Tamkeen enterprise support Programme a big success

Manama 

Tamkeen has completed a detailed survey to assess the performance of the revamped Enterprise Support programme. The survey had a sample size of 237 which included all the businesses approved for support grants from November 2014 to April 2015 through the programme.  

The respondents, representing start-ups as well as large mature business, saw revamped programme model as a big improvement over previous model, according to the Tamkeen  Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa.

He was updating the media yesterday on the progress of various programmes of Tamkeen.

78 per cent of the respondents said that overall experience with the programme has been excellent or very good. Also the customer service, online application, and ease of funding aspects of the programme received very favourable response from the respondents.

Only yardstick which, not surprisingly, received less enthusiastic response is the criteria of “approved grant amount meeting expectations”, according the Chairman. In this, only 45pc respondents expressed satisfaction.

Tamkeen has identified certain key areas under the Enterprise Support programme that will require more focus and improvement, he added. Customer Relationship Management, dissemination of information, better clarity on application assessment model and the approved grant amounts to better manage customer expectations, flexibility for Start-ups, and to have a database that outlines the customers’ history.

Since Septmeber 2014, Enterprise support programme had 1908 registrants on online portal and 707 applications submitted. 412 applicants were approved, and BD 3.53 million funds were disbursed and further BD 6.6 million is approved under the program, Al Khalifa added.

The chairman pointed out the existence of coordination with the Labour Market Regulatory Authority to expedite the procedures for customers and provide them with optimum services. Tamkeen can now directly access the new electronic billing system to check whether a certain customer has paid the outstanding charges or not.