7th April 2022
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, many micro and small businesses have struggled to plot a course through business uncertainty, an ever-changing marketplace, budget limitations and a more remote customer base. Sponsored by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ UK Community Renewal Fund, the Voice for Locals Initiative is targeted at levelling up the productivity of micro and small businesses across Northern Ireland. This £1.82m innovation programme is designed to assist micro & small customer-facing businesses to re-establish relationships with existing customers, identify new market opportunities and to put in place the framework to effectively allow them to recover, rebuild and rebound post-Covid. Businesses sign up and receive a follow-up call to get them set up with the technology which comes in the form of an App. The newly onboarded business will make use of simple toolkits, built using emerging technologies, to own and analyse their business data and to introduce process improvements through on the job training in customer experience and marketing. Vocational qualifications in Customer Experience will also be offered to businesses by City & Guilds. The Programme is free for qualifying businesses and the registration process is simple. Please visit https://voiceforlocals.co.uk for more detail and to view the Frequently Asked Questions section about the Initiative.
