What are some of the biggest challenges facing your business right now?
By sharing your insights and adding your voice to others province-wide, solutions are possible.
Through the BC Chamber of Commerce, the Vernon Chamber has access to a unique platform providing access to real-time data gathered from residents, business owners, etc.
The BC Chamber and Vancouver-based Vision Critical partnered to create MindReader, a province-wide, first-of-its-kind network to gather rapid, ongoing insight from BC’s business community to drive positive change. Real-time information and data from members representing every size and sector of the economy will strengthen the Chamber’s advocacy efforts and give its network a stronger provincial voice.
“It’s really important for a local Chamber to have access to real-time data to understand what is impacting the economy on a local level,” says Dione Chambers, General Manager, Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce. “This platform provides regional feedback and we really would love more people to engage in it.”
Here’s why:
1. Strength in numbers: “Our goal is for our MindReader online community to truly reflect our membership with representation from businesses from every community, sector and size,” Chambers says. “The bigger our MindReader community, the stronger our advocacy efforts will be.”
2. Your experience matters. MindReader will drive positive change in BC’s business community by capturing ongoing insights from a broad membership base. “It will give our individual members a voice and the opportunity to make a difference on key issues affecting their business and community,” Chambers says.
3. Cold, hard data. By engaging BC’s business community with focused questions, the platform can aggregate sentiment and provide government with solutions – backed up with cold, hard data.
4. Keeping it local. By providing real-time insight, your local chamber knows what issues matter most to you.
5. Real-time issues and solutions. Questions are also tailored to real-time issues, and can bring real solutions. For example, a recent survey found:
- Two-thirds of BC businesses had positions that were difficult-to-fill in the past year. Notably, most were higher-skilled or senior positions, which outnumbered entry-level vacancies two-to-one despite there being only about half as many managerial positions as front-line positions.
- Specific skills mismatches included the most common – gaps in job-specific technical skills (57%) – and other direct on-the-job experience (46%). Customer service experience gaps were common for 37% of respondents while leadership skills mismatches were common for 31%.
- More than half indicated they were increasing wages (56%) and/or benefits (52%) as a strategic tool to retain staff. Recognizing that working conditions and business culture are typically key, in BC, nearly 63% are improving working conditions to retain staff.
- Members also offered recommendations to address some of BC’s current labour challenges – outlined in the B.C. Chamber’s current policies: Improving Apprenticeship Completion Rates (2018), Manufacturing – a Skilled Workforce (2017) and Supporting Labour Needs of Today and Tomorrow (2017).
Joining The MindReader platform is Free & Easy
Anyone can sign upto MindReader and it’s free, Chambers explains. “Have your voice heard and give the Vernon Chamber of Commerce another tool to support local business – join today at bcmindreader.com!”