Tag: Small Business Support Scheme

BT and Digital Boost launch free mentoring programme for small businesses in Edinburgh

  • BT partners with Digital Boost to upskill small business owners and employees by bringing free mentoring sessions to at least 1,000 firms across the UK
  • New mentoring programme forms part of BT’s Small Business Support Scheme to assist small business during the pandemic and beyond by boosting their connectivity, cashflow and confidence
  • BT has equipped a further 20,000 small businesses with digital skills since the launch of the scheme, as part of its ongoing Skills for Tomorrow programme

BT has launched a new mentoring programme to support small businesses in Edinburgh during the pandemic, in partnership with Digital Boost, a free non-profit platform which unites digital experts with leaders of small businesses.

BT has pledged to deliver free one-to-one coaching sessions to at least 1,000 small businesses and is encouraging small firms across Scotland to register their interest. The initiative is part of its Small Business Support Scheme, which launched last Summer.

The mentoring initiative is open to all BT employees and has been successfully trialled with a number of small businesses prior to launch. BT has enlisted the expertise of its colleagues across the business – including Senior Executives – to upskill small business on a range of topics, including Cyber Security, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, and more. 

Digital Boost will connect individuals from small businesses with relevant BT experts via its free online platform, where small businesses are able to register their interest in booking a free virtual mentoring session. 

BT launched its Small Business Support scheme last Summer – a broad range of measures to help small businesses get better positioned for growth during and beyond the pandemic. The scheme aims to do this by boosting the connectivity, cashflow and confidence that many small businesses say they lack as a result of the ongoing public health crisis.

The new mentoring programme forms a key part of BT’s efforts to drive skills and optimism amongst small firms, with an earlier survey conducted by BT and Small Business Britain revealing that more than half (53 per cent) lack confidence in the future of their business.

63 per cent of small firms felt they needed more support in marketing and sales; 44 per cent wanted more assistance with digital skills; while 36 per cent lacked skills in building business resilience.

BT is responding to these concerns by opening up access to free, expert advice to 1,000 small firms initially, with a view to further expanding the reach of the programme over the coming months.

Alan Lees, BT director for corporate and public sector in Scotland, said: “Helping small businesses to acquire new skills and boost their confidence during these exceptionally challenging times is a central part of BT’s Small Business Support Scheme.

“We’ve already equipped a further 20,000 small businesses with digital skills since the launch of the scheme and now we’re going even further by introducing a free mentoring programme. By partnering with Digital Boost we can engage our own colleagues around the need to step up and support small businesses, with experts around the businesses volunteering their time as BT mentors.

“Our ambition is to scale this very quickly, involving colleagues from all levels, including the senior leadership team. I would encourage any small businesses in Scotland who feel they would benefit from this direct support to book a spot as soon as possible via the website.”

Sherry Coutu, Founder at Digital Boost, said: “At Digital Boost, we help those who work for and lead small businesses and charities to survive the COVID-19 crisis and be more competitive in the long-run.

“BT is a key partner in our effort to help prepare the UK to build back better after the pandemic.”

Brett O’Brien, Internal Engagement Manager at BT, who has been involved in the pilot of the mentoring scheme, providing his support in sales to a small business, said: “I volunteered to be a Digital Boost mentor as I felt it was my duty to support the small businesses that are trying to weather the storm of COVID-19.

“I have lots of friends and family working in small businesses that are no longer in work so I felt personally motivated to support the small businesses that are fighting for survival.

“My expertise are in sales/partnerships and I have conducted two mentor sessions. The feedback from them was great and I feel a great sense of pride knowing that I’m making a direct impact to help these SMEs stay in business.”

BT has already helped tens of thousands of small businesses acquire new digital skills through its Skills for Tomorrow programme which aims to reach 1 million small business owners and their employees by 2025.  In recent months, BT has launched new learning content on crucial topics – such as how to protect yourself from cyber-attacks and using social media to reach new customers. In the last year alone, BT has delivered over 190 free learning webinars for small businesses.

Small businesses interested in mentoring support can book a free one-to-one coaching session now by visiting: https://www.digitalboost.org.uk/

BT is also acutely aware that it’s an extremely worrying and uncertain time for small businesses and is also providing access to expertise to small business leaders around maintaining wellbeing by boosting their mental and physical health.

A free online Wellbeing Toolkit is already available and a webinar series specifically designed for small businesses will launch next month.

BT: Scots pledge to support small businesses this Christmas

Shoppers keen to back their local high streets as they face the most turbulent winter in decades

  • 64 per cent of Scots agree[1] they are making more effort to support small businesses due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
  • 70 per cent of Scots fear their local shops won’t survive the pandemic
  • 71 per cent of Scots are increasingly worried about the impact on their community if they lose local shops
  • 50 per cent of Scots agree the pandemic has made them reluctant to visit shops, stressing the need for small businesses to have an online presence

More than three in five people surveyed in Scotland are keen to support small businesses this Christmas – as they worry their local shops could go bust, according to new research conducted by BT in the run up to the festive period.

The poll of over 2,000 UK consumers found that 64 per cent of Scots agree they are making a conscious effort to help small businesses more because of the severe impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on trading over the past year.

The plight of local shops appears to be weighing heavily on the public conscience, as nearly two thirds of those polled in Scotland fear their local high street won’t survive the pandemic.

The poll found that 71 per cent of Scots are increasingly worried about the impact on their community if they lose local shops, with 64 per cent agreeing that their community depends on local businesses. Coupled with the recent collapse of major retail chains, it’s clear the public are concerned about the future of their local high-street.

The affection the public holds for small businesses is strongly reflected in the survey results, with 62 per cent of respondents in Scotland saying that small businesses play a key role in supporting local people; 51 per cent recognising the importance of small businesses in sustaining the economy; and 52 per cent pledging that small businesses provide vital employment.

Fears of contracting Covid-19 appear to remain post the most recent lockdowns across the UK, with 50 per cent of people in Scotland stating the pandemic has made them reluctant to visit shops. This reinforces the need for small businesses to have a strong online presence to help them survive the disruption of the pandemic.

Alan Lees, Director of BT’s Enterprise business in Scotland, said: “Small businesses have undoubtedly been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic, with national and local lockdowns severely impacting their ability to trade.

“It’s really heartening to see that communities across the Scotland are coming out in force to support their local high street this Christmas, as these firms rely heavily on the festive period to generate the lion’s share of their profits.

“The fact that consumers want to engage with small businesses, particularly online, but sometimes face barriers in doing so, means that it is absolutely vital for them to adapt by moving online or risk being left behind. That’s why we launched our Small Business Support Scheme – to boost the connectivity, cashflow and confidence of small businesses through faster broadband, digital payments and digital skills, amongst other forms of assistance.”

In addition, the survey has also revealed that small businesses are facing increasing competition from bigger online retailers who are able to offer lower prices and faster delivery. 

According to the survey, top reasons holding people back from supporting small businesses include; the price compared with other retailers – with 41 per cent of Scots citing it as a barrier; a limited product selection, with nearly a third of Scots saying it was a concern; while no website presence was cited as a key concern by 17 per cent of respondents in Scotland.

Other concerns include slow delivery, a lack of social media presence and data security issues.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1337006754421501952

BT’s Small Business Support Scheme  consists of a series of measures to help boost the connectivity, cashflow and confidence of small businesses and help them get poised for growth.

Helping small businesses to boost their digital skills is a central part of the scheme, with BT pledging to help one million small businesses to boost their digital skills over the next five years through BT’s Skills for Tomorrow programme.

Alongside this, a dedicated mentoring programme for small businesses via Digital Boost will launch early next year, giving small businesses free access to BT’s expertise in strategy, marketing, and sales. Next year will also see the launch of a new digital marketing hub from BT to help small businesses to better promote their business online.

Other forms of support on offer via the scheme and which are available now include:  a bursary scheme for start-ups; a new digital payments solution; and a wellbeing toolkit for small businesses.

BT bursaries to support small businesses

  • 1,000 UK start-ups to be awarded six months’ free fibre broadband, digital phone line and mobile bundles
  • Launched as part of BT’s recently announced Small Business Support Scheme
  • Bursary includes Halo for business – the UK’s best converged connectivity plan which gives micro-businesses three powerful connections in one

Scottish start-ups and entrepreneurs can now apply for one of 1,000 bursaries being offered by BT as part of its Small Business Support Scheme.

With the UK home to the biggest and most vibrant start-up community in Europe, BT is pledging its support for start-ups by giving it a financial head start through free superfast fibre broadband, digital phone line and mobile bundles, including its Halo for business product. The bundles will be provided completely free of charge for the first six months on a 24-month contract.

BT recently launched its Small Business Support Scheme to help boost the sustainability and growth of small businesses and entrepreneurs around the UK as they continue to manage the economic impact of Covid-19 and as they prepare for a post-Brexit climate.

The new support package – which was welcomed by business groups and senior politicians around the country – consists of ten initiatives aimed at boosting the connectivity, cash flow and confidence of small businesses around the UK. Improving access to high-speed connections through bursaries and the launch of BT’s Halo for business product forms a central part of the scheme.

Pete Oliver, MD, SME, for BT’s Enterprise business, said: “BT has a proud history of backing the UK start-up sector, for example by helping to incubate companies at its tech cluster in Adastral Park, Ipswich.

“Start-ups will be critical in kickstarting the economy as the country gradually recovers from the impact of the pandemic. We want to do our bit by easing the financial burden on these fledgling companies by giving 1,000 of them free high-speed connectivity for the first six months.

“It’s just one example of how our Small Business Support scheme is helping start-ups, sole traders, micro businesses and more established firms to bounce back – from faster connections and digital payments to support around mentoring, digital skills and marketing tools.”

Businessman drawing diagram on glass wall in tech start-up office

Under the new bursary scheme, BT is offering UK start-ups a number of bundles to choose from, starting from £34.95 (excluding VAT) per month after the first 6 months. These include:

  • BT Halo for business broadband and digital phone line bundle

First 6 months free, then £34.95 per month excluding VAT for next 18 months

  • BT Halo for business broadband, digital phone line and 4G SIM-only bundle

First 6 months free, then £39.95 per month excluding VAT for next 18 months

Eligible companies can apply for a bursary from today by visiting: www.bt.com/tech-bursary.

To qualify, customers will need to have set up their company after 1 October, 2019 and they’ll need to be taking a BT business broadband service for the first time. BT’s customer service team will contact applicants the next working day to talk them through the best bundled broadband, digital phone line and mobile option to suit their needs.

While the bursary will be made available to 1,000 eligible companies initially, BT will be closely monitoring interest in the scheme and will consider extending it to more UK start-up companies, subject to demand.

BT recently announced the launch of its BT Halo for business offering – the UK’s best converged fibre broadband, mobile and digital phone line bundle for micro-businesses, which represent 91 percent of all businesses in the UK. 

Featuring three powerful connections in one, BT Halo for business includes superfast fibre broadband that automatically switches to 4G if there’s a problem to ensure that small businesses always stay connected; a digital phone line that lets businesses use their office number remotely, so they never miss a call; and an unlimited mobile plan with no data caps or speed restrictions. Business customers also have the option to upgrade to 5G for a truly converged experience.

One of the key benefits of BT Halo for business is the new digital phone line, which gives businesses access to a range of services which aren’t available through traditional fixed phone lines. It allows businesses to stay connected from any place, at any time, by simply downloading an app on their mobile device to make and receive calls from their business landline number when they’re on the move. The number will not change, so business customers can retain their identity and local presence even if the business premises moves.

BT Halo for business also features free Guest Wi-Fi, to allow firms to turn their workplace into a Wi-Fi hotspot for their customers without their broadband speeds or security being affected. It’s password-free so customers can easily browse online while they shop and clients can work whilst they visit the business premises.

All of these features are backed up by 24/7 UK-based customer service support to ensure that business customers can get assistance when they need it most.