With nearly 10,000 Baby Boomers turning 65 every day, finding qualified technicians to replace retiring, more experienced workers has become a daunting problem for home service owners and recruiters.

And, the company culture that satisfied older generations is no longer in favor. Millennials and Gen Z want better benefits, compensation that is more in line with the cost of living, and a more robust work-life balance.

So how can smaller, locally-owned home service businesses compete with larger companies and other industries to attract a new generation of workers?

Beyond the better pay and more exciting company culture, home service owners and recruiters will need to rely on technology to attract these younger workers. They will need to use tech to recruit these workers, will need to showcase the technology their companies use on the job and offer innovative platforms to train the new crop of employees.

Recruitment

For decades, people found jobs by looking in the classified ads section of their local newspaper. Even though employment ads eventually moved online, the format was similar: a company would post their open positions, the requirements needed to fill the position and how to apply.

But, this is slowly changing.

Sure, we still advertise for jobs on Indeed.com or on our website, but more and more often, we see employment opportunities springing up on social media.

That’s because that is where the young people are.

Studies show that 97% of Gen Zers use social media as their top source of shopping, while 65% use it for entertainment. They are on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube when they aren’t streaming shows. Gen Z is made up of digital natives. They grew up online, and they have never known a time when it wasn’t available.

Needless to say, that means that if you want to reach the brightest young minds who want to consider home service as a profession, you need to be on social media, as well.

Luckily, the nature of the trades provides fodder for a lot of easy content. Publishing “how to” videos and blog tips and sharing those across social media are some of the easiest ways to make yourself known to younger job applicants in your area.

Sites like LinkedIn are already known as recruitment hubs, but all social media sites are fast becoming the new hiring platforms.

Sharing your company culture, showing employees fixing problems and becoming a part of the online community make you attractive to the next generation of employees.

But, you can’t use technology to recruit new employees if you don’t have innovative platforms at use in your business.

Tech on the job

At this point, most home service companies probably are (or should be) using a customer relationship management system (CRMs). CRMs help companies manage their customer relationships, communication and orders. They have been around for decades now, and there are several that can be purchased that won’t break the budget of a smaller company.

But there are other technologies that will excite younger employees and make them want to work for you. These include:

• Artificial Intelligence Assistants. From chatbots to predictive management, AI is the new “thing” in the trades. AI sensors can help techs identify current issues with an HVAC system or predict service demands in a water heater.
• The Internet of Things. IoT and Smart Home technology is becoming more commonplace with each passing year. Like AI, these systems use sensors to monitor a home’s comfort systems. If an HVAC, plumbing or electrical company has access to these sensors, they can monitor these systems from the office, saving themselves a trip until it’s absolutely necessary.
• Mobile applications. Mobile apps are a great way for your field service teams to stay in touch with customers, with the office and with their mentors. If a young tech encounters an issue he isn’t familiar with, a video chat with his supervisor or access to video or photographic libraries from a mobile app helps keep jobs on track.
• Virtual and augmented reality apps. These apps can be used to help young techs visualize their next job, while augmented reality apps help homeowners see how their homes will look with renovations. Helping educate techs and customers helps strengthen the trust between your clientele and your brand.

Technology is impacting the trades in positive ways and should be employed as a means to improve customer service and lure new techs into the profession.

Technology is impacting the trades in positive ways and should be employed as a means to improve customer service and lure new techs into the profession.

Training technology

Another issue that many home service business owners face today is that, for years, younger workers have been guided to go to college to train for jobs outside of the trade industry. But, with student loan debt reaching a tipping point, many younger generations are considering careers in the trades to avoid a lifetime of debt.

In fact, some home service businesses have started training programs to ensure they will have the workers they need to meet demand.

With training platforms like Interplay Learning and Trainual on the market, setting up your own training program has become easier than ever. These applications allow business owners to set up training schedules that provide everything from onboarding to ongoing training.

You can set up processes that systemize your training program, and you can use VR to get workers job-ready faster and easier than ever before. You can set up your team to get experience before they ever work on a real customer’s equipment.

Highlighting your company’s technological opportunities is the best way to recruit and train the skilled trades industry’s next generation of workers.

There are already innovative applications on the market, and more are being developed every day. And many of these are not cost-prohibitive. In fact, doing business without many of today’s best home service technologies can be more expensive in the long run.

Capturing the next generation’s attention is as easy as highlighting all the trades has to offer, and that should include next-level technology in the way you recruit and the way you train.