In 2018, time is an elusive luxury. The list of things to complete feels never-ending, and on top of the daily tasks of adulthood, dry cleaner drop-offs, travel plans to schedule, and events to attend, the reality is there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for everything.
Imagine if the weight and stress of these tasks were lifted from your shoulders. Meet, Hello Alfred. The brainchild of co-founders Marcela Sapone and Jessica Beck, Hello Alfred was designed as a service system to help ambitious people get the support they need and regain that ultimate luxury: time. Hello, Alfred combines app-based software and trained hospitality employees. The mobile app and concierge technology provide a full library of services, such as making deliveries, putting groceries away, taking care of the laundry, and a signature Alfred Tidy-Up. More than that, Hello Alfred boasts frictionless coordination of home cleanings, pet care, party planning, and staffing, as well as travel prep.
In a world where Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home are becoming ubiquitous, and our smartphones can keep track of our lives, it’s that personal touch and the human factor that makes Hello Alfred exceptional, and luxury property developers have begun to recognize that. It’s that personal touch that separates Hello Alfred from the other apps trying to make life more convenient. The software handles the logistics, but it’s the Alfreds themselves that are the company’s greatest asset. Alfreds must pass a six-tiered screening process as well as two weeks of a boot camp and background check, and then shadow established employees before they’re assigned their own roster of 30 clients. Once a week the Alfred will slip into the home to put things in order and address any notes that the subscribers enter into the company’s app. Visits can vary in duration, with sessions of extensive stocking and tidying complemented by a “drive-by,” when an Alfred pops in to drop off packages and take out the trash, taking care of all the little things so that you have more time in your daily schedule.
In April, Hello Alfred started developing their own line of products to further cater to their clients’ needs, above and beyond the thoughtful touches such as fresh flowers that brighten the home after a business trip, or a pot of homemade chicken soup when the kids are sick.
Clients can also feel good about using Hello Alfred, as the Alfreds aren’t contractors, but employees with benefits, well-compensated and valued by the company’s founders as its backbone and deeply invested in. CEO Marcela Sapone is determined to set industry standards in the hospitality field and maintains that this focus on employees is a smart business practice. She seems to be onto something because Hello Alfred is currently used by 40,000 households in eight cities across the nation. Real estate giant, The Related Cos, announced in November 2017 that Hello Alfred would be providing customized concierge services across the entire Related portfolio; more than 20 buildings in Manhattan, as well as properties in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, and Washington D.C.