A Concierge serves as a specialized dedicated customer service representative. These experts are in charge of responding to a wide variety of consumer or guest needs to ensure a smooth and pleasant experience. High net worth individuals appoint concierge service personnels to help them ease out their journey – be it travelling assistance, leisure aid, lifestyle needs and the likes. Excellent communication skills and customer service skills are necessary to succeed in this role. Their primary duty is to service consumers and the guests and keep them happy.
Job Responsibilities of a Concierge
Job responsibilities for these concierge services vary widely from one employment setting to another. In general, they are expected to provide personal services to consumers or guests served by their employers. Those services may include:
- Greeting guests or customers
- Manage guest or customer complaints
- Taking messages from the guests and acting as per need
- Managing communications like mail
- Managing luggages and deliveries
- Perform basic administrative, secretarial and reception duties
- Running errands promptly to assist guests
- Arranging Ticketing and Travel
- Arranging transportation and excursions upon visitor request
- Providing information and sharing recommendations on local features, attractions, shopping, restaurants, dining, entertainment, nightlife, and recreation, Private parties & celebrations
- Arranging local tours and leisure activities
- Making special Event Access for guests
- Obtaining Exclusive Events Tickets
- Arranging special services
- Providing or arranging for general business services for guests
- Managing customer or guest requests for housekeeping and/or maintenance
- Developing network of contacts, service providers and businesses within their communities to serve guests
Tasks of a concierge
Concierges are the first point of contact that guests have at a particular venue. Though they typically work in the hospitality industry, such as in hotels and resorts, they may also assist in hospitals, real estate offices and apartments.
Concierges are tasked with a variety of duties, for instance:
- Answering guest inquiries – Concierges must have proper information to answer guest enquiries pertaining to the sector they are serving – be it personal, lifestyle, travel, business, etc.
- Assisting patrons at hotels, apartments or office buildings with personal services – Concierges are chosen by High net worth individuals who want to skip the hassle of making travel and accommodation reservations or the paperworks that are involved in the process. Thus Concierges are expected to do the work on their behalf.
- Arranging or giving advice on transportation, business services or entertainment – Concierges are profound with knowledge about the local surroundings. Thus they are best point of contact who can advice and assist guests regarding Travel (Hotels, Villas, Jets, Experiences), transportations, restaurants, business services and entertainment activities as per the clients’ needs.
- Suggest places of interest to visit and arrange accommodations.
- Monitoring guest requests for housekeeping and maintenance.
- A corporate concierge caters to the needs of business clientele much like a travel concierge takes care of guests travelling. He normally helps staff employees as well as managers and executives in procuring services for business activities and personal enjoyment to enable them to concentrate on their work without the distractions of everyday living. A number of large companies have a corporate concierge on staff, although the majority of people in this position have their own companies or work as independent contractors.
Qualities required to be a professional concierge Above everything, concierges need excellent communication and people skills to make guests feel comfortable and welcome. They are the first point of contact that a client has when they plan or visit a certain place. Interpersonal communication skills are also an important asset for a concierge. He frequently has to interact with people who are tired and cranky and thus he must attempt to turn their day into a good one. Patience, empathy and a good sense of humor are generally desirable attributes for a person with this job.They are expected to know how to be calm, cool and collected even in stressful situations. These would help a guest to feel comfortable at a foreign place even if things turn a bit problematic at times.
Also concierges must have a good memory to remember up-to-date information about restaurants and events in the local area along with internal hotel policies and procedures. This would help them to answer guests’ questions and provide great recommendations. Proactive recommendations surely would aid in earning brownie points and ensure a good customer service experience and eventually a loyal customer.
Professional concierges need organizational skills. A concierge personnel typically serves several corporations at the same time, so his time management proficiency is vital to keep everyone satisfied. Many requests from different clients are similar, such as limousine service, thus his attention to detail is paramount to his success. Sending the correct size limo to take passengers to the correct airport or restaurant is normally of utmost importance to the clients.
For guests, a concierge acts as a local expert to clients visiting at a new or foreign place. Thus a good concierge can fulfill any request or answer any question that guests might have. Good communication skills and flexibility are a must as well as a thorough knowledge of the local area. Experience in tourism and service industries is also helpful if one plans to be a professional concierge.
How to Become a Concierge
- Education – There is no formal education requirement for concierges, although some employers may prefer a certificate or degree in a hospitality-related field. The minimum requirement for most positions is a high school diploma. An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in tourism, hospitality, or hotel management may be helpful for better paying jobs.
Some community colleges may offer a certificate in hospitality. This takes less time than an associate’s degree, but it still looks good on a resume.
Moreover, a majority of employers offer on-the-job training. - Take a tourism or hospitality course – For people who would want to improve the knowledge of the tourism industry, they might check local universities and community colleges for classes in hospitality or hotel management or even take an online course.
- Experience the community like a tourist would – If one aims to offer the guests honest advice, he would need to know about all of the amenities and services the local area offers. Exlporing various restaurants and visiting local attractions at regular intervals would help to keep track of the happenings around. This should be repeated every six to twelve months after getting a job, so that he can understand what is trendy and new. You should research local Restaurants, Museums, Spas, Gyms, Grocery stores, Parks, Theaters, Shopping and other similar places of interest. One must continue to stay knowledgeable about new attractions or other services offered in the area.
- Working within the hospitality or tourism sector – For an aspirant who does not have any experience in tourism, he might want to find a part-time job in other service sectors which would give him some experience that may help when applying to be a concierge. Jobs that may be relevant include Hotel receptionist. Tour guide, Valet, Personal assistant, Hotel or restaurant manager.
- Ace soft skills and Communication – Concierges typically being the first point of contact with a client, they should know how to exude warmtha and make a guest feel “at home” with his approach. Guests should be greeted and welcomed in a friendly and upbeat manner. If it looks as if they need help with anything, immediately one should offer services.
- Answer all questions – It is the job of a professional concierge to make sure that any questions that a guest has can be answered. While most people would ask for local recommendations, one should be prepared to answer almost anything.
Questions can range from the common one like a good place to eat, activities that good to do with children to more unusual questions like if a private viewing of the museum might be possible, or some request for Special event access. - Fulfil requests – Concierges might be asked to run errands for guests, or they may need to fill paperworks. One needs to be prepared to do whatever task is asked to do.
- Understand a client – Every client is different. When a guest requests a recommendation, one should ask them questions about what types of food, atmosphere, experience, and activities they enjoy for a better understanding.
One should not give a recommendation on anything that he is not sure about. If he is wrong, the client would not trust the judgment and may complain to others about the inabilities.
In instances when a client asks for assistance or advice on an activity that a professional is not comfortable with or that is against the law, they he should not hesitate to decline.
Judging the pros and cons of the profile of a concierge, if you are passionate and eager to work with others and explore everyday, you may find that being a professional concierge is the perfect job for you.
