Media Service Central Articles and Advice

How Service Central got to 300,000 jobs

As the jobs counter at Service Central ticks over to the 300,000 mark we take a look at everything that has been done to get us there. We would like to thank everyone that helped us build up this phenomenal amount of work and distribute it to the pre-qualified businesses that are registered with Service Central. Read more...

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Tradies more popular than Celebrities!

Australians love tradies more than celebrities, and we have the stats to prove it! Learn why Australians love tradespeople more than Miranda Kerr or Julia Gillard. 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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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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Best mobile sites

A collection of the best mobile sites from around the world. These are sites that have been designed and built specifically for smartphones. Read more...

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Why invest in Solar power now?

With the federal election and sustainability being a hot topic, the states competing with each other to become the best state for sustainability, and the media coverage about proposed electricity price increases - it feels like everyone's talking about solar power. But is it all hype, or is the proposed investment into solar power by normal people like us a solid investment? We've questioned whether investing in solar power now is a good idea and have come up with a solid case for immediate action and beginning your investment now. Here are our reasons. Read more...

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What's got our team giggling in the past few months...

The team here at Service Central likes a bit of fun as much as any other. And we share our fun with each other - so check out some of the bits of humour that have been flying around the office recently... Read more...

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Why Word of Mouse is replacing Word of Mouth: Social media for trades businesses

Businesses have for years clamoured for Word of Mouth to help grow their businesses, today's modern businesses are pursuing Word of Mouse instead. How can social media help your trades business? Read more...

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Yellow Page Rage: The blogosphere fights back

Recently I started playing with some social media research tools to investigate what people cared about in our industry of directory services vs online services marketplaces. I was 100% blown away with the constant appeals for killing the automatic printing of the Yellow Pages book. I have dubbed this movement 'Yellow Page Rage'. So what's actually happening? 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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Follow Service Central on Twitter!

For all of the twitterers out there is time to come on board and follow Service Central on Twitter! Receive a feed of the latest news & blog articles straight to your Twitter account. Read more...

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Darwin tops the list of Australia's most sustainable cities

The Australian Conservation Foundation has ranked all Australian cities on their Sustainable Cities Index. The index takes into consideration 15 different indicators including wellbeing, transport, green buildings and climate change readiness, and is a comprehensive evaluation of each city. Read more...

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Carpenter makes Vespa out of wood

A Portugese carpenter has made a scooter out of wood - check out the pic and details! Read more...

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500 Twitter Followers Already!!!

There has been an amazing response to Service Central's live jobs feed on Twitter. Within a week or so of launch, there's already over 500 followers! Read on to find out why. 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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Obsessed with tools? Procrastinate much?

Dmitry Fadeyev, one of the most practical usability experts I've read opinions from, wrote this blog post about obsession with tools. He says that the obsession with tools is often linked to procrastination - so if you're always investigating new ways of doing things, are you actually doing anything at all? Interestingly, Service Central is all about technology and we're all a little obsessed with finding new tools and being more efficient. I wonder whether our registered businesses, who use tools in the 'normal' sense of the word, are just as obsessed? And where do you find out about these new tools? Read more...

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Service Central helps repair storm damaged Melbourne

Melbourne has turned to Service Central to help repair the damage done by the massive storms that hit the city this Labour Day weekend. Service Central's army of tradespeople have helped Melbournians repair their hail damaged homes, fix leaking roofs, and mop up all of the water left after the weekends deluge. Read on for the full details. Read more...

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Alliance with Master Builders

Service Central and the Master Builders Association of Victoria have come together to form an alliance. Service Central’s constant flow of jobs and Master Builders quality members combine to create a winning formula for the online services marketplace. Read on to learn more about the alliance. Read more...

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200,000 jobs: The value!

Service Central’s online services marketplace has brought phenomenal value to our registered Service Providers over the years. With 200,000 jobs already and growing at a rapid rate, see just how much value in real dollar terms Service Central has generated in your industry. Read more...

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Industry Trends & Best Practice - The Easy Way To Stay Up To Date

New year, new solutions. If you work in the residential building industry and haven’t experienced Broadcast Builder’s free continuing education resources you are in for a treat. Read more...

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How to advertise online

Advertising your business online has quickly become a necessity in modern business. However, its no longer a case of calling up your account rep and placing an ad. Here we explore what's involved in getting your businesses advertising online. Read more...

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Consumers now using the internet to find trades and services

Learn how todays consumers are rapidly migrating towards the internet to find trades and services. Read more...

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