Busy execs turning to online concierge services
Phoenix Business Journal - by Anne Robertson
Concierge assistance is not just for the hotel lobby anymore, according to Todd Zillweger of World Class Concierge Services, a Valley Internet-based company targeted to corporate and personal clients.
And now Zillweger and his partner, Patricia Dreiseszun, have launched a guide, Concierge In A Box, detailing how to start the business -- anywhere.
"The concept is a big-time hot button now, and such services are being offered as an employee perk by corporations, mainly Fortune 500 ones, trying to retain staff," Zillweger said. "We are marketing our `box' to anyone who wants to start a concierge business in their own town, or even on a national level."
On-site shoe repair, dry cleaning, personal shopping and errand running are examples of services that "take the pressure off busy workers," according to Zillweger.
And different types of concierge services are "popping up" in many new locales, he said, such as residential communities, shopping malls, airports, parking garages and bank lobby kiosks.
"Concierges have become more like personal assistants on a corporate and personal level," said Zillweger, whose clients include APS Health Link, SkyMall Inc., Abram's Realty & Management, Human Resource Center, Robb & Stuckey Fine Home Furnishings and more.
Often a client may request services that go beyond the "typical" ones offered. He cited examples such as the parent, away on a business trip, who needed a last-minute child's birthday event planned; and the time they procured a rare edition of a book, authored by a Civil War hero, for another client.
Zillweger's company has pulled together parties that have special touches, such as an anniversary party aboard a yacht that included providing the same type of fresh flowers used in the couple's wedding.
The guide, co-authored by Zillweger and Dreiseszun, has been endorsed by the National Concierge Association, while other such manuals have not, Zillweger said. He and Dreiseszun, who started their company in 1995, both worked as concierges prior to that.
"We have over 30 years of combined experience -- we've both worked in the trenches," he said.
Moreover, Zillweger said one client who runs his own corporate jet-cleaning business on the East Coast wants to take his company to another level by offering the concierge services as well.
"His clients are upscale, and he thinks they'd like the services," Zillweger said. "Most people who utilize the services are upscale, with the money but not a lot of time for many of life's tasks due to their schedules."
World Class Concierge Services: 602-340-1166 www.conciergeservices.com
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