Ground level foyer activation is often at the centrepiece of a commercial building’s workplace enhancement strategy, and concierge services are crucial in knitting together a buildings community feel. They say “time is money” but for many people, time is more important than money – it’s the most valuable commodity they have. Many building owners want to demonstrate to their tenants that they understand this, and as a consequence, high quality concierge services are now in place across many buildings. For some businesses, building concierge has become a ‘must have’ amenity piece, and they may choose to forgo leasing space within buildings where these services are not on offer.
For this Insight Article we uncover what services building concierge offer for tenants and explain how they are funded.
Building concierge are ready and willing to handle various requests (and concerns), with the aim of improving the tenant experience. Their general range of services are as follows:
- Escorting Visitors
- Dry Cleaning (pick-up and drop-off)
- Organising flowers and gifts
- Package/Parcel delivery
- Luxury booking service or taxi booking service
- Local restaurants and tours reservations
- Distribution of newsletters
Although the list of services is quite straight forward, having the right concierge can offer far more than what meets the eye. They can set the tone for the building in terms of its community feel and general vibe, to a level where they can influence someone’s perception of workplace culture. From a security perspective they offer a discreet set of eyes to monitor who is coming and going from the building.
In their goal of transitioning to a true A-Grade building, Kyko Group, the owners of 201 Charlotte Street located in the heart of Brisbane’s Financial precinct identified high-quality concierge services as essential. A true A-Grade building must provide true A Grade amenities.
We recently met with Perry Yiannkis – the Chief Concierge at 201 Charlotte Street to discuss his services and it soon became clear that his knowledge of the building was extensive. Acting as the day-to-day ‘eyes and ears’ of the building, Perry often oversees and co-ordinates maintenance to ensure tenant complaints are adhered to in a timely matter. Perry views his face-to-face relationship with tenants of the building crucial to bridging the gap in communication that often exists between the building tenants and property management. There is a significant value-add in having a dedicated professional on-site to action issues instantly and place work orders, whilst simultaneously anticipating the needs of tenants within the building before they are even aware of such needs.
Perry takes great pride in the relationships he has developed with the tenants of 201 Charlotte Street since starting his role. He was very self-aware of the value he brings to the building, and this was clearly reflected throughout our conversation. Perry believes that ‘the more effectively he is able to understand these tenants and their needs, the more impact he is able to have on their day-to-day life and overall satisfaction during their tenancy at 201 Charlotte Street.’
As the first point of call for all requests or concerns a tenant may have regarding the building or tenancy, Perry’s overall knowledge of the building and its particulars was extensive. He was on top of all current vacancies within the building as well as all current, and planned works/renovations that were occurring both in the short-term and long-term. Being able to confidently relay this information to both mainstay tenants and short-term visitors of the building was just another crucial step being taken to ensure a true A-Grade experience.
In answering the question “What can a concierge service do for me?” or even “What value will a concierge service bring to my building?”, you’ll quickly understand how open ended that question really is. With dedicated enthusiastic staff focussing on customer service, the question really should be “What can’t they do?”
As mentioned, nowadays the biggest luxury available to most people is time. Concierges are exclusively dedicated to servicing the time sensitive needs of building tenants. Whether it be helping to welcome and direct visitors, or putting in a work order for air-conditioning repair, there is no doubt that the lives of both landlord and tenants alike is made simpler with the help of a concierge service.
