Increasing the profitability of service enterprises

The article examines the features and highlights the priority areas for increasing the profitability of enterprises in the service sector. It is determined that the peculiarities of the choice of tools to ensure the efficiency of non-manufacturing enterprises are due, inter alia, to a number of properties of the service as a sold product. First, services are usually intangible, unsuitable for storage and accumulation, and the processes of their production and consumption are inseparable. Secondly, the implementation of services is usually targeted, and the quality of their provision and customer satisfaction are determined subjectively. In addition, the quality of the service usually depends directly on the provider, and therefore may be heterogeneous. Factors influencing the profitability of enterprises in the service sector with a division into external and internal are analyzed. An analysis of the profitability of operating activities of enterprises in the service sector in recent years is given, a negative impact on the profitability of the pandemic COVID-19 is determined. It is determined that the expectations of enterprises in the service sector to restore production volumes are quite pessimistic, which is reflected in the dynamics of the indicator of business confidence in the services sector. Qualitative and quantitative methods of increasing profitability are systematized. The priorities of optimization of fixed costs, which are the main part of the costs of enterprises in the service sector, are not directly dependent on the volume of sales and can not be changed in the short term, are substantiated. Among the optimization methods are singled out, in particular: transfer of part of the costs from fixed to variable; optimization of rental costs; optimization of organizational structure; outsourcing; setting up independent performance of certain works, the costs of which to third parties are excessive; setting reasonable spending limits; optimization of the administrative fleet, introduction of the fuel card system; reduction of non-production / non strategic costs, automation of business processes