Knowledge Centre
20th August 2009
SMEs have delivered a decidedly mixed verdict on the Government's Business Link service, in a poll conducted by website smallbusiness.co.uk
While 33% of the 150 respondents said that the service was very helpful, and a further 28% found it good for certain issues, another 33% described it as "useless".
The remaining 6% of SMEs said that they had never heard of Business Link; the Government agency that provides practical help for businesses.
Despite pointing to users who praised the agency's health check service - launched in October 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis - the survey also threw up criticism of the consistency of the range of services, depending on where they are accessed across the country.
One user accused the Government of being "hell-bent on signposting everything" through the website - saying he would prefer to bypass Business Link to get at the root of the information.
A spokesperson for Business Link told More Than Business News that public service reforms are resulting in the Government aggregating all of its business websites into Business Link, so that all of the advice comes in one business portal.
In addition, David Parkin, head of the service, claimed that nearly 90% of the service's 942,000 customers last year had rated it "very highly", and that the results had been consistent across all regions.
"We therefore question whether the less-than-50-people who have a poor view of the service in this poll have used it in the last few years, and if not would certainly urge them to do so," he added.
IMAGE Paul Faith/PA Wire
Mixed impressions from SME Business Link users
While 33% of the 150 respondents said that the service was very helpful, and a further 28% found it good for certain issues, another 33% described it as "useless".
The remaining 6% of SMEs said that they had never heard of Business Link; the Government agency that provides practical help for businesses.
Despite pointing to users who praised the agency's health check service - launched in October 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis - the survey also threw up criticism of the consistency of the range of services, depending on where they are accessed across the country.
One user accused the Government of being "hell-bent on signposting everything" through the website - saying he would prefer to bypass Business Link to get at the root of the information.
A spokesperson for Business Link told More Than Business News that public service reforms are resulting in the Government aggregating all of its business websites into Business Link, so that all of the advice comes in one business portal.
In addition, David Parkin, head of the service, claimed that nearly 90% of the service's 942,000 customers last year had rated it "very highly", and that the results had been consistent across all regions.
"We therefore question whether the less-than-50-people who have a poor view of the service in this poll have used it in the last few years, and if not would certainly urge them to do so," he added.
IMAGE Paul Faith/PA Wire
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