Changes Service Central Articles and Advice

Free iPads are back!

Due to popular demand free iPads are back. Businesses that take out a membership with Service Central throughout the month can gain access to free iPads. Learn how we’re giving away an iPad when you take out a Service Central membership. For the month of September, you can receive an iPad with your Service Central membership . Get an iPad in your hands by taking out a new Service Central membership, or renewing/upgrading your existing membership. Conditions apply, speak to your account manager today to see how you can get your free iPad. Read more...

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New homepage for Service Central

Service Central is proud to announce that we have a brand new homepage for our website. The new design is clearer, simpler and much much faster. Initial tests from our IT gurus have found the new homepage loads up to 24 times faster than the old homepage. Check it out today, we would love your thoughts and opinions. Read more...

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Happy 7th Birthday Service Central

This month Service Central celebrates our 7th birthday. It was way back in July 2005 that Service Central launched into business as “the easy way to find trades and services” with a massive radio campaign on Melbourne’s Gold FM. Never before had the people of Melbourne been able to call a single number (1800 SERVICE) ask for any tradesperson or home service that they so desired and have quality pre-verified and insured businesses calling them back. The result was instant with job requests flooding through from day 1. It was a bold concept that has since shaken up the way that people from all over Australia now go about finding their trades and home services. Read more...

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A picture's worth a thousand words - Add photos and other attachments to your Jobs!

They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so now we're making it easier than ever for consumers to show businesses exactly what work they want done by adding photos to their jobs. Read more...

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Help us celebrate 250,000 jobs and win an iPad 2!

Guess what! Service Central has almost reached 250,000 jobs posted and we're inviting you to help us celebrate by running a competition. To enter, all you need to do is guess when you think Service Central will hit 250,000 jobs posted. To learn more, read on. Read more...

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Certified by Service Central

Service Central has just revamped our entire Certified by Service Central program. Read on about the changes, and how Service Centrals compliance management system and certification program gives you the peace of mind to hire with confidence. Read more...

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Service Central Mobile for Consumers

Service Central mobile is basically the full Service Central site, except stripped down to make it fit better on your phone’s screen and be faster for you to use. All of Service Central’s great functionality, from searching businesses in the directory to keeping track of your posted jobs, is still there. Read on to learn about how you can get the most out of Service Central Mobile, from managing jobs to keeping track of businesses. Read more...

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Why we built a mobile website

This week Service Central launched our brand new mobile site (m.servicecentral.com.au). All of the features of Service Central’s main website are now available on your mobile phone ready for you to use from anywhere in Australia. Read more...

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Guide to finding quality service businesses online

Customers round the world use different methods to find service businesses like plumbers, builders, carpenters, home cleaners etc. Traditionally, people have found businesses and called them directly based on a newspaper advert in the classified section, or a Yellow Pages ad. How is Service Central's directory different? Read more...

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servicecentral.com.au is going MOBILE!

The fun never stops here at Service Central. First our gorgeous new website, and now we're going mobile! Read more...

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NSW feed-in tariff slashed to 20c

On 28 October 2010, the NSW Government announced changes to the Solar Bonus Scheme. What are they? Read more...

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Announcement! Service Central Franchises now available!

It's official. Local Service Central franchises are now available. Read on for the details of how opportunities are now available for local people to own exclusive marketing rights in their area. Read more...

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The new Service Central web redesign - how it benefits businesses

After months of hard work from our technical and design teams, we're proud to bring to you our new website. Service Central was the first online services marketplace in Australia, and now we're bringing you some exciting changes to our website that make everyone happier and keep us way ahead of the pack with innovative design and technical improvements. We've put our heart and souls into this project, and we hope that you're as impressed with the changes as we are! Of course, you can go direct to the website and play with it to find out how many improvements have been made. Read on for more detail about the changes and how they affect your business directly. Read more...

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Our new website design

After months of hard work from our technical and design teams, we're proud to bring to you our new website. We've put our heart and souls into this project, and we hope that you're as impressed with the changes as we are! Read more...

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New server and site optimisations implemented

Thanks for your patience over the last hour. We have just been implementing new site optimisations and upgrading the server. Read more...

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What does the Climate Change white paper mean for the trades industry in Victoria?

Businesses are really just a collection of people, and so many of the changes experienced as individuals will be experienced by trades businesses, especially with the extension of the Energy Saver Incentive scheme to small and medium businesses (previously only for households). But there is also a further effect to businesses who work in trades related to the actual delivery of the goals outlined in the white paper. Read more...

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Tree lopping - Canberra to lose it's urban forest?

In mid-2009, it was announced that Canberra's trees were to be 'renewed', because 20% to 40% of the trees are a danger to the community. Uproar ensued and continues today. Read more...

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Do Tradespeople Really Deserve a Bad Reputation?

Danial and Bruce Ahchow created Service Central to revolutionise the growing frustration that consumers had for tradespeople. This frustration (sometimes bordering on absolute disgust) not only triggered a massive move towards DIY, but also created the momentum for Service Central to step in, provide a better alternative, and improve both the customer's experience and the trades business's efficiency. But 5 years on - are the complaints the same? Has the 'typical tradie' changed? Read more...

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Now it's super easy to post your job!

Learn how Service Central's brand new Post Your Job form now makes it super easy and so much faster to post your job today! Read more...

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Dial before you dig in NSW - now your legal obligation

From 1 July 2010, the NSW government has made it mandatory to Dial before you Dig. So before you begin any works that need excavation or digging you need to check the location and type of any underground power lines or gas pipes in the area that you propose to dig in. Read more...

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NSW stamp duty cuts - what's the real deal for trades and home services?

It's a week or so after the NSW government announced the scrapping of stamp duties for first time home buyers and over 65's. What's the deal with stamp duty cuts, and how does it benefit the trades and home services industry? Do stamp duty cuts actually make a difference? Read more...

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1 July 2010 is the cut off date for unfair standard contract terms

In March 2010, the first part of the Australian Consumer Law was passed. It's tempting to assume that the ACL targets big corporations like telecommunications companies and banks, but it's risky for smaller businesses to dismiss it. New laws relating to unfair standard contract terms are well defined, exceptionally specific and understandable for consumers, so read on for some more information about this dramatic shift to correct the imbalance of power in standard contract terms. Read more...

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Registered businesses now receive automatic statements!

Every day Service Central receives payments, and in the past have been sending monthly statements to our registered businesses. Service Central will now be sending an invoice automatically to any registered business that has made a payment in the past 24 hours. Read more...

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Scaling up the Service Central Team

When you're hot and growing fast you need to go with the flow. Service Central's popularity continues to rise, so to keep up we're growing our team. This week we welcome Sean and Jim to the IT team and put the word out for talented individuals with the gift of the gab to join our sales & account management team. Read more...

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The Service Central revolution continues ... Now with mechanics!

Finding a quality mechanic to service your car has never been easier. You can now post a job online to have your car serviced and local mechanics will call you back. Its that simple! Read more...

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180,000 Jobs!!!

Another great milestone has been passed for Service Central with us reaching 180,000 jobs! Read more...

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