Virtual Help! Good or Bad?

Times are hard and might i add, scarce. Everybody is saving his/her time, prioritizing and ensuring the most important stuff gets done first. But hey, won't it be nice if your company includes in your employee benefits a concierge service who would help you get things done? That will be nice.

From experience, i know that we usually do not have enough time to do anything, and eventually there is an imbalance between work life and personal life. You end up spending your lunch hour taking your car to the mechanics or even calling in sick when in truth, you are going around Lagos searching for a good school for your child.

Concierge services is growing as a popular employee benefit and companies that offer concierge services to their employees experience higher employee morale, a higher productivity rate, and higher employee retention. But what will the concierge do for you as an executive you may ask? Think about a normal day for you, a normal day would be a day where you have other personal responsibilities to perform which may not wait for the weekend, repairs to be done in your home and nobody to sit with the handyman, getting a gift for someone and you cannot spare the time to do it or getting your car to the auto shop for servicing...the list is endless.
The rippling effect for companies who pay for concierge services as part of staff benefits is employee retention, its like the airlines who offer reduced/staff tickets for staff, their family and friends, the staff stay in the company much longer because the tickets save them money which they would have to squeeze out in order to pay for full travel tickets.

I know and i have heard it before, the mention of the word concierge conjures up the image of 'nouveau riche', as in the service can only be afforded by the uber wealthy individuals who reside in Ikoyi, VI, VGC, Lekki and environs, or Mega companies with roots abroad. Well, may i add that the face of concierge is changing. Truly, there are concierge companies who are dedicated to the Super Rich but still you can find other concierge companies that will fit your budget and a company does not have to be one of the Fortune 500 to provide concierge services to its employee. By the end of this, you will find a list of Concierges and what you can get from them.

Let me end this blog today by saying, there is nothing too much or hard to ask a concierge, if it is within their offering, you will get what you are looking for, this is because, assistance is the main focus of a concierge service and a good concierge service will always be on call and infact 24/7 for your company/organization.

Services you can get from the Concierge are:

PERSONAL SERVICES:

• Grocery Shopping
• Food Preparations
• Appointment Reminders
• Interior Decorating Services
• Landscaping and Gardening Services
• Housecleaning
• Messenger & Courier Services
• Relocation Services
• Automotive Services
• Car Servicing
• Dry Cleaning & Laundry
• Spa Recommendations and Reservations
• Transportation, Taxi and Car Hire assistance
• Restaurant Reservations
• Major Event Packages
• Family Entertainment 

EVENT PLANNING:

• Photography and Videography recommendations
• DJ and Entertainment recommendations and booking
• Catering
• Customized Invitation Design and Handwritten Thank you cards

TRAVEL PLANNING:

• Vacation Home Arrival Preparation
• Vacation Research and Planning
• Get Away Weekend Planning
• Hotel Reservations and Special Occasion Arrangements
• Travel Agent Referrals
• Reward Points Management
• Passport & Visa Preparation
• Vehicle Rental Arrangements

HOME AND HOUSEHOLD ASSISTANCE:

• Household Cleaning Arrangements
• Wait Service:  waiting at your home with supervision for the handy man e.g Plumber, Electrician
• Child Care Assistance
• Researching : e.g schools for your kids or a new neighborhood you want to move into etc.
• Assistance with Home purchases and bill payments e.g Gas, Fuel for generator, Internet, Cable TV.
• Periodical House Sitting when you are on vacation.
• Assistance with experienced Maids, Drivers and Nannies.

Like i said earlier, there is nothing too much for you to ask a concierge service.

Below are a few of Concierge services based in Nigeria and services they offer with links to their websites or contacts.

AntsHill Concierge: www.antshillconcierge.com
Services Offered: Lifestyle Management, Personal and Corporate Concierge.

Errand Concierge: www.errandconcierge.com
Services Offered: Personal and Corporate Concierge.

Teleo Messengers Limited: www.teleomessengers.com
Services Offered: Personal Concierge and Property Management.

XL Management Services: www.xlmanagementservices.com
Services Offered: Travel and Tours.

Quintessentially: www.quintessentially.com

Services offered: Lifestyle Management and Personal Concierge

BIL Concierge: www.bilconcierge.com Services offered: Personal and Corporate Concierge


Paula Black: http://paulablackdomestichelp.com
Services offered: Personal Household Staff