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Tradie Hospitality
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Next gen maintenance trades are polished professional service providers. They develop lifelong relationships with clients who value care and hospitality.
Reputation is everything, making every client interaction count.
Reputation is everything, making every client interaction count.
Video credit:
Legendary Plumbers
- ENE (3,b)
- ESE (4,a)
- WNW (6,b)
Tradies know that a shift is coming. Some are moving into higher-end boutique home builds, or increased maintenance jobs, as volume home gigs and larger-scale renovations drop off. Now, service is king.
Homeowners are planning to live longer in their current properties, making repeat maintenance jobs a profitable stream of income. Service and hospitality are prioritised as ways to win repeat work and positive word-of mouth.
- WNW (4,c)
For clients who can afford to build from scratch, it’s a luxury. Rising labour and material costs are sweetened by an elevated service experience that makes the process feel ‘worth it’.
Going the extra mile in service reinforces the quality and expertise of the finished product and reminds clients that trades care about their home, which is one of the most important and costly things they will ever invest in.
Photo credit:
Evobuilt
FORCES
What is influencing this theme?
Economic
Demand for maintenance
New residential builds are down 10.4% YOY due to increasing materials costs and unfavourable timelines. Many people are maintaining what they've got.
ABS Building Activity Report, Sept 2023
Learn moreEconomic
Bespoke builds become luxury
Because of increased materials, labour and borrowing costs, the sweet spot for new builds is $1.5-2 million. Service levels need to level up to make rising costs feel worth it.
Future Tradie Report 2024 survey, Oct-Nov 2023
insight
Service
Maintenance trades are investing in service-based training and tech to improve client experiences.
Traditionally, trades small businesses hire more labourers when their existing teams are bursting with the number of jobs on the go—and many still do.
Once they have worked out their service rhythms, frontrunners are automating parts of customer service using software and technology.
Businesses that are winning through service are hiring staff before they need them, so they have time to train them properly before they represent the brand.
Photo credit:
A Team Painting Professionals
Communicating with clients and others on a job takes time and effort. As a result, interactions can be clunky and erratic—the opposite of good service.
Clients want speedy replies and clear cost breakdowns detailing exactly what they are getting (and when), to build trust and help with decision-making.
Uber-style updates, online booking systems and access to cloud-based systems that let any team member understand the job make things feel smooth and sophisticated.
Photo credit:
Elite Building Services
Nurturing clients on the journey
spotlight
legendary plumbing
Mitch uses tech, training and bold branding to win maintenance gigs in affluent areas.
A background in real estate means Mitch brings superior service to the business, started with his brother, a licensed plumber.
Legendary provides a superior service, thanks to in-depth training, timely digitised customer communications, and the vibrant yellow brand and neat uniforms.
Newbies train for two weeks before hitting the road, so nobody has a bad experience and Legendary's reputation is never damaged.
Photo credit:
Legendary Plumbers
Professional service pays off
“People feel confident going with you when you’re organised, when you put them first. Our guys turn up in a uniform, in a branded vehicle, with a proper system for getting work done.”
53
%
of surveyed tradies working in affluent areas are confident sticking to that type of work for their whole career.
This drops to 41% in less affluent areas.
Future Tradie Report 2024 survey, Oct-Nov 2023
mindsets
How are future tradies responding?
Service Steward
Building their brand based on service
Tradespeople are polite, punctual, well-presented and clean up after themselves. This contributes to brand-building through positive word-of-mouth.
Niche Specialist
Stepping through cost-benefit analysis
They know their clients are new to their subject area, so need easy-to-understand explanations. Often, this means explaining things like the long-term value of passive housing.
business optimiser
Measuring word of mouth leads
They know the impact this can have on their business and carefully monitor the impact of great service on lead generation, so they can reduce marketing expenditure.
Opportunities
What can you do?
Start Doing
Support customers to build a strong brand through branding products and services
Uniforms, branded handover documents and gifts for customers’ clients help level up service experience.
Plan For
Help tradies to improve service through systems and processes
Communication platforms, invoicing and quoting and job management that can help tradies offer great service.
consider in future
A way for tradies to verify that their business offers a great service
Reward tradies who are doing things well by verifying their business offers quality service and experiences for their clients.
Start Doing
Build service education into seminars and career development points
Provide information about what service-led business means and how they can build its principles into their own business.
Plan For
Service inspiration, standards and frameworks that can be used day-to-day
Invite professionals from other areas of service to present to tradespeople e.g., hospitality, luxury goods, luxury automotive.
consider in future
Connect tradies to service specialists in other industries
This could look like inspiration sessions featuring professionals from other industries, or networking with service providers.
Start Doing
Define great service standards for your business
Develop a signature service offering that makes your business stand out. Engage your team to help do this, so they really own putting it into action.
Plan For
Encourage referrals and word of mouth business from happy clients
Thanking or rewarding customers who share their positive experiences with others encourages them to spread the word. Tracking word of mouth enquiries will help you understand what's working.
consider in future
Borrow from other businesses delivering great customer service
Go outside of your industry for inspiration from luxury goods, cars or fine dining and think, what could you do differently?
Download the full report to explore all themes and mindsets for 2024.