the trustmark story

TrustMark Story

www.trustmark.org.uk

TrustMark – what it is?

TrustMark is an initiative backed by Government, but not organised by Government

to help homeowners find ‘local reputable tradesmen’to do work inside or outside their property


TrustMark – what it is?

• A set of minimum standards supported by Consumer Advice Organisations, Government, Industry and Retail

• Launched to the public - January 2006

• A broad church partnership between Government, consumer groups and industry

• Designed to tackle the problems in the RMI sector

• A single logo which homeowners / consumers can trust

• Covers trades for all areas of repair and home improvement

• TrustMark – An easy to use, website based, search facility


Why do we need TrustMark

• Customer finds it very difficult to locate good tradesmen

• Customers continue to expect that the supplier / repairer is friendly, courteous, professional, efficient

• The fact is:

• A minimum of £1.5 billion per annum is wasted putting shoddy work right

• Over 110 thousand RMI complaints to Trading Standards per annum this is the reported figure

• We estimate that over 10x this number are unhappy but do not call Trading Standards

• Good customer care and good standards make good business sense


TrustMark standards

• Ongoing checks on a firm’s technical competence

• Check on firm’s trading record and credit-worthiness

• Each firm signs up to a code of practice

• Mandatory insurance for firm

• Good health and safety / waste disposal practices

• High level of customer care, including clear and simple contracts

• Quality of work, trading practices and customer satisfaction monitored

• Firms will inform customers of Building Regulations issues

• Offer warranty cover to customers

• Work with Approved Scheme Operators to provide a speedy, responsive, and user-friendly complaints procedure


Benefits to the Trade

Use of the TrustMark logo

Publicity from an ongoing £1m+ national PR and

marketing campaign

Improved confidence, improved business

Structured process for handling consumer complaints

Backing of the Government, industry

and consumer protection groups

“I’m fed up with the cowboys giving my profession a bad name”

So sign up to TrustMark!

A common sense scheme that will protect the public – and works

for the Trade too

A way to stand out from other less reputable firms

Optional warranty cover for your customers


What are Approved Scheme Operators?

• Any organisation that has lists of reputable tradesmen and can show how their:code of practice, vetting process, monitoring of firms, complaints handling and other systems and processes meet TrustMark standards

• 11,000 registered firms covering all trades

• 22 Scheme Operators

• 10 Scheme Operators currently under evaluation

• >21 more applying


How TrustMark works

Customer contacts TrustMark via the websiteor telephone helpline …

TrustMark then directs the customer to the selected website, of a TrustMark Approved Scheme Operator

The site then directs the customer to local member firms that are TrustMark registered


Trade awareness campaign


Who supports TrustMark?

• Commercial organisations e.g. ICI Dulux, Magnet• Government – they are the Licence Holder• Builders Merchants e.g. Travis Perkins, Wolsey • Consumer Advice Organisations e.g. TSI, Which• Manufacturers • Media e.g. Yell, BT, Watchdog• Local Authorities• Trades Associations• Insurance Claims Industry


Making noise to raise awareness

• Award-winning PR campaign targeting:• Home improvers• Home repairers• Vulnerable groups• Consumer Advisers

Construction Industry Awards – Best use of PR

Excellence Awards, Best Broadcast Campaign

PRCA Frontline Awards, Media Relations Award

PRCA Frontline Awards, PR Collateral Award


Media Coverage in 2006/7…

Press Coverage

391 million opportunities to see (OTS)

AVE (advertising value equivalent)

£8.4 million (BRAD evaluation)

17 National Newspapers

17 Television channels

157 National and Local Radio stations

10 Focused Consumer magazines

221 Regional Newspapers

16 Online Media news websites


Events and exhibitions 2007

Regional and national shows including:• Ideal Home Show• Tool Fair – Harrogate, Coventry, Sandown Park• Trading Standards Conference


Promoting the website

• Create links from other related sites • Maximising search engine optimisation • 16,384 found ‘www.trustmark.org.uk’ through Google in January 2007• 610,000 TrustMark adverts seen on Google in January 2007• Brings 1000’s more people to the website every month• Need to keep the ‘Customer Journey’ simple


It’s working!

• 438 items of media coverage since during 2006• 99% of media coverage is favourable (68% strongly so)• 391 million ‘opportunities to see’• 54% of all UK adults have been reached by media coverage so far• 64% of home improvers, 57% of home repairers• 16% consumer awareness two months after launch – MORI, March 2006• 34% trade awareness – MORI, August 2006• More than 207,000 website visits, 68% searching for a tradesperson• More than 94,500 leaflets and other information downloaded in 2006

“Consumer traffic to our website doubled at launch and is still running at its highest ever level.”“Members have reported a significant increase in enquiries from householders and we’ve seen

a similar increase in membership enquiries, especially from firms involved in domestic installation.”


Homeowners find reputable tradesmen through TrustMark

Tradesmen win more businessthrough TrustMark

the trustmark story

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