US-Qatar Business Council
Business Portal
- Client
- Sector
- Nonprofit
- What we did
- Discovery, UX design, web development, and a content management system
Tailored guidance for doing business in two countries.
The challenge
The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC) is a nonprofit trade association that works to strengthen the business relationship between the United States and Qatar. Companies of every size turn to it for resources and introductions in both markets.
Before the portal, the council's small team answered each business's questions one at a time by email and phone. That was slow and labor intensive, and with hundreds of potential members and contacts to support, it was hard to track who was asking for what. The council had decades of content and wanted a digital home that could point each visitor to what mattered to them.
The build
Shockoe started with research, interviewing dozens of business leads in the US and Qatar and testing prototypes with business owners to learn what they needed to know first.
The result is a portal built around a short guided questionnaire. Visitors say where they want to do business, in which state and sector, and the portal returns a tailored list of resources. The council receives a copy of each result, so it can vet prospective members and opportunities faster.
Around the questionnaire sit starter kits for doing business in Qatar and in the United States, region and sector pages, a services page, statistics pages with interactive trade and investment data, and a members area with login. The portal runs on WordPress, so the council's team can keep its content current.
The result
Designed to give businesses a clear first step and the council a better way to qualify them. Companies get tailored guidance without waiting for a reply, and the council sees who is asking and what they need. The council announced the portal publicly at its US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue.
Project images
In their words
“Shockoe brought the vision to life, and we were excited to work together on this monumental project. As the project evolved and added things on, Shockoe was adaptive and flexible. It really felt like we were one team, and it was a very positive experience. We feel like we got everything we needed.”
In the press
Questions about this project
What is the USQBC Business Portal?
It is a web portal from the US-Qatar Business Council that gives businesses a first step into the US and Qatar markets. Visitors answer a few questions and get a tailored list of resources, with starter kits, region and sector pages, services, and trade and investment data alongside.
How does the questionnaire work?
Visitors say where they want to do business, in which state and sector, and answer a few questions about their company. The portal returns a tailored list of resources, and the council receives a copy of the results so it can follow up with prospective members.
Why did the council need a portal?
A small team was answering each business's questions one at a time by email and phone, which was slow and hard to track. The portal puts the council's content in one place and shows each visitor what matters to them.
Can the council update the portal itself?
Yes. The portal runs on a content management system, so the council's team can keep its guides, resources and statistics current without waiting on a developer.
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