Business services are activities that help a company maintain its operation despite not producing any tangible product. These services could include information technology, logistics and shipping, accounting and financial services. Companies that provide these types of services typically offer them to their customers on a contractual basis. Some of these contracts may last several years. This means that these companies are able to make a profit from their services despite not actually selling any tangible goods.

A type of business service known as business-to-business (B2B) takes place between trade organizations. For example, a car manufacturing company might perform B2B transactions with a wholesaler who sells rubber hoses and tires to the manufacturer for use in cars. This is in contrast to consumer-facing business services, which take place between a business and a person or business.

Outsourcing is a common way for businesses to obtain business services. This allows the company to focus on its core operations while leaving noncore tasks to outside firms. The services that can be outsourced are numerous and diverse, ranging from marketing to coding. Some of these services are recurring, such as payroll and human resources, while others are one-time tasks, such as an onsite defensive computing training session.

To design successful business services, it is important to understand what the needs are of each customer. This can be accomplished using a variety of techniques, such as Customer Journey Mapping, which involves interviewing customers to identify their pain points and needs. This information can then be used to design better services for those customers.