There is a lot of truth in the saying of ‘you get what you pay for’ and my own industry of concierge services is no exception.
Many businesses now offer ‘complimentary’ concierge services, especially in the finance sector.
This ‘free’ service provides a 24/7 call centre base concierge. This type of concierge can provide quick access to an exhaustive list of referral services. It’s fast, easy and efficient.
But, before you put pen to paper and draw up your ‘to do’ list, there are few draw backs to this free concierge service that you might like to consider before you dial that 1300 number.
The first thing you need to be aware of is that you are not actually calling your bank (assuming the concierge is associated with your financial institution). The concierge service is provided by a third party call centre who may service more than one client. Again this isn’t necessary a problem but might prove difficult if your request requires a transaction. As they are not your bank they don’t have access and therefore no authority to use your credit card or bank accounts to fund requests you may have.
For example restaurants such as Momofuko prefer to take reservations online with a credit card as security. In order for your concierge to complete this task, you, the client, may still have to wait on the phone whilst the concierge loads the restaurant website and takes your booking and credit card details – so not a great deal of time or effort has been saved. The same applies for concert tickets, floral purchases and so forth.
Another downside is skill and commitment of the staff. Quite often they don’t view themselves as a Concierge. A former worker told me they felt like a “glorified Google-er”. How skilled and committed are they to finding a solution to your request?
Speaking of Google-ing, I wonder if they know the best plumber in your suburb, by their first name, and has their direct mobile?
A concierge service can be worth its weight in gold if you have the opportunity to develop a rapport with them. This can be tricky with a call centre based concierge as you won’t have an opportunity to meet face to face and you rarely speak to the same person twice.
An obvious compromise is their inability to provide hands-on, on-the-ground services. This is where a local, personal concierge service adds genuine value.
Are they ‘forced’ to use particular service providers because of preferred supplier arrangements? I have had one client who called their card service urgently seeking a First Class ticket from Europe to Australia. Because it was urgent she texted me at the same time to see what I could do. Her card service concierge quoted a fare that was $6,000 more (no that is not a typo) more than what what we could source.
In saying this, I do know that there are some very skilled and capable concierges who work in the call centre environment. The trick is to make sure you get them each time you call. When you find that person, have them put a note on your file that you must speak to them each time you call, you may also be able to get a direct line for them if you are considered a VIP client.
Have you used this type of concierge? What was your experience?