10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

Questions, questions, questions! You all have questions. Here are your top 10 question and our answers:

1. What does concierge mean?

Well, the word concierge is actually comes from a French phrase: `Comte Des Cierges’, which means `the keeper of the candle.’ Back in the days before electricity, wealthy homeowners would hire assistants to carry their candles. Nice, huh? Eventually, the word concierge became translated as `Keeper of the keys’, a position held in all hotels. The modern meaning of concierge is caretaker or personal attendant. Think of us as your own personal assistant. We’re “to do” lists specialists for busy folks who prefer to spend their time on more important and enjoyable things.

2. Who hires you?

Um…a little bit of everyone! Our youngest client in the last six months is a senior in college, our oldest client doesn’t want us to reveal his age. Suffice it to say, he’s been old enough to vote in a few elections.
We’ve been hired by stay-at-home moms, a writer, doctors, dentists, headhunters, a psychiatrist, an artist, a piano teacher, accountants, lawyers, and local media types.

Our clients run the gamut from single folks to families with toddlers to empty-nesters.
We’ve helped newlyweds, new moms, folks just out of the hospital and people not quite strong enough to move a heavy piece of furniture.

All of our clients are unique and that’s what we love about them.

3. What job do you perform the most often?

It’s seasonal. During the holidays we were busy creating lots of gift baskets and delivering them, we also sent out a load of gift certificates to lucky recipients, and of course helping to organize staff parties. We’re getting calls now to help with gathering tax information, paying bills, and putting computer spreadsheets together. We’re always busy arranging for home repairs, carpet cleaning, home cleaning, and things like that. Every holiday we get calls for home and pet sitting. It’s typical for a new client to call us for one thing, and then as he or she gets to know us and our work, create a big and varied list of things for us to do over a few weeks.

4. What are your rates?

For errands and jobs like small moves and moving furniture, we charge $35/manhour. If a 3rd party is involved, say a carpet cleaner, housecleaner, painter, repairperson, we give you a bid for the job before we do any work.

We also have several packages available for blocks of time that will save you money.

Grocery shopping is $15/trip, +10% of the before-tax bill.

Just call us, we can give you a good idea what the job will cost, before we start.

Oh, and we accept cash, credit cards, Pay Pal, and checks.

5. Do you provide discounts?

We give daily discounts to seniors, military families, and folks who buy our packages. We also send out short-term discounts and other valuable announcements to folks who sign up for our e-letter. Occasionally we’ll post a deal on our Facebook page or through Twitter. We love connecting with our clients! Actually, we consider them our friends, so friend us however it’s convenient for you.

6. How much notice do you need to do something for me?

We ask for 24 hours, but we know that’s not always possible. We’ll do our best to work things in on your schedule. If it’s last minute on a weekend or a holiday we charge 15% additional. Regardless of when you call or email a request to us, we promise to get back to you within an hour.

7. What geographic area do you serve?

At Your Service is located in St. Louis, at approximately I64 and Lindbergh. We serve the entire metro area, both sides of the river. If a job takes us more than a total of 50 miles we charge for mileage at .50/mile.

8. How do I know I can trust you?

We understand your concerns and will do our best to allay any fears you have. We’re fully licensed, bonded, and insured. We hope to earn your trust everytime we complete a task for you. We’re also more than willing to send you references from previous clients.

9. Can I buy gift certificates?

Certainly! Just visit our website, it’s really easy to order one. Gift certificates are perfect for new moms, brides-to-be, seniors…actually, who couldn’t use the gift of time?

10. I love this business! Can I start one in my area? Are you hiring?

Hey, that’s two questions!

Yes, franchise opportunities are now available. Please email us for more information.
We’re a growing company and are accepting applications. Please email us your resume and cover note and we will respond only to those we wish to interview. No phone calls please!