Are Personal Concierge Services Worth it?

There is no reason to wait until the next time you're staying at a luxury hotel to enjoy outstanding concierge service. Many companies around the country offer personal concierge services and the ever-helpful Cranky Consumer column in the Wall Street Journal put a few from all over the country to the test. And with a name like "cranky," you might assume that there would be some complaints about some of the service they received, but there were really none worth making.

The upshot of their personal concierge trials was that the companies were all very professional and very helpful. They did everything from playing with pets when the owners were out of town to locating kosher caters for an upcoming party. Having a concierge service available is an indulgence, but when life gets busy or stressful, they can accomplish a whole to-do list in just hours. And with rates ranging from $25 to $50 per hour, the tradeoff is well worth it.

Time saving tips

Set limits: You don't have to serve on every committee and your child doesn't have to be involved in every sport. Decide what is important to you and your family, and get rid of the rest. If you want your child to experience the benefits of playing a team sport, then talk to your child and decide which team sport he or she wants to play.
Setting limits isn't about saying "no," it's about being selective about saying, "yes."

If you can't say no, delegate.

Lost time is never found again.

Benjamin Franklin once said “Lost time is never found again.” The personal concierge is born out of an ever-growing need for more free time. Today’s hectic lifestyle places an ever-increasing demand on the limited number of hours in a day to accomplish what needs to be done. Personal concierges are problem-solvers with the know-how to get anything done from running errands, arranging a special function or occasion, to home and office organization. They provide hands-on assistance for those who are short on time.

Concierges are most commonly thought of as exclusive assistants for the rich and famous or as staff to an exclusive hotel or posh resort. This is a misconception; concierge services are no longer too expensive for the average person.

Today’s concierge serves everyone from the single parent to the overworked professional who is in need of assistance or time-strapped and willing to pay for what is known as “lifestyle management.” By contracting personal concierge services, one can devote their precious time to what really matters to them. The stress and guilt associated with getting something done vanishes and peace of mind is reclaimed.

Outsourcing one’s “to-do-list” or special project to a personal concierge is often more cost effective then taking time-off from work to do it yourself or paying overtime to staff. The value of a personal concierge is in their resourcefulness, organizational ability and disposition for multi-tasking.

Personal Concierges are not nannies or housekeepers; yet they may help their clients locate these services. Unlike an exclusive personal assistant under contract to one client (24 hours a day – 7 days a week), a personal concierge has a number of clients and dedicates only a few hours a week to that client or project. Since every client has his or her own unique to-do-list, personal concierges offer a variety of specialized services. The touchstone used in the industry is that if the request is illegal or immoral, the concierge will not oblige. Otherwise, most requests for services can be accommodated.

If you find yourself too busy, stressed-out and overworked to “do it all” perhaps outsourcing your to-do-list is the answer.

by Alicia Wright - http://hbmag.com/personal-concierge/

Contest Rules

Earlier this week we introduced a new way to enjoy our services, Chocolates on MY Pillow Monthly Membership (click here for details). And today you can WIN a 30 day Concierge Membership (click here for details).

New Concierge Membership Program

INTRODUCTORY SPECIAL: The first month is $20 for the first 20 who sign up by 8/31/09!

FREE MEMBERSHIP: Later this week we will also be giving away a concierge memberships to 4 of our Facebook fan page members. Join.

When people first hear about our company and the services we provide most think it’s a wonderful ideal but are not sure how to use it. So we started sharing how others use Chocolates on MY Pillow’s services via blogs, emails, and social media. While sharing how our services are being used we found out that many requests didn’t require leg work (which our current fee structure is based on). Actually, most requests are for concierge services. These services include but are not limited to the following:

• Finding hard to get tickets
• Restaurant reservations
• Travel arrangements
• Collection calls for businesses
• Wake up calls
• Research (we can find just about anything)
• Confirming appointments
• Gift ordering
• PDF Conversions (as well as many other file conversions)
• Service referrals (personal chef, handyman, landscaper, housecleaner, car services, mobile spa services, and more)

So we decided to create a membership program offering concierge services for a small monthly fee, $32.95/month.

What exactly do you get?

• Access to one of our representatives during regular hours
• 15 requests (which can be made via an online request, email or phone call)
• VIP status (making you a top priority client receiving prompt services and 20% off all other services we provide)

This is also ideal for small business owners. This membership will support your professional presences and help you work more on your business than in your business.

To find out more, contact Tisha Littlejohn, at 800.883.8713 or email info@chocolatesomp.com.

"We remind you how much you value your time."

Recent requests...

For Madeleine’s daughters wedding, we took care of all the little details like packing the gifts and decor at the end of the evening.

Chocolates on MY Pillow created, printed and mailed invitations for a 20th anniversary high school reunion committee.

We coordinated a trip schedule for a Texan client who will be vacationing in Chicago later this month.

During the time we were assisting Mark in find an office manager, a Chocolates on MY Pillow representative helped around his office until the new office manager started.

Eric was looking to create a memorable father’s day for his dad and hired Chocolates on MY Pillow to located a item he was having trouble finding; we found the gift within a day, purchased it and had it delivered it to his home.

Chocolates on MY Pillow stocked the refrigerator and picked up packages for a clients senior parent.

We searched apartments for Matt that included finding matches according to his specification and calling the owners or property manager for more details.

Laura and her fiancé was leaving the country for a few weeks to get married leaving their cat alone, Chocolates on MY Pillow visited the pet regularly during the time they were away.

We assisted Julie by packing delicates for her upcoming move.

Ron hired us to create a memorable evening for his 11th wedding anniversary, it included locating tickets to a sold out event and scheduling a personal chef who's specialty is Ron's wife’s favorite to cook for them.

Spotlight Service For The Week

Over 1/2 off New Monthly Membership Package

August 10th - August 15th, 2009

Take Advantage of this OUTSTANDING SERVICE before WE OFFICIALLY LAUNCH IT! We've added a new way of using our services, The Monthly Concierge Services Membership package includes 20 request points* and discounts on our errand running and virtual business support services. The cost is $32.99/month. Mention this blog and receive your first month for just $15.

*Requests include but are not limited to the following - referrals, travel arrangements, wake up calls, confirming and scheduling appointments, research (we are very resourceful), finding hard to get tickets, booking services, key date reminder services, setting up vacation itineraries, gift ordering, making dinner reservations and more.

Call 800.883.8713 today!

"We remind you how much you value your time."

Chocolates on MY Pillow Martini

Chocolates on MY Pillow Martini


1 part vodka or vanilla vodka
1 part cask & cream
1 teaspoon of melted chocolate

Drizzle melted chocolate in chilled glass. Combine first two ingredients with ice. Shake and strain into martini glass.

It's unwise to pay too much...

"It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better." ~ John Ruskin

More hours in the day

A business associate told me once that it wasn’t fair that I get more hours in the day than he do. He has a good sense of humor. He is well aware that we are all given the same number of hours each day. So, why does it seem that some are able to accomplish their daily goals, while others wonder at the end of each day where the time went?

One of the best tips I can give you so that you can move toward joining the some who are able to accomplish their daily goals is to EVALUATE.

A lot of Chocolates on MY Pillow clients come to use feeling overwhelmed with the current project they are working on. We first tell them to take a closer look at how they spend their time. Purchase a special appointment calendar. Then for a week, write down in this calendar each and every little thing you do throughout each day. For example, if you spend one hour checking and responding to e-mail correspondence from 8am to 9am, mark this in your calendar. If you spend half an hour looking for a file from 2:15pm to 2:45pm, jot this down in your calendar as well. If you are occupied with a staff meeting, write it in your calendar. By the end of the week, you should be getting a clear picture of exactly where your time is really going.

Now you can clearly evaluate the way you are spending your time each day. Take a good, hard look at the ways you may be contributing to your hectic schedule. Are you wasting time checking e-mail or voice mail numerous times throughout the day, when checking once or twice a day would be sufficient? Depending on your circumstances and responsibilities, you may be able to limit yourself to checking e-mail and voice mail once in the morning, once after lunch and once at the end of the day. Are you interrupted throughout the day with telephone calls? Perhaps you can set aside a block of time each day where you will work undisturbed and allow all non-urgent calls to be transferred to voice mail. These and other simple changes can transform your days!

And as always, we at Chocolates on MY Pillow are ready and willing to assist by providing personal concierge services and virtual business support for those who have more to do than they have time for. Visit our website!

Recent request...

During the time we were assisting Mark in find an office manager, a Chocolates on MY Pillow representative helped around his office until the new office manager started.

25% off Virtual Business Support

Now thru August 8th receive 25% off Virtual Business Support. Call 800-883-8713 ext. 1 for more details.

To the small business person the Virtual Assistant can mean the difference between failure and SUCCESS.

Unlike the larger corporations the smaller business seldom has the space or resources initially for the extra employee to take the weight out of their ever-increasing work-load.

A Virtual Assistant will handle your reports and administration and enable you to spend more time marketing or enjoying the extra hours available to you.

You don't have to do it all, just contact Chocolates on MY Pillow (800) 883-8713 for all you virtual assistance needs. We cater to the needs of various business owners locally and globally. Our clients ask for assistance in various areas from general office support to contact management to website designing to social media marketing.

Virtual Business Support services include but are not limited to:
• Data Entry
• Project Management
• Email Marketing
• Creating/Editing letters, forms, etc
• Contact & Client Management
• Graphic Design – Logo creations, print ads, flyers, etc
• Custom Website Design

Spotlight Service For The Week

25% off Bedside Helping Hands services, July 26 thru August 1st.

This is a new service. If you or a family or friend is schedule for surgery, Chocolates on MY Pillow's BHH are available to assist.

Our Bedside Helping Hands department was conceived when we noticed the value our concierge/errand running services provided those needing assistance with preoperative preparations and postoperative care. The BHH team which consists of housekeepers, caregivers, errand runners, medical staff, and beauty specialist is carefully selected; they are highly qualified to offer you efficient peri-operative services.    Read more...