Business services encompass a broad range of non-financial business help. These include consulting, advertising, transportation, waste management, and staffing services among others. Any business helping other businesses to improve their efficiency, productivity or competitiveness falls under this category of work.
In the three-sector economic theory, service is considered the tertiary sector, following primary and secondary sectors, which involve the production of tangible goods. Business services cover a large portion of the commercial world, and provide many opportunities for small entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Successful business service companies must get four things right. A good business service must be effective, affordable, convenient and safe. It must also be responsive to customer needs and expectations. Finally, it must be able to manage complexity. A great business service must have top-notch employees, and an efficient system for delivering those services.
Service businesses must think differently from product companies. Unlike product designers, who focus on the characteristics that customers will value, service-business managers must understand how to design an experience that will attract and retain attractive customer groups. To do that, they must look for customer touch points and evaluate the relative importance of each one in terms of cost and convenience.
The success of a business service company isn’t just about the quality of its workers or the efficiency of its operations. It’s also about the experience that customers have when they interact with a company. A bad interaction can have a lasting negative impact on the brand, and can lead to customer turnover. The best way to prevent this from happening is to ensure that every aspect of the experience is designed to be as positive and satisfying as possible.
For example, an architectural firm that has poorly trained customer service representatives can be a nightmare for clients. Likewise, a rude cashier at a fast-food counter can ruin the experience for everyone in line behind her. Whether an employee is interacting with a potential client in person or over the phone, they must be courteous and helpful at all times.
Other types of business services include delivery services, rental services (such as office or retail space), child care and tech support services. These can be offered at a physical location, but most are now conducted online. The online options allow businesses to access a broad range of business services from anywhere in the world.