Review of success of first BDUK Voucher Scheme

Posted on 01/03/2018

Did you take part in the first voucher scheme run by DCMS via BDUK between December 2013 and March 2016?

If so, we would appreciate your feedback on how successful you felt it was and how much it helped your business. You will recall that this was a scheme to offer business up to £3k for upfront costs where connection charges were a genuine barrier to take-up.

The DCMS has reported significant benefits to the companies that received vouchers, including:

• 42,500 small firms being able to substantially improve their internet connection: on average new services were 18 times faster.
• The UK benefitting by at least £8 for every £1 spent.
• One in four firms employing an extra full-time member of staff and each made an average of £1,300 more profit per annum, through being more efficient and effective, and providing more reliable and faster delivery of goods and services.

But what benefits did you see? Did you, for example

• Get new customers that you would not have reached otherwise
• Get better working relationships with existing customers
• Build customer retentions
• Increase your revenues/turnover/profit

Were there any downsides to the scheme?

I appreciate it is a couple of years since the scheme closed now, but any information, facts and figures you can offer will be useful for our feedback to DCMS.

Cathy Gerosa

cgerosa@fcs.org.uk

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