Workshop 3: Delivery Mechanisms of Support Services Chair: Christian Lettmayr

1. Workshop 3: Delivery Mechanisms of Support ServicesChair:Christian Lettmayr EIM Business & Policy Research

2. Sonja Sheikh (IfGH, Austria) • Quality of the services • Pricing policy • Communication with service provider EIM Business & Policy Research

3. 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 EIM Business & Policy Research

4. Pricing • No coherent pricing policy in the MS • Most support services free of charge • Clients prefer given price lists EIM Business & Policy Research

5. Communication • 62% prefer face-to-face contacts • 25% rely on modern ICT (although many differences between MS) EIM Business & Policy Research

6. Conclusions • Distinctive professional culture • Human and material resources • Client-orientation as fundamental principle • More coherent pricing policies EIM Business & Policy Research

7. 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 EIM Business & Policy Research

8. The 4 components of quality • Structural quality of the supplier • Technical quality of the outcome • Functional quality of the process • Image of the provider EIM Business & Policy Research

9. 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 EIM Business & Policy Research

10. 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 EIM Business & Policy Research

11. Conclusions • Client orientation • Quality assurance systems with clear definitions • Evaluations can improve quality EIM Business & Policy Research

12. Petri Lintula (Media Tampere) • Private local development company • Integrated business support • Case studies • eTampere: regional framework programme • Craftnet: electronic business • Intelpolis: regional company networks EIM Business & Policy Research

13. 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 EIM Business & Policy Research

14. 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 EIM Business & Policy Research

15. 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”?) EIM Business & Policy Research

16. 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