Since last September, the tenants of the first two buildings of the Mostra brand, in Longueuil and Candiac, have been testing a new type of concierge service. Four days a week, they benefit part-time from the presence of a live-in concierge. A web portal and digital tools are also available to them.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
Lucie Lefebvre did not hesitate to try the experiment last fall, when the Conciergerie To Do Today service, created in France 20 years ago, was offered in her complex. “It’s a service entirely dedicated to tenants, which allows you to get to know our neighbors and participate in different activities, without necessarily having to travel by car,” she explains. From week to week, we see new stuff being added. »
She particularly appreciates the weekly delivery of “ugly” local vegetables and she regularly played board games (when allowed) with other tenants. She plans to participate in epicurean activities, when they are organized. She is on the lookout for new proposals in the application reserved for tenants of the Mostra Longueuil, adopted until recently by 35% of them. According to her, the physical presence of the concierge Nicolas is an undeniable asset.
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Concierge Nicolas Pauchard is the link between the tenants of the Mostra building in Longueuil and a new virtual concierge service dedicated to improving residents’ quality of life.
“Seeing a person behind the application, who offers you these services, is an added value, she believes. Otherwise, it’s too impersonal. »
It is precisely the fact of having someone partially on site, who favors local businesses, which pleased Frédéric Soucy, president of the Cogir management company.
“We liked this aspect, which allows us to help the community and to be part of it,” he explains. Requests are not forwarded to centers that can send people from Laval or Montreal to wash cars or change tires, for example. For us, the local aspect is very important. Associations have been made with local market gardeners.
“The entire animation component also interests us, because it is already offered in the seniors’ residences that we manage. We want to bring this to certain rental buildings, but the number of employees there is more limited. We were already organizing a few activities, but doing it on a larger scale creates a better sense of community. »
He and his team will scrutinize until March the use of the various services of the Conciergerie To Do Today in the two buildings of Cogir Immobilier. “If people like it, we want to start extending it to around ten rental buildings, including those of the Mostra brand,” reveals Mr. Soucy. We already have two and there will be two more next year, in LaSalle and Mascouche. »
We are currently testing a concierge present four half-days a week. Elsewhere, the concierge may be present one day a week or full time, depending on demand.
Frédéric Soucy, President of the Cogir Management Company
“Ultimately, it’s the improvement in customer service and the possibility of making life easier for the people who live in our buildings that have hooked us,” he adds.
Direct link
French by origin, Nicolas Pauchard knew the French company To Do Today when he applied for the job of concierge. He established a warm contact with several of the subscribers.
“It broke down barriers,” he believes. Some will prefer to go directly through me. But there are other people, who are at work and who do not necessarily have the possibility of being there during working hours, for whom the portal is very practical. The two parts are complementary. »
A pre-established range of services is offered, but requests can also be original. He thus pleased a tenant by finding a seamstress willing to design winter clothes for the canine gent. “His dog has a very particular size,” he says. I put them in touch and followed up on the order. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NICOLAS PAUCHARD
Nicolas Pauchard pleased a tenant of Mostra Candiac by finding a seamstress willing to design winter clothes for canines. Yucca wears a creation by Seamstress Tatia.
Founded in 2001 to promote exchanges and cohesion in the workplace, the company To Do Today was incorporated in 2019 in Quebec under the name Conciergerie To Do Today. It first made an incursion into three Ivanhoé Cambridge office buildings in Montreal: Place Ville Marie, Le 1500 and the Jacques-Parizeau Building. The way of working is similar in the residential environment.
“We have invested several million euros in what I will call the digital platform, explains Christelle Rousseau, head of activities in North America. Each building has its own portal, with specific services and activities. »
The program that we have implemented in each of the two Mostra buildings is adapted to the profile of the tenants. Of course, we have exclusive offers and we negotiate preferential rates, whether to make everyday life easier, promote well-being, or create a real community spirit and help occupants to forge ties.
Christelle Rousseau, head of North American activities for To Do Today
Tenants in the 21st centuryand century
The app UseWalter, developed in Montreal and used in more than 250 small and large buildings in Quebec and Ontario, is set to grow exponentially. Having become a popular communication tool between occupants and building managers, it was purchased last October by Hopem, a Quebec company specializing in the design of software, a wide range of which aims to facilitate property management in the residential rental sector. .
“Since the start of the pandemic, people have understood the value of not having to travel to have access to all the information about their building, notes Dave Marcheterre, executive vice-president of the company. They appreciate not having to line up in front of the gym to reserve their place. The platform has also made even more sense by helping managers to comply with certain sanitary measures and by allowing them to keep customers up to date with regard to new regulations. »
The acquisition of UseWalter by Hopem opens new horizons, says Mr. Marcheterre.
“Approximately 400,000 doors in Quebec are managed using our software,” he reveals. Before, our influence stopped at the level of the property manager. We are now able to extend our influence to tenants. A small percentage of them currently have access to this type of service, which breaks their anonymity and allows a property manager, often withdrawn, to be at the heart of the life of the building. Our goal is to democratize this type of application by making it extremely accessible to everyone. »