Driving small businesses growth through the power of partnerships.
At BT, we recently launched a new Charter for our 1.2 million business and public sector customers. The Charter consists of a new set of commitments designed to provide our customers with a springboard for growth. This will be delivered through a greater focus on innovation, including world-class cyber security and a new suite of digital services, customer service improvements and purpose-driven goals.
A cornerstone of the new Charter is our strategy to empower small and micro businesses. These enterprises are the lifeblood of the UK’s economy, and they play a critical role. To help these businesses achieve their potential, we have created a new partnership network. Specifically designed for micro-businesses with 0-5 employees, it gives these vital businesses access to exclusive offers across broadband, mobile, digital marketing and connected devices, plus other benefits. In essence, they are the best propositions, at market-beating prices, brought to customers by organizations they trust.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) was confirmed as our first partner when we launched, but we have also now welcomed Barclaycard Payments, to give an additional boost to small businesses looking to grow their operations.
While the offers will change regularly, the initial benefits include:
· Barclaycard business customers getting up to £100 off the upfront cost of their EE business handset
· 2% Cashback for BT business customers who use their Barclaycard business card to pay for any BT or EE Services. That’s on top of any existing Barclaycard cashback rewards, such as 1% cashback on all business spend with the Barclaycard Select Cashback credit card* (Terms and conditions apply)
In addition to the new Barclaycard offers, our existing partnership with the FSB means BT’s smallest customers can get a 15% discount on FSB membership for 12 months, if they join before 30 September. Membership gives them access to a wide range of vital support services, including legal and HR advice, financial products and health and wellbeing support.
But our partnership with FSB goes even further. FSB members can now claim up to £250 towards running their own social media and digital advertising campaigns through BT’s Digital Marketing Hub. This is a new digital platform that allows businesses to quickly create, send, and measure digital marketing campaigns across social media platforms, using built in AI technology to drive the best results for their business.
As enterprises continue to brace themselves for what is an increasingly difficult trading environment, we want to give the nation’s smallest businesses the boost they may need to help them expand. We want technology, skills, and expertise to be as accessible as possible for small businesses, and the partnerships with Barclaycard and FSB will provide our customers with all the tools they need to grow. Additionally, our Skills for Tomorrow program is another useful resource. An online and community training program, it is designed to provide essential digital skills training for 10 million school children, families, and businesses across the UK.
But it doesn’t end there. Over the coming weeks, we will begin to offer a broader range of benefits, cementing our commitment to the UK’s smallest businesses. This includes forging mutually beneficial partnerships with like-minded organizations across a range of sectors, including retail, hospitality, banking, finance, and membership bodies, to bring value-added benefits to our smallest customers.
