A business service is only helpful if businesses say it is. That’s why Mayor Parker’s Open for Business team launched a survey to hear directly from businesses. We wanted to know: did the Mayor’s Business Action Team (MBAT) help them find the support they needed to start or grow? 

What is MBAT? 

On April 15, 2024, Mayor Parker signed the PHL Open for Business Executive Order 10-2024. This order created the Mayor’s Business Action Team by revamping the Department of Commerce’s Office of Business Services. 

MBAT provides personalized assistance in multiple languages to business owners for all aspects of doing business in Philadelphia. MBAT has business services managers who meet with business owners one-on-one, either in person or online. They help businesses understand City processes and connect them to resources like funding and permits. 

In the past year, MBAT resolved 7,127 business cases. After each case is closed, the business gets a survey by email and text to share feedback. 

What we learned 

  • Make it easy to respond. At first, we only sent surveys by email. After six months, we had just 11 responses. So, we added text message surveys—and in just three months, we received 120 cumulative responses. 
  • Comments matter. Businesses gave MBAT an average rating of 96 percent satisfaction. That’s great—but the team also reads every comment. This helps MBAT keep doing what works and fix what doesn’t. If a business asks for more help in the survey, a business services manager follows up with a call. 

What’s next 

The MBAT survey is one of five completed projects in the Open for Business initiative. Fourteen more projects are in progress. Look to this space in the future to read more project case studies. 

Meet your area’s business services manager!