The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently launched a new web page that serves as a central resource for information and activities related to standards and the service industry. The webpage, www.ansi.org/services, highlights recent efforts from ANSI and its partners in the standardization community to identify and address the needs of the services sector.
Services are an integral part of the global economy, accounting for an estimated 80 percent of the current U.S. GDP. When very broadly defined, a "service" may be any valuable action, deed, or effort performed to satisfy a need or to fulfill a demand—and can be affiliated with various industries, ranging from health to IT and education. Thousands of domestic and international standards and conformance activities impact the ways in which services meet demand.
The ANSI services page provides access to updated information, events, and resources related to of a broad array of standards and conformance activities that impact the services industry. Among the offerings are an overview and proceedings from the recent ANSI Conference: "Standards and the Service Economy," in Washington, DC. The September 2015 event brought leaders from international standards bodies and service providers together to discuss how domestic and international standardization can meet the diverse needs of the service sector.
The services page also features links to recent ANSI news articles related to services standards, as well as services-related resources from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), various national standards bodies, and other standards organizations from around the world.
Standardization stakeholders, educators, students, and anyone with an interest are encouraged to visit the page and enjoy a free educational poster download: "75 of the Thousands of Standards Supporting the Service Economy," as well as ANSI's recently released holiday video, "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How services standards support thee." These fun, user-friendly resources demonstrate the importance of services standards in nearly all aspects of our everyday lives, and help communicate this critical message to a broad audience. Visit www.ansi.org/services.