Business services are activities that support the core operations of businesses, yet do not produce a tangible product. They include anything from IT service management and facility services to legal support and human resources consulting. The business services sector makes up 11% of the EU economy and is a key component of Europe’s ‘servitisation’ economy.
As a result, these types of companies must be able to design and develop a product that’s compelling enough to attract consumers while offering a competitive price. They also need to understand that consumers may be integral participants in the production process, which can raise costs and create new risks.
A few of the most common business services are outsourcing, project management, consulting and customer service. The latter is an area where many businesses excel because it allows them to focus on the customer, which can drive innovation and differentiation.
Outsourcing is a type of business service that involves transferring an organization’s work to another provider, usually one that specializes in that area. This can help reduce costs, improve quality and increase productivity. It can also free up time and resources to focus on the company’s main objectives.
The New York State Business Services Center (BSC) is an agency within the Office of General Services that provides transactional human resource and finance services to New York State agencies. This helps to increase efficiencies and reduce costs by standardizing and streamlining services that are common across multiple organizations.