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Where can you buy a real Christmas tree? Your daughter wants to join a dance class, but you are new to Hong Kong and  unfamiliar with names and places.

These are some of the requests that come from serviced apartment residents at  the Sino Group properties, and they are all taken care of, thanks to a customer service initiative adopted recently.

Unlike guests staying at luxury hotels who can rely on concierge services to solve their problems,  residents in regular apartments often have no more than 24-hour security staff and, in the case of some serviced apartments, a receptionist  to turn to.

But with the serviced apartments sector fast gaining popularity here, competition has stepped up, and one positive result of this has been a closer scrutiny of guests' needs.

In the case of serviced suites attached to hotels, the hotel's services are simply extended to the apartments to meet guests' requests. Some of the bigger stand-alone serviced apartment operators are enhancing their services  to go beyond merely changing a light bulb or making a restaurant reservation.

Two years ago the Sino Group  introduced a concierge service to residents at its regular apartment complexes.

Sino's Premium Living concept offers a 24-hour concierge-style service at some of the group's prestigious properties, including Mount Beacon and One SilverSea.

'Some 1,000 units receive this top-class service around the clock,' said Andy Yuen Ming-yan, general manager, Sino Estates Management.

'Teams have been established with more than 20 key members to provide a range of innovative services,' Mr Yuen said. 'The maintenance team is led by a professional engineer with 20 years of experience in Hong Kong's construction industry. He heads up an in-house team of specially trained professionals who provide home repairs, service recommendations, preventative maintenance, and are simply there for any emergencies that may arise.

'The lifestyle team and the Premium Living service centre team is led by an experienced marketer with over 15 years of hospitality experience in Hong Kong and overseas. Her lifestyle team members come from PR agencies, the entertainment industry and reputable charitable organisations. They arrange events and set up privileges that fit in with the social calendar. Also on the Premium Living service centre team are well-trained courtesy ambassadors.'

All Premium Living team members  are fluent in English, Putonghua and Cantonese.

'Premium Living is a breakthrough in property management services,' Mr Yuen said. 'We help look after affairs within residential units as traditional professional property management services continue to operate in common areas. Our main objective is to help residents at Sino's prestigious properties enjoy their homes with personalised services offered by our functional teams.'

Premium Living is a 24-hour service with courtesy ambassadors to answer all incoming calls.

'There are no automated messages and telephone key options for callers. Direct human conversation is adopted when residents call the Premium Living service hotline. All requests are dealt with immediately and governed by a performance pledge,' Mr Yuen said.

'Most of the requests are for maintenance work for residents who appreciate minimal disturbance. But more lifestyle and concierge requests are coming through. The requests can range from organising birthday parties for families, house-warming parties for business partners, to buying concert tickets, ordering flowers and newspapers, and registering for social events.'

A database with nearly 6,000 quality shops, upmarket restaurants, reputable service providers and reliable business partners has been compiled to meet requests.

'A computer system was developed to record all incoming Premium Living request details, including call movements, progress status and follow-up actions,' he said. 'The system also allows residents to check progress in any event at any time. Customer-request patterns and behaviour can be analysed for a better understanding of residents' needs and to develop and enhance services.'

While the service is 24-hours, few requests are made during late evenings and at night.

'However, problems do occur. For example, we responded to an electricity outage late one evening in the New Territories with the help of an onsite Premium Living technician who was able to restore power in half an hour.'

Another new initiative to give residents superior service comes care of a team of 'orientation specialists', at the Four Seasons Place, adjacent to the Four Seasons Hotel in Central. These specialists help people new to Hong Kong to settle in, and they also organise special events such as Lunar New Year outings, wine tastings and cookery classes.

Etsuko Konjiki is one of the team of six to eight orientation specialists. 'We have found that long-staying guests need help, especially those from very different cultures, such as westerners, but we also help other Asians,' she said.

Ms Konjiki is Japanese and she speaks fluent English and Cantonese. 'The team speaks a range of languages, including Cantonese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, Mandarin and Spanish and, of course, English.'

The specialists are called on to deal with a variety of issues.

'A guest on a wheat-free diet wanted to know where to shop, and we've had guests calling to say they are lost in Kowloon. And then there are the everyday things, which seem normal to us but are difficult when you are a stranger in the city, especially for non-English speakers, such as how to use an Octopus card or open a bank account.

'The programme also holds group activities, such as the Lunar New Year Bazaar earlier this year, where participants were able to see first-hand such  traditions as calligraphy and the making of traditional foods.'

Ms Konjiki said a key quality in a good orientation specialist was flexibility.

'We try to put ourselves in our guests' shoes and see things from their point of view. One of our regular guests was in Paris on a trip. He had our number on speed dial and wanted to make a restaurant reservation and automatically called us, forgetting for a moment where he was. But we were able to help through our contacts with hotel concierges in Paris.'

With competition fierce in the luxury apartment sector, it is the little things that make the difference in ensuring residents feel happy and secure in their homes.



No job too big or too small for service team