e-Business Supplier Certification

By Mike McPartlin (Scottish Enterprise Fife)

Kirkcaldy based e-business development company Scothosts have become the first company in Fife to be awarded Scottish Enterprise’s e-Business Supplier Certification status.

The company is now confident that being the first in the Kingdom to achieve this distinction will give them a leading edge over their competitors, and will be looked on as an attractive asset by would-be customers.

Scothosts’ Marketing Director Eddie Gibbs commented: “The criteria on which we were assessed were extremely stringent, but it has helped us put new proactive project management systems in place. This effectively means that we now have more robust mechanisms to deal with almost any crises which we might encounter with a project, which ultimately means we can deliver a more professional service to our clients.

“This distinction definitely gives us a head start on our competitors, adding to our credibility and helping us to win new clients.”

Scottish Enterprise’s e-Business Supplier Certification was developed to help forward thinking companies differentiate their business from competitors, and additionally gain valuable advice from SE’s team of e-business experts. It is also aimed at helping customers to choose from a comprehensive database of high quality e-business suppliers.

Two assessors visited Scothosts earlier this year to investigate their processes and practices, one focusing on business and the other on technology. They were assessed on criteria such as customer service, client satisfaction, technical capability, development process, project management, business robustness and financial stability.

Scothosts were giving a glowing report by assessors on their first attempt, but for those companies that don’t make it through first time the assessors provide constructive feedback companies to enable to meet their goals at a later stage.

SE Fife E-business Demonstration Centre Manager Gerald Rafferty said: “This certification is becoming more wildly acknowledged throughout the industry in Scotland, enhancing the reputation of those businesses which achieve it. A great deal of hard work has to be undertaken to reach this distinction but this should be viewed by companies as an investment for the future, by helping them to improve their business practices and in turn increase their profitability.”

Scothosts have been supported extensively by Scottish Enterprise (SE) Fife, and Business Gateway Fife, in the four years since they set up. They currently manage a variety of other company web sites, such as BusinessMailing.co.uk, GolfScotland.com, Book4Florida.com, and Wemyss-Ware.co.uk on behalf of Griselda Hill Pottery.

At the end of last year they picked up two Winners at the Web (W@W) awards, one at a local level and the other a national level. These were awarded as a result of the company dispensing with the need for a traditional office and instead switching to a virtual office for their eight employees, which slashed unnecessary overheads and increased productivity at the firm. They were able to achieve this with the support of SE Fife, who let the company use their state-of-the-art e-business centre for seminars and presentations to clients.