(The Valley, Anguilla) February 13, 2008: For the third consecutive year, The National Bank of Anguilla (NBA) has been named the #1 “Best” Business in Anguilla, based on a 2007 survey conducted on behalf of the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce by ClienTell® Consulting, LLC. The results of this the 4th annual survey, were presented on January  31, 2008 at the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce Annual General Meeting held at the Overlook Restaurant on South Hill, Anguilla by Melinda K. M. Goddard, principal of ClienTell®. 

The Survey according to Goddard, is first and foremost a membership satisfaction survey designed to assess what the Chamber members expect and need to be "satisfied" with their decision to conduct business in Anguilla. Notwithstanding this however, participation was expanded to the wider business community, 211 in all, encompassing all economic sectors, from merchants to legal and accounting professionals, to  leaders in hotels and restaurants, construction, health, banking and other key institutions. The survey was conducted with a combination of four paid interviewers and Chamber promotional activities offering direct access to take the survey online.

Overall, the survey provides valuable insight into how competitive Anguilla is as a business environment; candidly revealing how business leaders perceive the economy and the challenges they face in managing their enterprises, while contributing to the overall economy.

Participants (see detailed list at end), were also asked how they felt about the various aspects of infrastructure that shapes the business environment here: from major suppliers (banks, phone, internet, mobile, electricity) to government policies and agencies that affect them and as a best practice assessment, which Anguilla business they feel is best - and why.  Finally, they were asked what they would like the Chamber of Commerce to do to help facilitate their ability to meet their business objectives and enhance the business environment on the island.

Findings

For the third year, 15%  of Anguilla business leaders were Very Satisfied  with doing business during the previous year. These leaders said they had “enjoyed doing business” with their customers – and/or had good financial results, with a few mentions of a positive view of the overall business environment.

22% of the business leaders expressed being Somewhat to Very Dissatisfied with their perceptions of business in 2007, this however was down significantly from a level of 38% in 2006.  The dissatisfaction primarily stemmed from the need for employees to “be more professional, courteous, attentive” (8%), followed by the need for “faster service in both private and public sectors” (6%) – with about 5% noting a similar need as above for the “GOA to have better understanding of business needs and ensure fairness in its policies.

“Lower or no customs duties and faster clearing” would be needed to be “Very” Satisfied for about 15% of the participants classified as merely Satisfied. Another 10% falling in this classification category, expressed the need for “better customer service from more motivated, interested, friendlier staff (in the private and public sectors)” while about 7% noted the need for the “GOA to discuss its policies more before implementing them – and have a better understanding of business needs.”  Overall, about 15% said that business was acceptable but needed to be stronger to be “Very” Satisfied.

In addition to the influence of the GOA policies, safety/crime and Customs issues were the three most critical barriers to higher overall business satisfaction ratings, among those measured in this survey. Factors that were somewhat bolstering ratings included: Business phone service, bank and financial services, ANGLEC and mobile phone services. Relative concerns―but not as strongly correlated as the GOA, safety and Customs―included the labour supply and Labour Department support. Whereas, the Post Office, Internet services, Social Security, and the Anguilla Chamber represented opportunities to build on somewhat higher ratings if these were further differentiated or if more businesses interacted with these services more of the time.

Advice for the Chamber

When asked, most participants gave “advice” for the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce to help improve toward a more “business-friendly” and supportive environment for commerce. The most frequent suggestions included:

• Offer training, workshops, seminars to help businesses succeed; focus specifically on courteous, reliable customer service and business etiquette. (23% and 17% of 211 respondents)
• Ensure ongoing, timely and clear communications – including the newsletter – to keep businesses informed and meet members’ needs. (16%)
• Represent businesses more by lobbying the GOA on key issues that affect the economy and commerce.  (14%)
• Help businesses manage labour, staffing, work permit and immigration issues. (14%)
• Be fair, avoid lip service in dealing with community, so all businesses can compete.(13%)
• Do more to support and represent small businesses. (9%)
• Reduce, eliminate or change Customs duties to make Anguilla businesses more competitive versus St. Martin and online shopping. (9%).

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Best Businesses List  for 2007

The businesses named most frequently as “Best,” in rank order of mentions, included:

• National Bank of Anguilla (14%)
• Caribbean Commercial Bank (8.5%)
• Lake’s (8.1%)
• JW Proctor’s (6.2%)
• Ashley & Sons (4.7%)
• Cable & Wireless (2.4%)
• Caribbean Cable Communications (2.4%)
•  Essential Office Supplies (2.4%)
• Best Buy Supermarket (1.9%)
• ABF Services (1.4%)
• Cap Juluca (1.4%)
• ScotiaBank (1.4%)

 Reasons given for listing a business in this category included, good/great service in general (37% of 211 respondents); reliable, consistent service from honest, hardworking people (23%); professional, organised, clean businesses with people who make it easy to get what you want (23%);  caring, polite service with a smile from pleasant, friendly people (20%); Consistent inventory, stock, and/or a good choice of products (19%); prompt, responsive, attentive service from available people with good communications (17%);  innovative, flexible service with a good selection of options and willing to do new things to address customer needs (16%); quality service from competent, trained staff with answers who understand your needs (12%).

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Survey Participants (Industry - number of participants)

Merchants (Clothing, Housewares, Hardware, Others) - 37
Gifts/Art/Souvenirs/Photography/Florists - 25
Hotel/Villas/Property Management - 18
Restaurants/Bars/Pizza/Take-out Dining - 17
Construction/Architecture/Heavy Equipment/Supplier - 13
Professionals/Law/Consulting/Accounting/Adv'g - 11
Banks/Development/Financial Svcs/Loan Institutions - 9
Comm'ns/Media: Phone/Cable/Internet/TV/Video/Print - 9
Grocery/Bakery/Liquor Merchants - 9
Health/Beauty/Spa/Medical/Dental/Vision/Pharmacy - 9
Office Supply/Printers/IT/Computers/Services - 6
Shipping/Import/Export/Wholesalers - 5
Manufacturing/Farming/Fishing/Producers - 4
Travel/Air/Taxi/Boat/Car Rentals/Agents - 4
Gas/Electric/Fuel/Water Services - 2
Gov't/School/Police/Post Office/Social Security - 2
Other - 31

Total - 211