Improving Services to Business The Business Gateway

1
Improving Services to BusinessThe Business
Gateway

• Terry Currie
• Chair, Business Gateway Expert Group

2
The Business Gateway

• Emerged from Local Economic Forums
• Recommended by 8 out of 12 LEFs
• Building on the success of the Small Business
  Gateway
• Expert Group formed to take forward the proposal
• First Expert Group Report (April)
• Underlying principles

• Most issues facing business are the same
  everywhere
• Build on same principles as SBG
• Room for local discretion (but convergence
  needed)
• Process builds on SBG (brand, services, premier
  adviser, etc.)
• SE leads network management

• Consultation Exercise

• The Devils in the Detail
• how much standardisation should there be?
• how will local discretion work?
• what about European Funding?

• Now Second Report
• Moving into implementation
• Structures, Services, Brands, Systems, Management

3
The Second Expert Group ReportRecommendations

• Business Gateway single-brand access-point for
  all services to business
• part delivery-, part referral-mechanism
• improved delivery, improved service, greater
  customer satisfaction - and impact
• Structures
• Single individual responsible for co-ordination
• Local (practitioner-based) Forums
• Services
• Core services the existing SBG services - with
  enhanced Information Service and Referral Service
• Targeted Services few in number and matched
  with Smart Successful Scotland priorities
• Discretionary Services driven by LEF local
  economic strategies
• Marketing and Branding
• Marketing Strategy (incl.roll-out)

4
Towards ImplementationThe Next Steps

• Working Groups to take forward key issues
• Definition of Core Services
• Branding and Marketing
• Staff Development
• Procedures Manual
• Customer Relationship Management
• Report Back in January
• Partner Consultations
• Roadshow for LEFs, partners at local level
• Specific Discussions European Funding links
  with HIE, DTI
• end-January Implementation Plan
• Final check, then shift to roll-out in Spring
  2003

5
Improving Services to BusinessThe Business
Gateway

• Terry Currie
• Chair, Business Gateway Expert Group