One in three tradespeople already uses AI daily.

Artificial intelligence (AI) primarily helps tradespeople save time in the office. Many businesses use the technology, but according to a survey by "plancraft," only a few feel truly comfortable with it.

In the skilled trades, 70 percent of companies use AI, with one in three using it daily. The main reason for AI use: 42 percent of respondents spend more than half their working time on office work instead of on the construction site. This is according to a survey conducted by the skilled trades software provider " plancraft " among 1.026 businesses in Germany and Austria.

According to the survey, three-quarters of tradespeople save one to five hours of office work per week thanks to AI tools. 71 percent of respondents stated that AI can help them accept more orders or process them more quickly. In their view, the biggest time wasters are emails, quotes, and invoices. This is precisely where AI comes into play: 48 percent use it for communication, and 35 percent for creating quotes and invoices. 77 percent also see the greatest potential for AI in these areas in the future.

AI in the Trades: On handwerksblatt.de you will find further current application examples for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the trades – for example in our 16-part special feature " Artificial Intelligence in the Trades – an Assistant called KaI " or, for example, in the online articles " Creating and recalculating offers with AI " (software "das programm"), " 'Kiki' is always available " (AI telephone assistant from "Heykiki"), " Chatbot from handz.on provides support in the office and on the construction site " (chatbot from "handz.on") or " Bundling all communication channels in one system " (AI system from the software company "plancraft").

No substitute for an experienced construction manager

AI is unlikely to solve the skilled worker shortage: According to the plancraft survey, 84 percent of tradespeople currently see little or no relief from the staffing problem through AI. When asked whether AI can replace an experienced construction manager in five years, companies remain skeptical: 94 percent consider this impossible or only partially possible.

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Overcoming disorientation

Despite widespread use, a third of respondents feel barely or not at all familiar with the technology. Only 16 percent report feeling "very familiar." 53 percent rate themselves as "somewhat familiar"—meaning they use AI in everyday life but don't fully understand how it works. 

Furthermore, 42 percent don't know how to start implementing AI, 32 percent lack the time, 26 percent fear incorrect results, and 15 percent cite data privacy concerns: "The willingness is there, but the guidance is lacking; companies should receive significantly more support here," says Julian Wiedenhaus , CEO of plancraft.

How visible am I on Google, ChatGPT, and similar platforms? Many tradespeople have long since become accountants, data protection officers, and crisis managers. And now they're expected to keep up online as well: first SEO, then social media, and now GEO, i.e. Visibility in the AI ​​responses of ChatGPT & Co. The number of channels is increasing, but time for the actual work isn't. Many businesses simply lose track of where to begin. Now there's a free resource to help with that. Visibility scanner the craftsman software plancraft.

The test, which requires no registration, takes about a minute to assess a company's online presence and provides the following results:          
- a visibility score from 0 to 100, broken down by Google presence, website quality and local findability          
- a direct comparison with the strongest competitor in the region          
- concrete immediate measures, what the company should do next and what it is already doing well

A real-world example: A gardening and landscaping company scored 53 out of 100 points. Its strongest local competitor had 157 Google reviews, while the company itself had none.

Source: plancraft

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