The investment also contributed to increased competitiveness for several of those who took part in the 79 support efforts. This shows the follow-up that Compare and the other initiators of the project have recently done.

From autumn 2020, small and medium-sized companies in Värmland could apply for free expert hours for digital conversion for a limited period, in order to strengthen their ability to survive during the pandemic. The support offer consisted, among other things, of needs mapping, analysis and a matching service where suppliers in the region with in-demand expertise helped the beneficiaries develop their digital presence.

The needs mapping was carried out with Compare's method support "Be Digital", a tool used to map and identify potential for digitizing business travel.

• It turned out that most of the companies needed to strengthen or optimize their outward-facing digital channels in the form of websites, marketing and booking systems, which they received help from experts in the field. With the support of the needs mapping, we also developed a customized hybrid workshop on building search engine optimized websites in WordPress, something that was very much appreciated, says Anders Solberg, Innovation Manager at Compare.

The adjustment needs were linked to the companies' development plan and business concept so that the efforts would benefit in the short and long term.

• I got help building a new website and have participated in the hybrid workshop on building search optimized websites. The help has been invaluable. Without it, I wouldn't have had a sensible website. I am very happy that I now know how to think when it comes to search optimization. I notice that the number of visitors to the website has increased since I launched the new updated version, says Nina Höjdefors at Karlstad Alpackagård.

All 82% of those who received restructuring support and who responded to the evaluation survey indicated that they had been inspired to develop their business as a result of the support.

Facts: The Ställ om! project

Karlstad Innovation Park is the initiator of the EU project "Change!" to deal with the effects of the Covid 19 crisis in Värmland. The investment consists of three parts, where Compare via Be-Digital is responsible for the parts that specifically apply to digital conversion. Included in the project is also Paper Province for support in service development and IUC Stål & Verkstad, which offers support efforts for industrial companies. The three parts have been designed based on identified needs of the companies and offer support in both the short and long term.