Almost every company needs business services, whether it’s the IT industry that provides technical support or the finance industry that manages accounting, taxes, payroll and investments. Business services also include a variety of industries like procurement and shipping, which ensure that a business has material supplies for production or retail product to sell to customers.

These industries are all part of the larger business services sector, which makes up about 11% of the EU economy. They provide vital support functions to large firms and enable them to focus on their core activities, such as manufacturing and marketing their products. A successful career in business services can involve any number of industries, including IT, insurance, legal, marketing and human resources.

Business services are activities that help a business but don’t result in a tangible product. They include everything from IT services to marketing to recruitment. Some business services are provided by a dedicated team within a company while others are outsourced to outside companies. The growth of technology and digitalization has transformed the business services industry in recent years, with many new start-ups offering innovative solutions that improve productivity and efficiency.

The most common business services include marketing, IT, human resources and recruitment. Other business services are more specialized and can range from legal services to facility management. Marketing business services include consulting and agency work that helps clients create or improve their marketing strategies and campaigns, identify market opportunities, increase return on ad spend and promote their brands on multiple channels. The IT business service industry is booming, as companies increasingly need to secure their data and applications. This industry includes companies that manage computer systems, network infrastructure and software solutions. Legal services and employment services are two of the most important business services, as they ensure that a company’s employees are treated fairly and that its contracts are enforceable.

The quality of a business service depends on how much involvement the customer has in the process. For example, a customer who is indecisive about the design of a building may slow down the progress of construction, while a customer who dithers at a fast-food counter will delay the service for the people behind him. These kinds of inputs can have a big impact on the cost and quality of a business service. Outsourcing can reduce the costs of providing a business service and allow internal employees to focus on more value-added tasks. It can also help businesses with seasonal output fluctuations. Companies that outsource these services often require detailed contracts, SLAs and associated metrics and might even sign NDAs with their providers. In addition, these companies can hire external experts with specialized expertise that isn’t available in-house. For example, an outsourcing firm might offer a customer IT support for a fixed price per month. This is an alternative to hiring a full-time employee who might cost more and could be difficult to scale up or down as needed.