The business services industry encompasses all those activities that benefit businesses without delivering tangible goods. It is a significant portion of the commercial world, and large firms rely on these services for all their needs, from marketing to production, costing, etc.
Some of the most common business services include banking, insurance, transportation, warehousing and communication services. These are essential to help a company run smoothly, and they allow the employees to focus on their core job functions. The services may also help the companies improve their bottom lines, by reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
Business services can be provided by outside companies or from within the company itself. The latter is known as shared services. Shared services are the central management of support functions, such as human resources, finance and accounting, IT and supply chain, allowing businesses to achieve greater efficiencies by having all these services under one roof.
A business service can be provided by someone who is not employed by the company, but who is an expert in a particular field, like a consultant or an advisor. The consultant can work for an individual or a company and provide advice, guidance or training to the employees of that company.
Successful business services are based on the concept of defining and designing the customer needs and the business context. This is done by using very powerful techniques which primarily focus on the customer and how they use the service.