, mixed in with ordinary installation work such as "today on site replacing X because such doesn't work. Here is before photo. Replacing with this X. Here is photo of work completed. Contact us for a quote if you would like your system upgraded and X installed in your home". There is nothing wrong with posting about the smaller jobs too - these are just as important - "no job too small" and all that.
That type of thing. So it is marketing mixed in with showing what type of work you do on a regular basis, mixed in with showing the quality of your work and your overall service that you provide. By providing it in a "timeline stream" like Facebook does, it does build up a level of trust like a Blog would do, only I imagine that it is a whole lot easier and snappier for you (as a tradesperson) to post on Facebook and reach a bigger audience.
For what I'm looking at your Facebook page for, at least a post a month would be reasonable - or more frequently when you come across a job - maybe weekly?
How about posting on Facebook about tips and then upselling? Installing a smart thermostat for example.
The thing is, you need to actually point out that you have a Facebook page and then you are committing to keeping it at least up-to-date as you can with some content. Otherwise, you are better off not having it in my opinion, as it looks bad. So if you have a website you need the Facebook logo and a link to the page at the very least, but if your website layout allows (and with the appropriate Cookie/privacy policy), I would suggest to integrate your Facebook feed into your website in a little box - that way when I visit your website it is in my face (this option would definitely need a commitment to keep the Facebook content somewhat current). Also the Facebook logo at the very least in your local ads and on your van. There seem to be so many different Facebook logos to choose from, such as "Find us on Facebook" to the straight forward "F" symbol.
That is perfect thank you, this is exactly what I am using facebook for at the moment, which is good. I have been wondering for a while wether to advertise on facebook as I see a lot of adverts but I also see a lot of adverts from Birmingham, London and Bristol! Your advice is perfect.
- May 23, 2015
- 35,144
- 1
- 14,996
- 113
- Member Type
- Heating Engineer (Has GSR)
In all honesty, customers dont care about solder shots. They care more about scorch Mark's and leaks. If the job is absolutely amazing then they may think about it for a whole hour!
Wasnt unequalled plumbing the plumber of the year last year or year before. A lot of prizes for winning too
I have to say I completely disagree with the long post above. I have never lost a job because I don’t have an online presence. All posting your work does is show that someone thinks they are superior.
In my mind it shows SOME good skills but to me the real tester is when you are trying to plumb in a boiler in an airing cupboard of about the same width with old pipes coming up down left and right where the old layout of the boiler isn’t F, H, G, C, R and still making it look a nice neat job. That to me is more of a skill than having a blank canvas and free reins to run all new pipes where you like. Stopping to take a picture when you arrive at an emergency is just crass. Here I am 15 mins after being called, here’s the flood, oh the poor customers property. I fixed it well done me.
I’m sorry it’s a load of old tosh. I get new and repeat work because I’m polite to my customers, I show interest in their lives even if on that day I’m having a bad day. I always say if you have any problems with what I’ve done, no matter how small please call me. Sure some photos of a nicely finished bathroom are a nice to have but keep them in an album on a tablet or on a laptop.
I hear more people cynically saying “oh I don’t use checkatrade because all the reviews are made up aren’t they?” And that’s customers saying it not contractors.
In my humble opinion I think all customers young and old respond to politeness, punctuality, showing interest in the project or job no matter how small, making at least 5 minutes to have a chat with your customer at the end and explain what you’ve done and why you’ve done it. That to me is far more important than a bells and whistles website or FB page.
In my mind it shows SOME good skills but to me the real tester is when you are trying to plumb in a boiler in an airing cupboard of about the same width with old pipes coming up down left and right where the old layout of the boiler isn’t F, H, G, C, R and still making it look a nice neat job. That to me is more of a skill than having a blank canvas and free reins to run all new pipes where you like. Stopping to take a picture when you arrive at an emergency is just crass. Here I am 15 mins after being called, here’s the flood, oh the poor customers property. I fixed it well done me.
I’m sorry it’s a load of old tosh. I get new and repeat work because I’m polite to my customers, I show interest in their lives even if on that day I’m having a bad day. I always say if you have any problems with what I’ve done, no matter how small please call me. Sure some photos of a nicely finished bathroom are a nice to have but keep them in an album on a tablet or on a laptop.
I hear more people cynically saying “oh I don’t use checkatrade because all the reviews are made up aren’t they?” And that’s customers saying it not contractors.
In my humble opinion I think all customers young and old respond to politeness, punctuality, showing interest in the project or job no matter how small, making at least 5 minutes to have a chat with your customer at the end and explain what you’ve done and why you’ve done it. That to me is far more important than a bells and whistles website or FB page.
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