Idea Network - May/June 2000
Virtual Office Staff
From flowers to phone calls, concierge services can help
By Peter Weaver
Whether you have a home-based business or a small office, what you probably don't have is a personal secretary or office manager who can set up luncheon meetings with suppliers or get tickets to a major sports event for visiting customers.
Hiring someone full-time for this kind of personal-assistant work would be too costly for most small businesses. But you can hire an off-site "virtual" staff to do these important little jobs at a fraction of the cost of a full-time, salaried person.
Professional concierge companies that supply services for large corporations and hotels say their small business-market is growing rapidly. "We think small business owners are ready for this kind of service," says Rich Booth, communications manager for Dallas-based HQ Global Workplaces, a company that has more than 500 executive suite locations in this country and abroad.
"It's like having a virtual secretary who is also a professional concierge," says Elia Mannetta, president of security products company Mi.Com. "I have two offices, one in Baltimore and one in Milan, Italy, so I need all the help I can get with travel and office support."
Mannetta uses Baltimore-based Carter International Concierge to get Broadway tickets for clients or handle last minute printing jobs, for a fee of about $100 a month.
HQ Global offers various service packages for small firms. One is called "business identity," where your calls are personally answered when you're not available. Mail can be delivered to the main office while you're away. Costs are about $105 a month.
HQ Global Workplaces can be reached at 1-800-331-6664. Call 1-800-989-5018 for Carter International Concierge Services.
