DESTINATION KAZAKHSTAN
Society , state , business – together in the same boat !
Askar Bilisbekov , Chairman of the Board of SEC Almaty , Deputy of Maslikhat of Almaty VII convocation
Askar , on the SEC Almaty website and in the media there is much discussion about comprehensive support of local and foreign entrepreneurs . However , oddly enough , the number of people informed about the support and assistance programs available is not growing . As the Chairman of the Board , how do you plan to popularize this issue ? How can we inform the people of our city about all the support programs provided through the Mayoral Almaty finances ?
First of all , thank you so much for this opportunity to participate in EUROBAK Talks . I do hope that when the interview comes out , many more people will hear and read it , and the information will be more comprehensive .
In my opinion , nowadays there is one big systemic problem that both ordinary citizens and the business community are obstructed from clear government information sources . Any information transmitted through government channels , radio stations and other media reaches the public as if through a filter . And it ’ s not just a problem in our country . It ’ s a global one . Today , the public is very quick to recycle incoming information , absorbing more visual content . No wonder about the community ! Before coming to work at the SEC of Almaty , I wasn ’ t even aware of all the possibilities the organization had to offer . It is only when I started working here , I realized how much could be done . Perhaps it ’ s because now it ’ s the time the government is ready to work more openly .
For example , as long as I have been living in Almaty , I have never heard about an Industrial zone . Now that I know what it is I see all the benefits it provides , including the possibility of starting a joint venture with the possibility of additional financing , exchanging and sharing ideas and implementing ambitious projects . It ’ s like a breath of fresh air for business !
What have we done first ? We ’ ve increased our presence and activity on social media , making it livlier by using a simpler language of communication with users . We have consolidated everything in one place by establishing an all-inone call centre easily reached by dialing 2810 . Today users can get information in our Telegram chatbot , access FAQ as well as ask their questions , and get pre-prepared answers . Also , we have updated the SEC website again , making it more accessible and convenient for our users . We try to avoid using exclusive language in our content , like professional words , abbreviations and special terms , and we regularly update the glossary in social networks to help our users increase their knowledge and know exactly what the subject is about .
We have started holding open business meetings at which we convey information to interested persons . The pandemic has its specific impact as we switched to an online format that has its limitations – the information is received differently and as the result , we don ’ t get expected feedback . During the meetings , I don ’ t filter questions , they can be asked and answered by anyone . I am personally interested in people learning more about our programs and , indeed , persuading people , who still doubt , about the transparency of these programs . On the other hand , because of the pandemic , we have concluded that it is possible to promote information effectively through social media channels . Not just through official pages , but through the leaders of opinion and the influencers , who in practice have become convinced that these projects and programs work , and now they talk about them directly from ‘ the horse ' s mouth ’.
You once noted that “ one of the new points of development of SEC is implementing its commercial projects and activities to cover even greater horizons and reduce dependence from the city budget ”. How
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