Business Support Services
Business support services represent one of the most rapidly emerging sectors of the Czech economy.
The Czech Republic has recorded a remarkable inflow of projects into the business support services sector over the past five years. In 2005 alone, more than 20 BSS projects were launched in the Czech Republic, which will employ over 3,600 qualified, mostly university-educated employees. While a few years ago Prague was the only hotspot attracting investments in the services sector, followed by the Moravian capital Brno, other regional centres with their exceptionally strong academic interface are currently gaining in attractiveness. Attention is being turned to university cities such as Ostrava, Olomouc and Plzen, which offer a good supply of high-quality labour, while at the same time the pressure of rival businesses remains very low.
Driven by the need to focus on core competences and enhance cost efficiencies, world-class companies have established global and pan-European shared services and customer support centres in the Czech Republic. Although competitive costs play a substantial role in deciding where to locate, skills are the critical success factor in this sector. With its 23 universities with almost 300,000 students, of which one-third study economics, finance or IT, the Czech Republic can offer a particularly skilled labour force.
According to a recent Economist Intelligence Unit study which ranked the Czech Republic third among the most attractive offshore locations in the world, "the Czech Republic's potential stems from a combination of relatively low labor costs, an attractive regulatory environment, and close proximity to Western Europe, with which it also shares close cultural and historical ties. The country's relatively well-educated workforce broadens its attractiveness as an offshoring location beyond those of regional competitors such as Poland and Slovakia."
Projects classified as business support services:
- Shared Services Centres
- Customer Contact Centres
- ICT Expert Solution Centres
- Software Development Centres
- High-Tech Repair Centres
Selected business support services projects in the Czech Republic
| Accenture Services s.r.o. | BPO – Business process outsourcing centre |
| Ariba | BPO – Business process outsourcing centre |
| DHL | IT shared services centre |
| Exxon Mobil | Shared services centre (fin/acc, procurement) |
| GE Money Multiservis | Customer support centre |
| Honeywell | Aerospace global business centre |
| IBM | IT expert solution centre |
| Icon Communication Centre | Customer contact centre |
| Johnson & Johnson | Shared services centre (fin/acc) |
| Johnson Controls | Shared services centre (fin/acc) |
| Lufthansa | Customer contact centre |
| PPG Industries | Shared services centre (fin/acc) |
| Infosys | BPO – Business process outsourcing centre |
| SAP | Shared services centre (fin/acc, HR) |
| Schneider Logistics | Shared services centre (fin/acc) |
| Siemens – Shared Accounting Services | Shared services centre (fin/acc, procurement) |
| Symbol Technologies | High-tech repair centre / Shared services centre (fin/acc) |
| Team Trackers | Customer contact centre |
| TESCO Stores | Shared services centre (fin/acc), IT shared services centre |
If you are interested to find out more about opportunities to invest in Business Support Services in the Czech Republic, do not hesitate to contact us at fdi@czechinvest.org. You can also contact CzechInvest's foreign offices.