What Are Business Services?
A business service is an activity that assists a business yet does not produce a tangible commodity. Information technology, for example, is a business service that supports many other business services such as procurement, shipping and finance.
Businesses rely on business services to function properly and efficiently. Examples of business services include consulting, outsourcing, IT support and training. Companies also use business services such as warehousing, third-party logistics and eCommerce fulfillment to streamline their operations.
Successful business services companies have a clear plan that encompasses four key elements: leadership, processes, technology and customer experience. They have strong leadership in place to balance the competitive autonomy of revenue-generating line managers with the value of shared services managers. Without this, line managers will tend to overrule shared services management and undermine the performance of the service model.
As a result, it’s important for business services leaders to know how to manage conflicting priorities and make sure their team has the resources it needs to succeed. This includes building systems for capturing work requests, delivering quotes, scheduling jobs, tracking expenses and invoicing clients. In addition, it’s important to ensure that all employees understand their roles and responsibilities in the business services organization. This helps prevent confusion or duplication of effort and improves productivity. It also enables people to focus on their strengths and avoid performing tasks that don’t add value to the company. In turn, this can reduce employee stress and boost morale.