The Global Business Support Finder is now in beta

We’re pleased to share the news that our first digital product — the Global Business Support Finder — is now available in public beta.

The Global Business Support Finder makes it easier for businesses to find the right information to do business overseas. By answering a small number of questions, businesses can see tailored information on cultural considerations, legal requirements, and where to go next.

Last year, our research found that businesses feel like there’s an overwhelming amount of information on exporting, and too many places to go. Businesses want personalised and actionable information and advice that helps remove the fear of making the wrong decision.

Earlier this year, we set out to deliver a new digital service to address these pain points and improve the experience for Australian businesses. The public beta focusses on the needs of businesses who trade in services, like architects and legal firms.

Designing with businesses and partners

To make sure the product actually meets user needs, we’ve tested it with businesses throughout its creation. So far, we’ve completed 4 rounds of research with a wide range of businesses across Australia, and we’ve made user research a regular activity as part of our fortnightly sprints.

Every round of research has led to further improvements to the product, like simplifying the descriptions of industry sectors so it’s easier to choose the industry that’s the best fit for your business and improving the structure and design of the information presented at the end.

We’ve co-designed the product with partner organisations to better understand the needs of our common users, and include services provided by partners in the content. For the public beta, we’ve worked with the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (Efic), the Australia-China Business Council and the Export Council of Australia. We’ll be working with more partners as we continue to grow the product.

Calling it what users understand, going where the users are

Eagle-eyed followers who read our previous blog post might notice two main differences between the version we showed then and the public beta we’ve released today: we’ve changed the name, and we’ve changed the branding.

Throughout our user research, we found that our working title of ‘Export Support Finder’ just didn’t resonate with businesses who trade in services. Even though many already sold overseas, the term ‘exporter’ is closely associated with selling physical goods. Instead, many businesses saw themselves “going global” — so we changed the name to better fit the need.

A key part of Austrade’s digital strategy is delivering services to businesses in places where they already go. In this case, businesses looking to sell overseas are often just looking to grow their business — whether internationally or within Australia. As part of this journey, they’re already visiting business.gov.au, the Australian Government’s website for business information and advice.

Therefore, for the public beta, we’ve designed the product as part of business.gov.au, adopting the brand, design guides and website address. We think it will provide a more consistent user experience for businesses and increase the reach of the information beyond just those who already consider themselves “exporters”. We’re grateful to the team at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science for their quick response and support in making this happen.

Delivering the public beta in just 10 weeks

The public beta has been delivered in just 10 weeks by a cross-functional team formed from all across Austrade. In addition to the core team, we’ve also been supported by our colleagues across the world, offering local market insights that have been incorporated into the product.

We’ve released this as a public beta because we want feedback early from businesses on what works, and where we can improve. Expect there to be a few rough edges as we iron out any issues. Based on the feedback we get, our focus will be on making quick improvements, along with increasing the breadth of information available for each market and industry sector.

So — over to you. You can start exploring the Global Business Support Finder here.

Leigh Berwick is the Product Owner for the Global Business Support Finder and manages the Advisory Services team at Austrade.

You can contact the team at digital@austrade.gov.au, and subscribe to the Austrade Digital blog to follow our progress.