Betriebswirt/Betriebswirtin (Hochschule) für Dienstleistungsmanagement

Information is available from the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency), including the film 'Dienstleistungsmanagement - Duales Studium' (Service Management - Dual Study Program), and various publications such as BFuP, Der Betriebswirt, Journal of Business Economics, Management Review Quarterly, Marketing ZFP, SBUR Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, The Service Industries Journal, and wiwi-online.

Hybrid selling is the new sales reality today. Digital channels play a central role in sales and distribution. Business-to-business (B2B) companies are increasingly contacting their customers via video conferences and online meetings. The use of voicebots, digital voice assistants, is also gaining importance. Sales and distribution professionals will increasingly focus on digital channels and their application possibilities in customer contact in the future.

To succeed in this field, an interest in commercial-organizational and administrative-organizational activities is important. This includes, for example, recognizing and assessing market developments and risks when planning long-term service projects, developing profit-oriented customer loyalty concepts, coordinating sub-tasks according to deadlines, and collecting and preparing information, data, and other basic material on value creation concepts to be marketed.

Business administrators specializing in service management primarily work in offices and meeting rooms. Additionally, they may also work from home or remotely.

Core competencies acquired or deepened during the Studium (university studies) include business administration, change management, controlling, customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce, finance, commercial law, calculation, concept development (advertising, marketing, PR), cost and performance accounting, marketing, marketing management, market research, human resources, and statistics. Further competencies important for this profession may include bookkeeping, content recommendation systems, CRM systems, customer data platforms (CDP), data protection law, service marketing, direct sales, information and communication management, customer consulting, customer loyalty systems, media planning, public relations, project management, quality management, social customer relationship management, telemarketing, sales promotion, distribution, advertising, and business informatics.

The ongoing digitalization of the working world can change job profiles and requirements. For business administrators specializing in service management, opportunities may arise to engage with technologies, procedures, or systems such as Business Intelligence (e.g., analyzing and optimizing company data regarding existing service offerings), Consent-Management-Plattformen (e.g., planning the use of consent management platforms for legally compliant processing of customer and user data), Customer-Data-Plattformen (e.g., analyzing CDP data to evaluate the success of customer loyalty programs), Digital Storytelling (e.g., developing concepts for vivid presentation of online content to generate interest in a product or service), and Digital Workforce Management (e.g., assembling optimally cooperating teams with suitable skills using software).

Business economists in service management independently plan, organize, and control business processes. If they lead a team, they need communicative abilities and social competence to motivate employees and coordinate their collaboration. Analytical and organizational skills are important when, for example, they develop strategies and methods for building sustainable customer loyalty systems or improving workflows. Foreign language skills and intercultural competencies are required, for instance, when collaborating with customers and business partners from other countries. To achieve good negotiation results, it is necessary to professionally apply negotiation skills in customer discussions. They primarily work in an office at a desk but are also active in meeting rooms. In field service, they visit customers and business partners both domestically and abroad.

Business economists in service management can work freelance, for example, as a management consultant or with their own service company.

Example gross basic collective wage in the public service sector (monthly): 4,039 € to 5,181 €. Example gross basic collective wage in the commercial economy sector (monthly): 7,014 €. Sources: Collective Agreement for the Public Service (TVöD), Collective Wage Collection of the Bavarian State Ministry for Family, Labour and Social Affairs. Note: This information is for orientation purposes. No claims can be derived from it.

Construction, Architecture; Electrical Engineering, Electronics; Energy, Supply and Disposal; Vehicle Manufacturing, Maintenance; Financial Services, Real Estate; Health, Social Affairs; Trade; Hotel, Restaurants, Tourism; Art, Culture, Sport, Leisure; Management, Consulting, Law, Taxes; Media; Metal, Mechanical Engineering, Precision Mechanics, Optics; Food, Luxury Food Production; Transport, Traffic; Associations, Organizations, Interest Groups; Advertising, Public Relations.

Those who wish to work in this profession typically need a completed undergraduate (grundständig) degree in service management. Leadership positions or specialized tasks usually require a Master's degree (Masterstudium). Activities in science and research often presuppose a doctorate (Promotion) or habilitation (Habilitation).

Service Management (undergraduate); Service Management (postgraduate)

Business economists for service management can find employment in companies in almost all economic sectors, as well as in associations, organizations, and interest groups.

Business Economist (University) - Service Management. Also common job titles/synonyms: Service Manager. Job title in French: Responsable (m/f) - service clients.

Some characteristics of work and social behavior are relevant for all professions and are therefore not mentioned separately. These include: reliability, punctuality, honesty, ability to accept criticism, and appropriate manners. Additionally, the following profession-specific characteristics are required to practice this academic profession: Performance and commitment (e.g., willingness to actively and resolutely take on commercial analysis, planning, and leadership tasks), perseverance/determination (e.g., planning long-term service and customer loyalty projects, adhering to implementation despite temporary setbacks or short-term changed priorities), diligence (e.g., carefully analyzing customer satisfaction surveys or complaints), sense of responsibility and willingness (e.g., taking responsibility for the efficient and economic design of customer loyalty processes).

Business economists for service management develop and market value creation concepts.

CityJobs, EconJobMarket.org, Career in the IHK-Organisation, verbandsJOBS.de.

Bundesverband Deutscher Volks- und Betriebswirte e.V. (bdvb), ver.di - United Services Union.

This profession involves responsibility for people (e.g., guiding, motivating, and leading employees) and for assets (e.g., creating cost-benefit analyses, managing large budgets). Customer contact (e.g., advising clients on service offerings), screen work (e.g., performing analysis, conception, and planning tasks), and office work (e.g., conducting employee interviews) are common.

Career opportunities in this profession are divided into various fields: In business organization and planning, one can work as a business planner or business analyst. In purchasing and procurement, positions such as buyer or head of purchasing are available. In finance and accounting, one can serve as a calculator, cost accountant, head of finance and accounting, or head of cost accounting. In warehousing, materials management, and logistics, roles include head of warehouse management, head of logistics, head of materials management, demand planner, or supply chain manager. Academic careers at universities are possible as a lecturer or study program coordinator. In management and corporate leadership, positions such as project manager, department head, commercial operations manager, business development manager, change manager, or group/team leader are found.

Work materials include documents such as economic analyses, business plans, operational key figures, annual financial reports, process and organizational plans, contracts, statistics, advertising materials, and legal regulations. Data management systems and software, such as planning and control systems, accounting, and financial software, are used. Office equipment like PCs, internet access, and telephones are also among the work tools.

Business economists for service management support economic decision-making processes in the service sector of companies. They conduct analyses, carry out projects, and evaluate their success. They determine the current status, analyze customer reactions or surveys, competing service offerings, and thus describe the initial situation. Furthermore, they optimize offerings and processes, such as e-commerce programs, in a technical and contemporary manner, develop concepts, and coordinate them. They schedule appointments, take on sensitive tasks in customer contact, for example, and conduct success controls.

Adaptation training helps to keep professional knowledge current and adapt it to new developments (e.g., in customer service, customer relationship management, marketing, controlling).

Bachelor graduates can expand their professional and career opportunities through further studies (Studium), for example, in service management, marketing, sales, business administration, or business administration. A doctorate (Promotion) is generally required for a scientific career at a university; to be appointed as a university professor, a habilitation (academic qualification) is usually needed. A doctorate may also facilitate access to higher professional positions in the private sector, research, and public administration.

Service Management Business Administrators analyze existing service offerings, determine current customer satisfaction (e.g., through market research, customer surveys, complaint rates), and identify innovative, practical, or successful service concepts (e.g., through competitor observation). They formulate goals and benchmarks for their own company, plan and implement optimized and integrated service and customer loyalty concepts (e.g., project plans, including marketing measures). They conduct business plans and profitability analyses for projects (e.g., cost-benefit analyses, timelines, necessary budgets, and goal assessment). They discuss concepts and adjust them if necessary. They accompany the implementation process, coordinate or co-supervise subtasks, and monitor intermediate goals. They review the service offering and adapt it to circumstances. They plan and technically implement marketing and advertising measures (e.g., in cooperation with e-commerce specialists).

The following additional employment alternatives are available for the profession of Service Management Business Administrator: positions in Management, Corporate Leadership such as Business Administrator (University) - Corporate Leadership, Management; Master of Business Administration; Business Administrator (University) - Craft Management; Business Administrator (University) - Transport; Administrative Business Administrator / Administrative Business Administrator; Economist. Commonalities include planning, monitoring, and organizing operational processes, supporting economic decision-making processes, and negotiating with business partners and customers. These alternatives may require longer training or additional qualification.

Service Management Business Administrators develop and market value creation concepts. To retain customers through services related to a core offering, they examine existing service offerings, adapt them to current circumstances, and conduct success controls. In companies, they introduce customer cards, bonus, and customer club programs, improve the offerings of customer service centers, and modernize the company's presence in relevant communication channels. They prepare information on products, prices, services, and general conditions in a customer-friendly manner and create attractive incentives that are intended to positively influence sympathy, customer loyalty, or purchasing decisions. In cooperation with IT specialists, they utilize the possibilities of digital customer service, for example, by developing user-friendly websites.

The following abilities, knowledge, and skills are required for performing possible activities in this field of study. Abilities include numerical (calculating) thinking (e.g., evaluating operational key figures; developing financing plans), memorization (e.g., remembering names, numbers, and data from market analyses), adaptability (e.g., quick and frequent switching between administrative tasks and customer discussions under time pressure), commercial aptitude (e.g., recognizing and assessing market developments and risks and developing corresponding strategies), and planning and organizing ability (e.g., planning, developing, and implementing operational organizational concepts). Knowledge and skills include calculation skills (e.g., calculating complaint rates).

The exercise of this profession may entail the following physical requirements. This information does not necessarily apply to every activity profile or every professional application. These include undisturbed speech ability (e.g., conducting conversations with employees from other departments), near vision - even corrected (e.g., creating service offerings; conducting cost-benefit analyses), hearing ability and speech comprehension (e.g., determining customer satisfaction; designing concepts for service offerings within the framework of corporate consulting for clients). Note: This information does not form a basis for legal action and should not be understood in the sense of a medical suitability assessment. Actual physical suitability or unsuitability must always be determined on a case-by-case basis and taking into account possible reasonable accommodations.

The following lists professions or activities that show similarities to the initial profession. These professions represent a possible alternative for applicants who cannot find a vacant position in their learned profession. Furthermore, employers can consider specialists in these professions as alternatives for filling a position in the initial profession. Some alternative professions only comprise partial activities of the initial profession, while others require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases. The following immediate employment and staffing alternatives are available for the profession of Service Management Business Administrator: Job and staffing alternatives in related professions: Business Administrator (University); Business Administrator (University) - Marketing; Business Administrator (University) - Advertising, Marketing Communication. With a lower qualification level: Business Administrator (Technical College) - Sales/Marketing/B.

The profession of Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Service Management is not regulated. To work in this profession with a qualification acquired abroad, no professional recognition is necessary. However, there is the possibility to apply for an individual certificate evaluation for foreign university degrees through the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). This can be helpful for applications in the German labor market. Further information on living and working in Germany: Hotline Working and Living in Germany (central information hotline of BAMF and BA), For People from Abroad (an information service of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit), Central International and Specialist Placement Office of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Make it in Germany (the welcome portal of the skilled labor initiative for international skilled workers).

The following health limitations could lead to problems when performing this profession. The information does not necessarily apply to every activity profile or every professional deployment possibility. Increasingly, there are also ways to compensate for limitations, for example, through technical aids. Speech disorder, speech impediment (e.g., conducting conversations with employees from other departments); Uncorrectable visual impairment for near vision (e.g., creating service offers; conducting cost-benefit analyses); Hearing impairment, hearing loss, deafness, hearing disorder, chronic ear conditions (e.g., determining customer satisfaction; designing concepts for service offers within the framework of corporate consulting for clients). Note: This information does not form a basis for legal action and is not to be understood in the sense of a medical fitness assessment. The actual physical suitability or unsuitability must always be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The following alternative occupations are available for the profession of Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Service Management from an employer's perspective: Field of activity Management, Corporate Management; Business Administrator (Hochschule) for Corporate Management, Master of Business Administration. Commonalities: Planning, monitoring, and organizing business processes; supporting economic decision-making processes; negotiating with business partners and customers. Note: The mentioned alternatives may require an induction period, which can vary in length in individual cases.