For most of us, there simply are not enough hours in the day to do everything  that needs to be done. We rush to pick the kids up from school, make it to that  impromptu work meeting that just got called, or even find the time to grab some  take out dinner before we climb into bed and do it all again the next day.  

 Thankfully, a growing number of New Jersey co-op and condo residents are finding  a helping hand as more and more residential buildings and communities are  offering concierge services. “Everybody on the planet is trying to squeeze 36 hours into 24-hour days,” says Katharine C. Giovanni, CCS, founder and president of Triangle Concierge,  Inc., and founder and chairman of the board of the International Concierge and  Lifestyle Management Association. “The concierge is saying, ‘let me do the things that need to be done so we can give you the time you need  to live.’”  

 And for Garden State residents, this kind of service is becoming more of an  expectation than a luxury as more buildings than ever before are offering it.  

 “I thought that concierge services was a guy behind a desk that prevented the  coffee table from being stolen,” says Randy Brosseau, area president for K. Hovnanian Homes Northeast Division,  developers of 77 Hudson, a 420 unit, high-rise condominium community in Jersey  City. “Prospective buyers were quick to bring to my attention that that’s not what concierge services are. What they wanted was someone to make them  reservations, walk their dog, clean their car—concierge services kept coming up so we decided to bring in a full service  concierge company.”  

 How It All Began

 In the past, personal service and attention meant turning to the doorman or  superintendent for help with unit repairs or some other mechanical issue. Now,  residents are able to look for assistance with a far broader range of needs.  

 “Everyone has a different idea about what a concierge does. In some buildings, a  concierge simply means that there is a person on call 24 hours a day to help  out with package delivery or groceries,” says Todd Dumaresq, marketing manager for Toll Brothers City Living, a luxury  condominium firm that oversees the Hudson Tea Community and the condominium  Maxwell Place on the Hudson in Hoboken. “Concierges can arrange travel for you, handle restaurant reservations, the list  is endless. It’s a lifestyle enhancement and no one is ever mad about that.”  

 Concierge service first made its mark in the hotel industry, as out of town  guests would seek insider knowledge on where to eat, what show to see or who  could help with a dry cleaning emergency. Soon, those services began spreading  to other industries. “Now you’re seeing concierge specializing in everything from hospitals to helping  divorced men to helping patients of plastic surgery,” says Giovanni. The thought, she says, was that “if it works in the hotel industry, I bet I can bring it to the greater public.’” And so far it has worked, especially in the real estate market.  

 “Like everyone else, the concierge industry has taken a hit with the economy,” says Giovanni. “However, the bad economy has helped certain parts of our industry.” And over the last five years, the residential market has become one of those  areas. “Real estate management companies are looking for ways to draw people to their  properties. We’re seeing a rise in concierge services in the lobbies of high-rise, five-star  properties. You can’t call yourself a five-star property these days unless you have the concierge  service.”  

 Even buildings without the tony addresses are finding ways to bring more  concierge-like services to their residents. “A lot of buildings are also cross-training their security staff with concierge  skills,” says Giovanni. If a night guard or doorman is already on duty, it makes sense  for many buildings to invest in specialized training to enable those staff  members to do more for residents. And it provides more professional variety and  opportunity for those employees.  

 In other instances, buildings may provide residents with remote concierge  services versus having an individual on-staff and on-site. They may provide a  phone number for residents or have a menu of options listed in the lobby. If a  building wants to achieve and maintain a five-star image, though, “they’ll always have someone stationed in the lobby.”  

 Giovanni adds, “There is an advantage for buildings offering concierge services. It gives them  an edge on the competition. For a lot of people, they think to themselves, ‘I would rather rent or buy here in a building that offers these services versus  the place next door that doesn’t.’”  

 And despite the added cost—most buildings pay a retainer to the concierge service and include it in their  roster of services for residents—the investment ultimately will help the bottom line, says Giovanni. “For real estate managers who offer these services, it will make the buildings  more attractive and in turn, generate more revenue.”  

 Experts believe that in the past, the difference for a resident may have been  whether or not a building had a doorman. Without a doorman, for example, you  could not mail order a box of light bulbs because there would have been no one  there during the day to sign for them. Nowadays, with the concierge service,  not only is there someone there to sign for the light bulbs, now there is also  someone there to install them and have the lights on when you get home.  

 That Little Extra

 That extra level of service is the hallmark of a great concierge service, says  Giovanni. “It’s customer service above and beyond everybody else.” Instead of being thanked and saying “you’re welcome,” for example, a concierge may say “It’s my pleasure” instead, to underscore his or her desire to provide the best care possible for  their client. “The last thing you want to see in the lobby is someone with their feet up on the  desk, saying, ‘What do you want?’ to a client,” says Giovanni.  

 It is also a matter of providing the services that people want and need. That is  why a service like The Spot Experience, a concierge service for pets, has  become so popular. “In today’s evolving luxury market, where amenities such as fitness centers, pools,  saunas, children’s playrooms and meeting space are commonplace, dog concierge services are in  high demand and being viewed as an essential component in the lifestyles of  busy, high-end residents seeking the best quality of life for their pets,” says Mitch Marrow, founder and CEO of The Spot Experience. The service is  available in four New York City locations, one in New Jersey and in Putnam  County.  

 And again, service is at the heart of The Spot Experience. “Owners are looking for trusted service knowing their dog is receiving the  highest caliber of care and service by an experienced staff when they are not  home,” says Marrow. “The Spot Experience’s dog concierge program is based on the highest standards of professionalism,  credibility and accountability. (We wanted to offer) top-of-the-line services,  personnel and protocol, giving residents’ peace of mind regarding pet care while they are away.”  

 A Must-Have

 For a lot of residents, the service and care provided by concierge becomes a  necessity and not just a luxury. And it can become their go-to solution when a problem—any kind of problem—arises. Giovanni cites an instance that occurred a few years ago when a client  was out of town on business and became trapped in a hotel elevator. Instead of  phoning 9-1-1 or the hotel’s front desk, the man’s first instinct was to call his concierge…who promptly answered the phone, called the man’s hotel and soon had him free from the broken down elevator.  

 “I get quite a number of foreign purchasers,” says Brosseau, “And they really have no idea how to go about getting a rental car or a car  service or a dog walker, it’s a lot of things that a lot of people take for granted but for foreign buyers a  concierge service is mandatory.”  

 People who excel in the concierge business are natural born problem solvers,  says Giovanni. “A good concierge doesn’t give up,” she says. “They create magic out of a hat. Some of it is training. Or they are just one of  those people who can find anything, anywhere, anytime. They have great contacts  and they are willing to go to the 20th page of the Google search, not just give  up after the second. It’s a way of life, not a job. It’s who you are, not what you do.”  

 A good concierge must be willing to do just about anything—within reason and the law—for their client because there is no doubt that if they are in the business long  enough, they will get some fairly unusual requests. Giovanni knew of one  concierge on the West Coast who was asked to find a reindeer, put it in a pen  and care for it for the entire 12 days of Christmas. Another time, a panicked  pet owner called his concierge asking how to deflate an agitated and highly expanded blowfish. The answer? Put on rubber gloves because its  spikes are poisonous and then scratch its belly. A third very hearty and brave  concierge took the call of a woman grieving over the death of her cat. The  woman asked her concierge to go to Sears, buy a cooler, transport the deceased  pet to the taxidermist, have it stuffed and then return it to the owner. “I don’t know why all my stories involve animals,” Giovanni says with a laugh.  

 Whatever the need and whatever the occasion, for thousands of residents  throughout the metro area, it is a relief to know that someone is there to  help. Whether it is dog walking, getting great theatre seats for a  mother-in-law or just being the friendly face that greets them in the lobby  every day, a talented and dedicated concierge makes life better and easier. For  people struggling to find enough hours in the day to live, work and play, few  services are more important than that.  

 “It’s hard to put number on what concierge services are worth to a building,” says Brosseau, “But I think a well-orchestrated, well-run concierge service can create great  value to a building.”    

 Liz Lent is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The New Jersey  Cooperator. Staff Writer Christy Smith-Sloman contributed to this article.