Concierge Services Have the Magic Touch

Every CEO knows the importance of having the right support team in place. Concierge services bring executive-level assistance to your personal endeavors.

Concierge-1Whether you’re the CEO of a small startup, an established, mid-size private company or a Fortune 500 behemoth, both the rigorous demands of the job and the need to balance them with personal and family responsibilities can be  overwhelming. To make it all work, most business leaders outsource chores, critical tasks and personal requests that they can’t get done themselves or don’t have time to do correctly. On the domestic front, a spouse or partner often takes on the bulk of those tasks; and at the office, they usually become the domain of a personal assistant. Still, there will always be times when your go-to resource can’t come through or when the critical mission at hand requires deep connections or particular expertise—times when you need to take it to the next level.

More than just advice, concierge services provide special help
Concierge services are relatively new and higher levels of assistance that evolved out of the hotel-based help business travelers have long called upon when on unfamiliar turf. In the late 1990s, there were only a handful of firms in the space; but today, industry veterans estimate there are more than 1,000 concierge services around the world covering the entire spectrum of support needs, from basic everyday tasks like picking up your dry cleaning and prescriptions or walking your dog to more substantial undertakings, such as hiring the perfect personal chef or snagging one of your valued clients a reservation at a perennially booked, five-star restaurant.

“The value [of a concierge service] is impossible to assess in purely financial terms.”

However, don’t think of concierge services as just discounted tickets to sports events or generic recommendations you might expect of, say, your platinum credit card company or a luxury hotel. From small boutique services to large, global organizations with thousands of employees, there are sophisticated concierge services—one-stop shops—ready to satisfy your every need. Costs, as you might assume, vary widely and depend not only on the service requested but the area of the world you’re in at the time. Pricing is typically based on one or more of the following: hourly and day rates, a la carte charges or invitation-only, annual membership fees.

Stan Doobin, owner and CEO of Harvard Maintenance, a New York-based building-maintenance and security-services company, has been a member of The Bluefish, a premier lifestyle, concierge and travel service, for four years. He touts the company as an invaluable business resource. “Basically, whenever you need something nobody else can pull off, you call them,” he says. “[Maybe] one of your clients is in town and wants tickets to the Emmy Awards or a Victoria Secret fashion show. They save you the time and deliver on something you wouldn’t have been able to do yourself, and they make you look like a hero at the same time. You place that phone call, and—voilá—magic happens.”

Doobin recalls one instance when he was trapped with nothing to do at an industry conference during a national holiday in Brazil. “We were all really bored, and I thought it would be fun to go see Iguaçu Falls, but I didn’t know how to do it,” he says. “I made the phone call to Bluefish and 30 minutes later they had a private plane and a tour guide booked. Whatever you need, however you need it, you’ll get it, and the biggest grief they may give you is ‘Give me a half-hour.’” The value, he says, is impossible to assess in purely financial terms. “Having your family and friends say ‘thank you’ from the bottom of their hearts is hard to quantify—and very unusual in today’s world.”

All concierge services are not created equally
As you might expect, the type of concierge services you might want or receive in Dubuque will be different than what you might get in Dubai—as is what you’ll pay for it. “If a CEO is located in or visiting New York City or another world capital, pricing for services there will be higher,” says Katharine Giovanni, a leading concierge trainer and founder and chief happiness officer of both Triangle International (an independent concierge and customer-service training firm) and the International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Directory, a leading online concierge listing such as www.myclap.com. “Some concierges charge so that the client will prepay for a block of time. They’ll say, ‘Pay me for five hours, and you’ve got me for whatever you want to do.’ Others treat it like a private club, with annual fees and with services bundled at each level based on the markets they serve.”


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.