The Business Services Sector
The business services sector is one of the largest sectors of the European economy. It covers a wide range of services and plays an important role in European competitiveness.
The industry is also the fastest growing service industry in the European Union and is responsible for about 11% of total EU GDP. It provides a variety of professional services, ranging from technical services such as engineering and architecture to other professional services such as legal services, employment services and facility management.
A key component of the business service industry is information technology (IT). IT services can be divided into three broad categories: infrastructure, applications and integration. These services support many other business services such as procurement, finance and shipping.
Some other key elements of the IT industry include application development, infrastructure design and deployment, support, security, business process management, data center operations, network and server support, desktop computing, web and e-commerce, telecommunications, and cloud computing. These services help companies operate more efficiently, provide higher levels of service and support, and reduce costs.
Other key elements of the business service industry include travel and transport, facilities management, waste handling, staffing, administration and security services. These services help companies manage their operations, provide a more productive workforce, and enhance customer satisfaction.
These services are important to a company’s day-to-day operations and enable them to stay competitive in the marketplace. They are also necessary for generating profits.
Businesses often need to outsource some of their non-financial functions, such as IT and logistics. This is especially true as the economy becomes more globalized.
Shared services are a way to centralize the support functions of a business to improve efficiencies and cost savings, while also providing employees with career opportunities. Shared services can be as simple as combining human resources or finance functions into a single department, or it can involve the consolidation of several different business areas and their associated services into a single organization or provider.
When these business functions are consolidated, the organization can achieve economies of scale, reduce duplication of effort, and focus its attention on core processes that support higher-value service delivery. Common examples of shared services include HR shared services such as employee onboarding, benefits administration, payroll processing, and employee training.
Another example of shared services is financial services, which are a group of support functions that include accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and other finance processes. By centralized these functions within one department, companies can save money, improve productivity and control, and improve performance in areas such as accounting, financial reporting, and account reconciliation.
The key to success in the business services industry is the ability to deliver high-quality service at a reasonable cost. Successful managers know how to build a comprehensive service model that incorporates all four of the service design elements. They have the skills to align IT assets with the needs of their business and employees and to communicate those needs in ways that make sense to both.