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Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
ESPOO
BUSINESS
SERVICES
Towards A Client-Centered
Service Offering
Agnesa Vavrinova
Eeva Lehto
Helén Marton
Katariina Kantola
Larissa Weiner
Yen-Tsen Liu
INDEX
3 Introduction
4 Research
5 Interviews
6 Workshop
7 Research Findings
9 Ideation Process
9 Idea Validation
9 Conclusion And Limitations
1. Interviews
2. Workshop
3. Analysis & Synthesis
4. Findings
Research
INTERVIEWS
8
Research
9
Research
whole.
Enterprise
Espoo
To proceed with affinity diagramming, we Espoo
Marketing
kept clustering the notes by discussing their
TE-Services
connections. The grouping of notes was
Espoo Econ. &
based on their qualitative similarities, but Urban
without making self-evident groups, such as Development
Unit
“problems” or “miscellaneous”. Subsequently,
10
Research
For example if a private individual would Once we formulated our insights, we were able
like to start a business, they would go to TE- to recognize opportunities for possible design
Services or Enterprise Espoo, or possibly both. interventions. As an outcome of this,
There they can get advice on how to create we found that there are three levels to
a business plan, apply for a start-up grant intervene on. The first level of intervention is
or get education on entrepreneurship. After focused on the internal communication and
establishing a company as a small to medium collaboration within A Grid wing, with an aim
size business, an individual could get training to align the six Espoo organizations and propel
and advice as well as create networks through them to reach the shared goals. The second
Enterprise Espoo, Espoo Entrepreneurs or level we identified for intervention was the
Chamber of Commerce. When an the business interface between A Grid community and the
grows, they might want to consult the Chamber wing. This level provides space to rethink how
of Commerce, which serves large businesses the six organisations fit in with the rest of A
by helping with getting a talented workforce, Grid, and how potential clients find and use
navigating and influencing upcoming their services. The third level of intervention
policy changes, and taking advantage of would have an impact within the whole city of
networking opportunities. In addition to these Espoo. On this level an entirely new service
organizations, there are two organizations concept such as “Espoo Business Services”,
supporting this ladder, the first of them is could be developed with a goal to attract and
Espoo Economic and Urban Development Unit serve all shapes of businesses in Espoo.
which helps entrepreneurs and businesses to
succeed in a variety of ways, for example via Business journeys and service offerings
marketing and events. This unit works also on
a higher level with the ministries. The second 99,8% of companies in Finland are micro,
one is Espoo Marketing. The main purpose of small & medium enterprises, often referred
this organization is to attract new companies, to as SMEs (Statistic Finland 2016). We
visitors and investments to Espoo. These also learned from the interviews that the
two organizations have less direct face to bigger the company, the fewer services they
face interaction with the clients, instead they usually require from the six organizations.
function more as a backbone for the other four Therefore, in our research, we mainly focused
organizations. on mapping and understanding the services
according to the life cycle of SMEs (See the
Three levels of intervention Business Lifecycle Map on page 10). We
gathered all the services provided by the six
Espoo City organizations from the clients’ point of view
and compiled them into a table that showed all
A Grid the service offerings and in which stages of the
business they are provided. From the mapping,
Wing
we were able to pinpoint some overlaps as
well as opportunities. For example, we spotted
overlaps among the advisory services and
identified opportunities for services yet to be
developed. It became apparent, that there is
already strong support provided in maintaining
and scaling up phase.
11
BUSINESS LIFECYCLE MAP
Research
13
Ideation
We started the ideation process following the high cost and low value. The remaining ideas
second round of synthesis, after we had an went through multiple iteration rounds of
understanding of the data. The ideation phase critiquing and development. The final ideas
took off first with a focus on creating divergent, were named, illustrated using a sketch, and
wild ideas which were not to be judged yet at complemented with supporting insights, quotes
this stage. These initial ideas were evaluated and observations.
and elaborated in the next, convergent stage,
where the terms of feasibility and adequacy The ideas were sorted again to the three
were taken into an account. In addition, we had identified levels. With this exercise it became
a chance to validate our ideas separately with clear that the best solution would be a design
the representatives of the Espoo organisations’ strategy which has impact on all these levels.
side as well as with starting entrepreneurs. We formulated a holistic strategy which aims
to collaboratively create a customer focused
Ideation process entity that will provide value for businesses
at any stage, while providing a return on
In the beginning of the ideation, we created investment for the ecosystem. The multiple
“How might we…?” questions from our insights ideas we produced were to serve as concrete
and generated ideas that served to answer steps within this strategy.
them. We wrote or sketched ideas individually
until we had a sufficient amount of ideas. Idea Validation
To eliminate inadequate ideas, we first sorted In order to get feedback on our ideas, we
them into the three levels of intervention: arranged validation sessions with both our
internal communication and alignment, clients and starting entrepreneurs.
interface between A Grid and the wing, and In the session with representatives of Espoo
the new service concept targeted for the organisations we asked them to comment on
whole City of Espoo. Then we placed the ideas and evaluate our ideas. They picked the ideas
on a matrix of high to low cost, versus high which they thought has most potential, as
to low potential value, eliminating those with well as least potential for them. Surprisingly,
14
Ideation
the feedback revealed that some of the ideas Conclusion and Limitations
presented were already in use in some of the
Espoo organisations, which emphasizes the During the research process, a wide range of
current situation of low visibility. Our team methods were used to uncover insights from
wasn’t able to find these initiatives despite both the organizational and user points of view.
the tremendous amount of research. Thus, Different forms of visualizations were used
it became clear that better visibility and to make sense of information, focus ideation
accessibility, as well as better communication and help in devising the final proposal for the
alignment need to be immediately addressed, project.
in order for the organizations to build the
foundations for new services that provide The process however had its limitations.
practical value. Within the six organizations we were only able
to reach a limited number of individuals, and
Separately from our clients, we approached mostly those in higher ranks. Additionally, we
young entrepreneurs to gather their feedback were not able to reach any representatives
on the ideas. Here, we asked them to evaluate from one of the six organizations. Within the
the ideas based on how well would they limited timeframe we were not able to access
provide practical value in relation to the the wide range of perspectives we would
journey of establishing and running a business. have preferred. This holds true with the client
The overall idea of having one place with low interviews as well. We relied heavily on our
threshold to visit, where it is possible to get own networks when identifying and reaching
help with all of the matters related to early out to small companies and startups. This
stages of entrepreneurship got good response. meant that most of the interviewers were well
Our service concept ideas connected to this connected to supportive ecosystem of services
were, for example, Startup Starter Pack and mostly offered by Aalto University. Further
Drop-in Thursdays. The second point which research is needed to identify the needs
was emphasized was related to the concept of marginalized groups to ensure that the
of Mentoring Program, where entrepreneurs service caters to a wide range of citizens and
spoke about their need for a safe place where businesses in Espoo.
it is possible to ask questions without a fear
of being judged, or without a possibility of
potential clients hearing what you discuss
15
Introducing
Espoo Business
Services
Based on the research outlined in the previous section, we
developed the final proposal which we call “Espoo Business
Services (EBS) – Success for companies and jobs for people”.
EBS is a customer-focused entity that provides value
for businesses at any stage, while providing a return on
investment for the ecosystem. In order to reach this ambitious
vision, a strategy has been developed to help the
six organizations get started. The strategy is divided into three
pillars, which consist of several actionable steps. Below, we
describe each pillar, the actions within and illustrate them with
palpable ideas.
Visibility &
Accessibility
“I can’t use services that I don’t know exist.”
– Espoo entrepreneur
ACTIONS
1. Establish Espoo Business Services
2. Meet the clients where they are
3. Illustrate the value of the service
4. Improve service navigation
5. Lower the threshold for starting
a relationship
I. Visibility & Accessibility
19
I. Visibility & Accessibility
Amsterdam” as one of the service categories. make a difference in the successes of the
They list all the services and give a very organizations they help. This however is not
clear picture of by providing a short but communicated clearly at the moment. The
comprehensive introduction paragraph. Some stories and case studies developed for this
of the other service categories are related to purpose then can be circulated using social
investment and startups as well, such as study media to ensure it reaches potential clients.
and living. Because all the public services of the The content can also be used to illustrate the
city are integrated here, the reach is enhanced value of the organizations to other relevant
successfully. stakeholders, such as current or potential
funders.
Idea
Success Stories Blog Posts
ACTION 3
Illustrate the value of the ACTION 4
service Improve service navigation
The third action is to illustrate the offering Because of the magnitude of services offered
and value of the services provided by using by the organizations, the service navigation
storytelling. The organizations clearly have both online and on-site is critical. When we
a lot of valuable services to offer, and these mapped all the services provided by the six
20
I. Visibility & Accessibility
Financial Event
Lobbying Policy making
benefit services
21
I. Visibility & Accessibility
ACTION 5 Idea
Lower the threshold for starting Drop-in Thursdays
a relationship
Summary
22
PILLAR II
Internal
Communication &
Alignment
Currently there is no significant collaboration between the
organizations, even though there are definitely unexploited
opportunities present. For effective and purposeful collaboration,
the organizations need to get to know each other, what they do,
and how they work. In addition, currently collaboration means
different things to everyone, and the employees don’t know how
they could make it happen in practice.
ACTIONS
ACTION 1 ACTION 2
Facilitate a common Establish an internal information
understanding of the channel for sharing current
organizations and their work
employees
The next urgent action is to work on
Firstly, facilitating common understanding establishing an internal channel where
of the organizations and their employees is information and current work can be shared.
necessary.
“Information flow and internal communication
“When we don’t know what others are doing are difficult, since we are not in the same place
we might do double work, and using more time every day.” – Employee in the wing
to find out.” – Employee in the wing
Idea
Idea Show-and-Tell Fridays
“Our Crew” Wall
25
II. Internal Communication and Alignment
ACTION 3 ACTION 4
Establish a working group that Create unified guidelines for
meets regularly collaboration
Currently, there are no formal avenues As the organizations start working together,
to discuss and develop collaborative efforts a set of guidelines will be needed to document
between the six organizations. However, and agree on terms of the collaboration. This
creating a systematic intervention that could is critical in order for creating alignment and
enable this is needed, if the larger strategic explicit agreement between the organizations.
goals are to be achieved. Therefore the
third action in order to reach organizational Idea
cohesion is establishing a working group Guidelines
consisting of people from all six organizations.
Idea
Working Group
26
PILLAR III
Practical Value
For The Customer
At All Stages
Once Visibility and Accessibility, and Internal Communication and Alignment
have been addressed, the organizations can move on to providing practical
value for the customers at all stages of their businesses.
On the whole, the services offered to businesses are fragmented and not
easy for the customers to navigate or understand. However, to provide
practical value for the customers at all stages, it is critical to make
existing services more cohesive. When the services are cohesive and well
orchestrated, there is also an opportunity to provide new services for those
starting up their businesses. We heard over and over that entrepreneurs
are looking to get actual help, not just advice on legal, financial, and other
business matters.
ACTIONS
28
III. Practical value for the customer at all stages
ACTION 3 ACTION 4
Become a bank of other valuable Provide tailored and practical
resources service packages
Idea
Resources Page
For example, customizable starter packages
could be provided for those just starting their
business. The package could include a limited
time discount for services such as accounting
from trusted companies, how-to information
packages and invitation to take part in the
mentorship program for example.
29
III. Practical value for the customer at all stages
Idea
Hiring The Right People Event Series
ACTION 6
Support learning from first-hand
experience
30
Practical Value For The Customer At All Stages
Conclusion
Success for companies, jobs for people
s
es re
in he of
Bus sw e
o nt lu
po e va ice
cli e e rv
Es e th s
il sh s th te ce e n
b c
a a
h re tra rvi rov atio
ta ice us e p g
Es erv Im avi
Visibility &
Accessibility
Re hey Ill he s
S t t n
Organizational Cohesion:
e r
in on e r
d el l fo m f th hei
g ui r
e n
na nel rk om o d t
d nt a o a c ding s an
i fie tion a i n ch nt w e
at an on
un ra ish io re c ilit erst zati
abl at cur
an abo t m Fa nd ani yee
ve oll Es for ring u rg plo
Ha r c in ha o m
Internal
Communication
& Alignment
fo s e
s r r
e er he fo r
th id ot s m g es the
r ov g g ng o d a o
he s in pr g
to ice
v p in win ki fr ce an ck f
in r p e or d pa k o es
ot ice ice w se la th t w ing rien e
r e n c
te v e rv s h e lic ver in ne rn e
ra er h rt l a ilo rvic a ba our
s
e st le s t s se t t ub y o it rt d
ea exp t e e e
n ec nes n ec t p p lif s w p po ss de l s m er
ch ab tem n si n a n e e p po an
Or vail sys m ic Su ucc h ovi tica e co abl
B lu
a co Co bu Co elev Si erv s Su rst- Pr rac
Practical value
for the customer
at all stages
e to r s fi p va
Appendix 2
Financial benefit
• Membership perks/discounts (Espoo Lobbying
Entrepreneurs) • Promotion of business interest in
• Financial grant allocation (TE-office) government (Chamber of Commerce)
• Lobbying for the interests of SME (Espoo
Entrepreneurs)
Counsultancy and Advice
• Promotion of interests of unemployed and by organizations
job seekers (TE-office)
Enterprise Espoo
• Business Advisory (ie business plan),
Marketing and Communications Biz Plan Tool
• City marketing (Espoo marketing, EEUDU) • Business clinics/advisory:
• Taking care of stakeholders’ marketing • Innovation
(EEUDU, Espoo marketing)
• Public procurement
• Boosting Espoo’s appeal locally and
• Internationalization
internationally (Espoo marketing, EEUDU)
• Law
• Building Espoo’s image (Espoo marketing,
EEUDU) • Marketing
• Tourism promotion (Espoo marketing) • Change of ownership
• Business
• Extensive startup advisory
Network & ecosystem
coordination
Espoo Entrepreneurs
• International cooperation and networking
(Chamber of Commerce, EEUDU) • Telephone advice service:
Overlapping Services
• Law Employment, Company, Contract,
labour, tax, Internationalization, industrial,
competition
• General business advice
• Taxation and VAT / accounting
Additional Services
• Business plan
• Innovation
• Public procurement
• Marketing
• Change of ownership
• Extensive startup advisory
• Insolvency-related
• Inheritance and ownership
• Training
• Social security for entrepreneurs
• industrial and competition law
• Market
• financial management
• counselling services on international
workforce (managing a multicultural
workforce, and provide guidance in
finding the right authorities and relevant
services. (ie counseling, checklists, service
catalogue, intercultural toolkit, successful
multicultural company campaign/
competition, events)
DESIGNING FOR SERVICES 2018
ESPOO
BUSINESS
SERVICES
Towards A Client-Centered
Service Offering
Agnesa Vavrinova
Eeva Lehto
Helén Marton
Katariina Kantola
Larissa Weiner
Yen-Tsen Liu