Residents of Melbourne metro and Mornington Peninsula areas can access Kay & Burton's Concierge, a referral service for everything from styling a home for sale, to major renovations, dog walking, or wine recommendations.
Launched in 2019, Kay & Burton’s Concierge is a curated network of qualified professionals, skilled-and-reliable tradespeople and creative talent to meet all their client’s property-related needs, whether that is a single tradesperson, removalists, wine cellar advice and/or a renovation project managed.
As Senior Manager in Kay & Burton’s Concierge business, Kate Emerson brings a wealth of experience to her role, with over a decade at the National Australia Bank in various front-line sales, marketing, HR and support. Kate has also spent time with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, working with ambassadors, fundraising, and assisting the foundation’s events and marketing campaigns.
Image: Kay & Burton Concierge Senior Manager Kate Emerson. Source: Kay & BurtonKate is passionate about customer service and building deep and lasting relationships, the cornerstones for the Concierge business.
WILLIAMS MEDIA spoke to Kate about the Concierge business and the suite of services provided by Kay & Burton’s Preferred Partners.
What is Kay & Burton Concierge and why is it so attractive to clients?
Since September 2019, Kay & Burton Concierge has been providing clients with referrals to our trusted and vetted partners for a range of services across both Melbourne metro and the Mornington Peninsula areas.
Clients have told us that they love our hands-on approach. Our team is readily available by phone or via email or clients can submit an enquiry via our website.
Clients say they love that they can speak with our team of concierge consultants about what they need and are referred to service providers who have been carefully vetted by us and selected to suit their particular needs. Team members pride ourselves on the care and ongoing contact and support we provide to all clients.
Clients also find our personal referral approach is far better than performing a random google search on suppliers or asking around their networks. Our team always briefs the supplier on what is required to ensure a client’s needs are met quickly, effectively and efficiently. Concierge Partners are subject to strict service level standards and are independent entities, curated based on ability, professionalism and competitive pricing.
How has Kay & Burton Concierge fared during Victoria’s COVID-19 Lockdown? Has the service had to pivot this year?
Clients have continued to access the Concierge services with the number of enquiries continuing to grow during the lockdown period.
We have needed to keep abreast of the changing needs of our clients and ensure we have the required suppliers at the ready. The Concierge customer service team has also moved to work from home but, with a phone-based model, this move has been seamless for our clients.
The most fundamental changes have been in the services offered by our preferred suppliers, many of whom have had to re-think their offerings to remain relevant and in demand. For example, one supplier expanded his business to offer home delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables.
What have been some of the most in-demand services clients have requested this year?
There has been a lot of demand for assistance in emergency situations and items that were able to be home-delivered such as fresh produce and gift hampers. Where a house move was required due to an existing contract, we were able to refer clients to removalists and other services related to the move. In addition, clients have made enquiries regarding renovations to their homes such as to create home offices or landscaping that have now been planned with suppliers online/remotely with works to commence once restrictions ease.
Image: Kay & Burton Concierge has a curated network of skilled-and-reliable tradespeople, including somebody to varnish your deck prior to the summer months. Source: Kay & BurtonWhy do you think Kay & Burton Concierge has been so successful during this period?
Clients have commented that it has been a comfort to know that we would be referring them to suppliers who had been carefully vetted during these uncertain times. Clients also commented that they appreciated the knowledge of our preferred suppliers in being able to guide them as to what works could and could not be performed under the restrictions of the day, and were prepared to take advance bookings so that works can be commenced as soon as permissible.
What are some of the services that are available via Concierge?
We are able to refer to a wide range of services, ranging from tradespeople through to more complex jobs such as styling and preparing a home for sale, moving house or a major renovation. We are also able to refer to partners offering services that you might not expect, for example someone to maintain and manage clients’ vehicles, or review and make recommendations on their wine cellar collection. Last summer we had a client enquiry regarding our ability to refer to a supplier to remove a snake from a peninsula property! When earlier this year the impacts of COVID started to indicate that we would be spending more time at home in coming months, and before any restrictions on works were in place, we had several requests for a chimney sweep from clients who had not used fireplaces for many years so that they could use these over winter.
Image: Wine Consultant and Winemaker Loic Le Calvez is your link to some of the most exciting wines and their stories. His services range from personal wine consultancy to access to the Wine Truth Club to private and corporate wines. Source: Kay & BurtonDo you have to be a Kay & Burton client to utilise the Concierge service?
We are open to helping any current or prospective clients.
Are there additional costs for people to engage Kay & Burton Concierge’s services?
There is no cost to clients for accessing the Concierge service, but clients need to pay the Preferred Partners for any services/works performed.
How do you see Kay & Burton Concierge evolving in the future?
The Concierge model will allow us to continue to add to the services to which we refer clients, in line with their needs. In this way, we will continue to expand the ways in which we help clients take care of themselves and their properties… it’s what we do.
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