Why AI isn’t a threat to the white van man
Will Davies, CEO of Aspect, delves into AI, the white van man, school leavers and government requirements
AI and the future of the white van man man
No, AI isn’t a threat to the white van man; it’s a transformative force enhancing our industry for both tradespeople and customers.
In the past two years, we invested over £1.5m in AI, solidifying our stance by appointing a dedicated head of AI for tech development. Implemented effectively, AI resolves scheduling challenges, swiftly connects customers with tradespeople, ensures real-time job quality tracking and even aligns advertising budget allocation with engineer availability.
Our AI system, Chumley, central to our operations, auto-allocates engineers by matching skillsets to job tasks and availability, tracks job processes to ensure quality and consistency in delivery, handles billing and payment collection and captures feedback.
At every step AI is starting to play a key role in improving customer experience, company efficiency and engineer performance. If a worker is delayed, Chumley promptly finds a replacement, enabling us to promise a 90 per cent two-hour on-site time for our clients.
This not only enhances efficiency but also significantly reduces costs. Chumley’s real-time capabilities empower us to monitor and manage situations promptly, a pioneering approach in our industry. Our commitment to utilising AI not only revolutionises our business model but reassures both tradespeople and customers, safeguarding the future of the white van man while ushering in a new era of efficiency and reliability in our services.
Securing the future talent
In times of home and business emergencies, tradespeople are essential: fixing boilers, clearing drains, finding leaks, painting walls and generally keeping the lights on.
To attract top talent, we advocate promoting this profession as a prestigious career, shedding any stigma associated with it. Highlighting the learnable skills and technical intelligence required is crucial.
Trade Up is a fantastic not-for-profit campaigning in this space for example. The dwindling number of qualified professionals due to Covid and Brexit underscores the urgency. We urge technical colleges to intensify efforts, raising awareness among students about the promising prospects of going into the trades.
How we founded Aspect
Transitioning from a corporate City background in mergers and acquisitions, my partner Nick Bizley and I founded Aspect in 2004. We recognise the vital need for continuous adaptation and investment.
Our journey from a small Battersea startup to a robust team of over 250 underscores this commitment.
We persistently invest in systems, cutting-edge equipment and engineer training, like our Leak Detection Service, enabling tradespeople to detect leaks without excavation. Our evolution exemplifies the significance of ongoing review, innovation, and investment in technology and staff.
The importance of communication
Active dialogue with industry bodies and government is essential. Currently, we require their collaboration, especially concerning the green transition to EVs. Inadequate charging infrastructure could jeopardise businesses, potentially forcing hundreds of professionals out of work. Urgent discussions and strategic agreements are imperative; without them, we risk lagging behind other countries in this sector.
The Chimp Paradox
The Chimp Paradox remains an all-time favourite. It’s a great book on understanding what our impulses are and how we can use them to better achieve our goals. Human impulses often are either irrational or negative, but this naturally doesn’t always have to be.
The more we can appreciate and learn to work with our own ways of thinking, habits, and stimulus, the more comfortable we can become in these drives and manage them into becoming strengths.