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Personal assistance providers see more rivals spring up over past year
By Dylan Loh | Posted: 10 May 2010 1802 hrs
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SINGAPORE : Personal assistance - or concierge - service providers are seeing more competition over the past year. Many are exploiting opportunities in this area, with more willing to spend on personalised help with economic recovery.
Some providers also report a 5 to 20 per cent increase in enquires during the first quarter of 2010, compared to the same period last year. Jessica Lim, a pre-school teacher and frequent traveller, has two dogs, Gizmo and Lilo.
The 25-year-old pays $30 every time a helper nannies her canines while she's away. "I just need to leave my house and I know someone's going to come and take care of my dogs. And there's no preparation... so it's very hassle-free," said Lam.
Pet-sitting is not the only service personal assistance providers can do for you. They can also help you post letters, do your laundry, water your plants, shop for groceries, and even cook your favourite meals, and so on. Young couples, professionals, expatriates and even medical tourists fuel the growing demand for personalised help.
"It caters to people who have a budget for such services. For instance, people who have that extra dollar or probably a few hundred dollars a month. If you get someone in, say, once a week, it's going to cost you about $200 a month," said Jean Ngiam, director of A-Team Amahs & Cleaners. Those promising premium attention to detail can charge up to $100 hourly. - CNA /ls
