Tailoring an online service

It could be tempting to declare 'job done' at Business Link. The organisation has already fulfilled all of the targets set for its businesslink.gov.uk website, and become a fixture of the UK business world as a source of information and a way into online transactions. But programme director Ray Lambe says there is plenty more to do, both in terms of sharpening the site's content and contributing to efforts to regenerate the UK economy. A few months into the job, he says the organisation can harness the changes in how people are using the internet and provide information that is more focused on what's needed by individual users. Several of the early targets for the website have now been fulfilled. Along with Directgov it has played a central role in the website rationalisation programme, tasked in 2007 with providing a home for 95% of the business related content from 178 government sites. Lambe says that by the end of March 2011 the figure will be 97%, and that work on the remaining 3% will be completed in the early part of 2011-12. The most high profile examples of content being moved from other sites have been for Jobcentre Plus and the various business tax transactions from HM Revenue and Customs. It has involved the transfer of hundreds of online transactions and fuelled a trend in which, with seasonal variations, the number of visits to the site has steadily climbed to reach 1.8m for January. Not all of the other websites have been closed – in plenty of cases the department or agency has maintained the front end but directed users to Business Link for the relevant content – but Lambe says the site has gone a long way to establishing itself in the business community's mind as the place to go. "There's a lot of awareness out there," he says. "We survey businesses at least once a year to get their satisfaction with the service and understand how many people are aware of it and recommend it. The level of awareness is above 50% within business, the propensity to recommend is very high, and the satisfaction rating among users is more than 90%." He highlights a number of other achievements of the past year or so. One is the establishment of counterpart websites for the devolved governments: bgateway.com for Scotland, nibusinessinfo.co.uk for Northern Ireland and business.wales.gov.uk, which is also available in a Welsh language version. About 80% of their content is replicated from businesslink.gov.uk, but they also include localised information in areas, such as transport, over which the devolved governments have control. There have also been changes to some of the tools available on the site. For example, the Grants and Support Directory was replaced by the Business Support Finder to provide a more streamlined database of information on grants, loans and advice. This was accompanied by the launch of the Business Awards Finder with information on business recognition awards. Another initiative has been the development of sectoral content within the site – special areas dealing with industries that are subject to specific government regulations. It has begun with manufacturing, transport and farming, with input from the respective industry associations and their support in making their members aware of the service. "There may well be others we can add to that," Lambe says. "So far we've focused on areas with a strong regulatory difference, and the development of any further sectors will depend on business needs. We should ask if there is a specific need for that sector, or a desire from government to address the needs of that sector as a priority." In fact, he often refers to needs, making it clear that this will determine much of the organisation's work over the next two or three years. Some of these may derive from gaps in existing services, such as local authorities' online transactions for business. Council websites do have such services, which can be accessed through Business Link, while site's team has developed others. In fact, the most popular transactions on the site have been applications for alcohol and entertainment licences. Also, more than 200 councils have deployed online temporary event notices. Lambe says there is an opportunity for it to do more, especially when it can provide economies of scale. "If many local authorities process the same licence application, perhaps it's prohibitive for them all to invest separately in making it available online," he says. "It could be that we could make it available for all of them and they just apply their local branding. We can do that, but it depends on the priorities for the business user. "We've got a number of transactions where we've effectively developed the form and it's used by multiple local authorities. If it's a statutory obligation there would be a standard format, standard information that needs to be recorded, so you can base the pro forma on that and take input from local authorities and what they need to capture; and very importantly, user test it. "You need to make sure the information you're gathering makes sense to the end user, and when you design the form ensure it's clear what is needed when the user starts the transaction." The length of the design process varies depending on the complexity of the form: some can be done in a few weeks, but a big online transaction would take longer, particularly if it has to link in to back end IT systems. "There are no more problems in this than you get in any IT project," Lambe says. "They can be complicated, but we haven't yet come across any issues we couldn't handle. Everyone has been very good in cooperating and providing interface information." This is connected with another of his ambitions for the site, to provide more content tailored to individuals. Work has already been done in this area, with the provision of a number of tools that ask the user a few simple questions about their circumstances. The answers enable the site to tailor the information it provides, which saves them having to trawl through an immense amount to find what's best for them. Business Link monitors the use of the tools to identify problems and work out how it can make them as intuitive as possible. Lambe says there is a constant process of reviewing and updating, and that this can be taken further. "We've brought together the information into one place, adapted it to make it sense for businesses, and as far as possible weave together content; so we can say 'If you're interested in this, you should be interested in this as well'. "What we'd like to do now is make the most of that asset, make it as simple as possible, which is about tailoring the service much more. If someone is starting up a specific type of business in a particular location, we tailor the information to their particular circumstances. "We can do this on the website, but also make the information available through other websites, such as those from business representative bodies, local authorities or local enterprise partnerships. It's so people don't feel they have to come to Business Link. It's a case of maximum exposure for the asset." He is also looking at the potential for greater use of social media. Business Link has a Twitter channel and is active on Linked In, but mainly in terms of putting out information. Lambe says it could work more in discussion forums, although this would first require a decision on the extent to which it should provide the services rather than joining those that already exist. "I don't think it's necessarily for us to create those services as they're out there already. It's more about saying 'Can there be a user group on LinkedIn that we can provide information to more actively?' but not creating a social media platform. "It's a kind of moving feast – you have to monitor what's being used and what isn't – but you have to recognise that the next generation will make even more use of social media." Inevitably, the site's role in supporting the UK economy has been thrown into sharper light by the downturn. Lambe says it has provided steady support for businesses, and been especially valuable for the start-ups on which the prospect for recovery partly depends. It is now playing a significant part in the Bigger, Better Business programme, launched by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in January, in developing a new tool for potential start-ups. "We've always had an offering, but the investment being made now to provide a new offering by October or November, which brings together a lot of existing information with online training and support, including the use of video, for potential start-ups," he says. It will guide budding entrepreneurs through the early stages, into what they need to do in their first year or so in operation, how they can access finance and what training needs they may have. It will contain a number of elements, but Lambe places an emphasis on the video content. "I think what will happen as we enhance the service is that things like video will become visible much more at the front as opposed to the back. The site will present the video earlier on, as opposed to you being linked to it having read some text. "One of the interesting things about starting up a business is that you have to feel sure it is for you, and feel enthused about doing it. Making more prominent video case studies of people who have already done it is more likely to encourage people to take the next step than being greeted with some text." There is a question mark over the funds available: at the time of talking to GC the programme budget for 2011-12 had not been settled, and this was following an 8% cut after the general election which prompted it to find internal efficiencies. But its business case estimates potential savings of more than £200m to government for 2008-14, and it claims that independent research shows that businesses using the site can save £22 for every £1 of costs. Also, given the government's eagerness to show it is doing something to support the economy, it may be in a better place than many public bodies to avoid the worst of the cuts. The measure of its success would be whether, in five years time, there are a lot of small and medium sized businesses that acknowledge its role in helping them set up and grow. Business Link claims a number of achievements, outlined in the March 2010 impact assessment (reported in the annual review): − 93% overall satisfaction; − 74% of businesses were aware of the brand; − 42% of businesses were aware of the website; − £176.5m of direct savings for business; − £121.4m in time savings for business. This article is published by Guardian Professional. 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