What do you think about when you hear the word "concierge?" A person at a hotel that gets you tickets to sold out shows? Someone that recommends great restaurants? A person that has the ability to get something done for you, when you do not have the time to do it yourself?

When I think of a concierge, I think of a personal assistant that helps with tasks. In a sense, they become a means of automation - a request is made, and then the concierge fulfills it with little input by the requestor. This makes the requestor more productive as they can concentrate on their job, family, or vacation without the need to tend to other tasks.

An establishment's concierge has a direct impact on the perception of quality, and customer satisfaction. A hotel concierge that was able to "achieve the impossible" can make or break your vacation or business trip. As the provider of services, the concierge adds value to the hotel, impacts repeat business, helps generate additional income, and ultimately profitability.

Also, a concierge can act as a single point of contact for a variety of tasks. Need to know where the ballroom is? Ask the concierge. Don't know where to book a tours of local attractions? Ask the concierge. Need a shirt taken to the cleaners?

You get the idea.

I noticed something about this notion of a concierge several months ago.

IT departments often have two roles. One is maintaining systems and infrastructure needed by the business. The second is the end-user or customer facing activities to fulfill requests for new services. To help with the latter, many companies are deploying a Service Catalog - in fact, I now see an all-time high in the number of active implementations. For those companies that already have a Service Catalog, they are expanding its use. And those organizations that are just getting started are busy defining their portfolio of offerings, and the associated processes for fulfillment.

In my work, I speak with many customers that are beginning their Service Catalog journey. This got me thinking about the nature of service requests. In many ways, it is no different from the concierge services provided by hotels and apartment buildings.

Which leads me to a new term I want to introduce, and that is the concept of the "Enterprise Concierge." What is that? It is really a new way to perceive the customer-facing portion of the Service Catalog.

An enterprise concierge enables end-users - your customers - to get what they need to do their jobs. It acts as a single point of contact for all sorts of tasks. Need to order software? Make a request through the enterprise concierge. Need to reset a password? An automated task is available through the enterprise concierge. Need a shirt taken to the cleaners? Well, why not? Who says a Service Catalog - or an enterprise concierge - should only be limited to in-house IT services?

An enterprise concierge is the method to interact with end-users on their terms.

A Service Catalog with automated fulfillment provides power to the people and enables both the user and IT staff to be more productive as they can concentrate on more value oriented activities. In addition, offering a single point of contact enables users to get services when they want it, regardless of origin. Organizations have many providers of services, including IT, facilities, HR, and travel. Also, they may have a mix of services from external vendors that are requested by employees.

Providing this myriad of services in one location, with automated approval and fulfillment tasks, and appropriate trackability will help cut costs, and thus can ultimately affect profitability.

So next time you are planning a new Service Catalog initiative, or thinking of ways to add value to the organization, think about the concept of an enterprise concierge. IT can go a long way to increase satisfaction and help transform IT organizations to a proactive partner to the business.

Are you going to CA World in Las Vegas on November 13-16? Be sure to visit Booth 441 where you can see this concept of an enterprise concierge in action.

Concierge image used under Creative Commons License courtesy of Dave Dugdale.