EIM Business & Policy Research Workshop 3: Delivery Mechanisms of Support Services Chair: Christian...

EIM Business & Policy Research

Workshop 3:

Delivery Mechanisms of Support Services

Chair:Christian Lettmayr


Sonja Sheikh (IfGH, Austria)

• Quality of the services

• Pricing policy

• Communication with service provider


Quality

• 2/3 apply quality assurance mechanism

• Should be highly visible and recognised by the enterprises

• 80% is quite satisfied

• Mainly satisfied about communication, professionalism and quality of service


Pricing

• No coherent pricing policy in the MS

• Most support services free of charge

• Clients prefer given price lists


Communication

• 62% prefer face-to-face contacts

• 25% rely on modern ICT (although many

differences between MS)


Conclusions

• Distinctive professional culture

• Human and material resources

• Client-orientation as fundamental principle

• More coherent pricing policies


Prof. Nicola Bellini (SSS, Pisa)

• Perceived Quality in the Delivery of Business Support Services: a Conceptual Framework– The 4 components of quality– Quality gaps– The dynamics of expectations


The 4 components of quality

• Structural quality of the supplier

• Technical quality of the outcome

• Functional quality of the process

• Image of the provider


Quality gaps

• Definition of service quality: the relationship between the expectations about the service and the quality perceived by the customer

• There is a whole series of other gaps behind the basic gap


Dynamics of expectations

• Expectations are often confused

• Satisfaction depends heavily on the quality

of the dialogue between user and provider

• Expectations may be biased

• Expectations evolve


Conclusions

• Client orientation

• Quality assurance systems with clear

definitions

• Evaluations can improve quality


Petri Lintula (Media Tampere)

• Private local development company

• Integrated business support

• Case studies– eTampere: regional framework programme– Craftnet: electronic business– Intelpolis: regional company networks


Conclusions

• Large-scale regional programmes create

good visibility for support services

• Services should be provided to businesses

in integrated manner: one-stop-shop

• Role of ICT is important, but face-to-face

contacts remain essential


Lisa Vaughan (Enterprise Ireland)

• Enterprise agency: 10 regional offices, 100 staff

• Supporting the growth of locally controlled industry

• Role of Development Advisor

• 35 Enterprise Boards: local support


Discussion (I)

• Visibility: may be problematic when expectations are high

• Geographical levels:– National level: supervising, stetting standards,

developing quality control mechanisms– Local level: implementation, quality assurance,

pricing (what about “coherent pricing”?)


Discussion (II)

• Professionalism: creating a real profession of business advisors. “On the long run we cannot sustain the learning-on-the-job approach”

• Public versus private sector services: it must be clear that it costs anyway

• Networking: exchange of information!

EIM Business & Policy Research Workshop 3: Delivery Mechanisms of Support Services Chair: Christian...

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