Traits of the Trade
Being held in high regard by your customers for traits such as quality of work, tidiness and professionalism has become more important than ever.
With a customer’s DIY mindset switching to a DEY (Do Everything Yourself), the ability to secure customers has become more competitive.
Surveying homeowners across the UK who have hired a tradesperson in the last 6-12 months, Toolstation uncovers which tradespeople come out on top for all-important traits, as well as where in the UK these top tradespeople can be found.
According to the survey, plumbers are applauded for their traits and are considered to be most tidy, polite, trustworthy, punctual and most likely to meet a deadline. However, plumbers are so focused on the task at hand they lack the ability to have banter with their customers – placing last in this specific category.
For electricians, although they do not take the number 1 spot for any traits, sparkys still left a great impression on customers, scoring as high as second place for meeting deadlines, trustworthiness, manners and attention to detail.
For landscapers, their greatest traits are their professionalism, attention to detail and good humour. They are, however, also voted the noisiest tradespeople along with construction workers. According to respondents, these tradespeople are notorious for playing loud music and whistling while they work.
Construction workers generated the most negative responses across most categories, finding themselves bottom of the list for politeness, punctuality, reliability and ability to meet deadlines. When asked which tradesperson asked for a lot of drinks, customers also voted construction workers as the thirstiest tradespeople.
What can you say, they love a builder’s brew!
Regional trade ratings
Arguably, the most important traits a tradesperson can have are trustworthiness, punctuality, value for money, tidiness, and attention to detail. Discover where in the UK tradespeople come out on top for these key qualities.
Where are you likely to be offered a cuppa?
Respondents were also asked if they provided good hospitality and it was found that almost half of all respondents (44%) admitted they did not.
See the map below to discover where in the UK you are most and least likely to find hospitable customers.
Some open responses mentioned ‘offering a cup of tea’, but these responses couldn’t be assigned to a specific region/city and consequently, have not been included in regional data.
Toolstation is one of Britain’s fastest growing suppliers of tools, accessories and building supplies to the tradespeople, home improvers and self-builders. We offer products from power tools, plumbing, CCTV cameras, workwear and other trade essentials across a wide range of top brands.
Methodology
Data comes from a survey of 1,020 respondents, conducted by Censuswide on our behalf.
Responses in Q1 were collected using a metric scale of very good-neither good nor bad-very bad. All positive responses (‘very good’ and ‘good’) were amalgamated, as were all the negative responses, which were then subtracted from positive counts to create an overall score.