Zentraldienst

Zentraldienst is a German term meaning central service or central office. It denotes a centralized unit within an organization responsible for coordinating and delivering shared support functions.

Typically, a Zentraldienst handles administrative support, finance and payroll, human resources, procurement, information technology, communications, and records management. By concentrating these functions, organizations aim to improve consistency, efficiency, and economies of scale. The precise remit depends on the institution and sector.

The label is a generic designation used in German-speaking contexts and appears in civil administrations, police and security services, the military, and in private companies. In many cases, Zentraldienst is not a stand-alone institution but a department within a larger organization; in others it may be used as a formal name for a central services unit, sometimes alongside terms like Zentralverwaltung or Shared Services Center.

In modern management, Zentraldienst concepts converge with "shared services" and centers of excellence, where centralization of routine services is complemented by service-level agreements and performance metrics.