Meanwhile, electricians were voted the most professional, trustworthy, timely – and expensive, of all tradespeople.
Painters and decorators have been voted the “best craic” among all tradespeople, according to new research.
Painters and decorators were voted as the “best craic” at 18%, among all trades polled, followed closely by plumbers at 15% and bricklayers at 14%.
The survey released on Sunday also revealed that electricians are also believed to be the “most professional” of all trade professions at 39%.
In fact, electricians were voted as being the most trustworthy at 29% and the best timekeepers at 21% from the range of tradespeople included in the survey.
However, electricians were also voted as the “most expensive” of all the tradespeople amassing almost a third of all votes in the poll at 31%.
The survey from Irish DIY, Hardware and Homeware group, Homevalue and conducted by Empathy Research, which polled over 1,000 adults, has revealed that plumbers were voted as second most professional at 18% and the second most expensive at 25%, as well as the second most trustworthy at 17%.
The data also revealed that three-quarters or 75% of adults claim that “word of mouth” and recommendations from friends and family members impacts their decision to choose a tradesperson, making word of mouth “the most important marketing channel for tradespeople over other sources of information.”
The research also highlighted the increasing importance of “visual examples of work completed” at 33% and “the cleanliness of builders” as they undertake projects at 26% when it comes to impacting the decision-making process.
Meanwhile, marketing materials received in the letter box was voted as the least impactful at just 3%.
The full list of key influencers is as follows:
Word of Mouth from friends/family members – 75%
Your own experience of them – 60%
Neighbour experience – 49%
Visual examples of their previous work not on social media – 33%
Cleanliness of the builders – 26%
Online Reviews – 25%
Social Media pictures of their work – 16%
Online search via Google – 15%
Marketing materials in the post – 3%
The new research also found that as many as 2 in 5 people polled (38%) encountered a significant delay when trying to secure a tradesperson for a routine job to be completed at their home in the last 12 months due to unprecedented building activity as a result of pent-up demand after lockdown.
“While the research has many light-hearted statistics, it also acknowledges that there is currently a shortage of skilled tradespeople in Ireland, which was intensified by pent-up demand which emerged following successive lockdowns,” Paul Candon, CEO of United Hardware, trading as Homevalue, said on Sunday.
“However, there is also clear evidence that tradespeople up and down the country have been working tirelessly to meet the demands of their customers and deliver the highest possible standards.”
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