Online business directory has soft launch
DOHA: The first-ever comprehensive interactive online business directory developed by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQatar) through FahrasQatar which can be easily accessible, anytime and anywhere, made its soft launch yesterday.
Already enlisting some 10,000 businesses operating throughout Qatar, the business directory which can be visited through www.fahrasqatar.com will now make it easier to search for local businesses by name, location and other possible sources of helpful information.
FahrasQatar officials are optimistic that within the next six months, before it will be formally launched, almost all of the businesses in the country would be covered by the directory that also offers other interesting features such as a search engine, clickable business categories, a feedback and message board menus, a free posting classified and commercial ads, location maps and multi-media.
The website, accessible in both English and Arabic, will also allow users to rate businesses provide testimonials and engage in discussion about local companies.
Eyas Orabi, Fahras Senior Project Manager, said the website comes in handy for businesses to have a strong on-line presence which is already a necessity in this digital age to effectively compete for customers nowadays. “We will allow businesses to market themselves effectively without having to necessarily create their own website,” Orabi said.
Since it is still on its soft launch, Orabi has urged business operators to visit the website and give their feedback to improve more of its content when it will be formally launched expectedly by November of this year.
FahrasQatar started collecting data on businesses in November last year by closely coordinating with the Ministry of Business and Trade and Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Mohammed M Al Yahri, ICT Development Programme Enterprise Development, said they have to make sure that all the data they got were correct. They created a 12-man team to work on the project that have been devoting 12 hours a day to their tasks . “There were times when our staff would do one-to-one interviews with companies,” Al Yahri said as he noted there are still some businesses still very low in awareness of the importance of e-business. “We have to bridge the gap between businesses and their use of electronic media.”