Your Personal Concierge Checklist
Should I do the dishes before the concierge comes?
by Abbie Allen
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A Personal Concierge should be just that, ‘personal’. They should develop a strong relationship with you and your family so that they may understand your very individual needs. But this personal element can be quite daunting. Depending on how much you use a concierge, and for what purpose, inviting a Personal Concierge to meet with you to discuss your requirements can be like inviting someone into your very personal space.
How much do they need to know? Should I have the kids here or not? I haven’t done the dishes!
Your Personal Concierge should understand these apprehensions and be more than willing to work with you and your family, to make you feel comfortable and happily enter your world.
The following are a few tips to consider when meeting with your Personal Concierge for the first time.
1. Are they security checked?
If you are not already provided with a police check from your personal concierge, do not hesitate to ask for one. You may be asking them to be in and around your home when you are not there eg. feeding pets when you are away. You want to feel comfortable in having them to complete these tasks for you, so ensure you get all the information you require. If they do not have a police check, or are unwilling to obtain one, then perhaps they are not the person for you.
2. What insurance do they hold?
Make sure to ask what insurance your personal concierge holds eg. public liability insurance, and ensure this will be enough to cover your needs. If your personal concierge is going to be, for example, delivering your car to the mechanic, you may also want to make sure another driver is covered in your own car’s insurance policy.
3. Can they provide recommendations from clients?
Although the personal concierge is going to provide you with only positive feedback from clients, if they are able to do this then you will feel more comfortable. And don’t be afraid to take it to the next step and ask permission to contact some of their clients. This way you can ask them the questions you would like answered and hear it direct from them.
4. Are they flexible & willing to meet your needs?
Would you like to meet at home? Or would you prefer to meet at work, or in a café? Do you need to meet out of hours? Wherever and whenever is most suitable for you, a personal concierge should try their best to meet your needs. After all, a personal concierge is supposed to save you time, not inconvenience you. Work together to coordinate the most suitable way of meeting and communicating. Quite often this may simply be via the phone or email, but ensure your needs are being met.
5. Do you and your family feel comfortable with them? Do they make an effort to get to know you? Do they like animals?
If your personal concierge is going to be undertaking tasks which involve your family, you should ensure that your family are comfortable meeting or talking with the personal concierge. Get everyone together so they can get to know your family and so your family understands who this new person is and feels happy working with them. This includes your pets as well. You may be asking your personal concierge to feed your pets while you are away, or they may be in or around the house with them. Make sure both the personal concierge and your pets feel comfortable, and if your pets have any particular little idiosyncrasies, make sure you tell the concierge!
6. Will you be able to communicate effectively to ensure your ‘to do’ list gets done?
You need to feel comfortable asking your concierge to do virtually anything at anytime. You can ask them to do the shopping, race home to pick up something you’ve forgotten or arrange your romantic weekend away. Remember, a personal concierge is here to complete ANY task for you, no matter how big or small (or how menial you think it is!). And if it is an emergency, the personal concierge should do everything in their power to complete the job for you. Work with them and you will develop a strong relationship and discover someone you can depend on.
7. Don’t worry about the dishes!
You personal concierge should be willing to help you in whatever situation. If they are helping you to organise your home, or find a cleaner for you, or just dropping something off, don’t panic and think you have to do the dishes or tidy up the lounge room. They know that you don’t have time to do everything, and don’t expect you to be perfect. If you were, why would you need a concierge? And let me tell you, no one is perfect, so don’t think a personal concierge expects you to be.
Make sure you feel completely comfortable with your personal concierge. Make clear your requirements, and ensure you are getting all the information you need. By doing, so you will be able to build a relationship which really does make a difference to you and your family’s lives.