• 如今的家政服务已不满足于简单地打扫，顾客期待家政上门的同时，也期待更好的生活方式和体验。纽约一家名为「Hello Alfred」的公司，尝试从家政切入管家服务。近日，该公司获4000万美元的B轮融资，本轮融资由房地产开发商Divco West和Invesco领投，老股东Spark Capital和NEA跟投。

    用户注册完成后，系统会主动匹配一个管家Alfred。用户表达需求后，Alfred每周会在指定的时间上门，提供房间打扫、浇花、去超市采购食品、送洗脏衣服、收寄包裹和打理宠物等服务。服务的核心是，管家Alfred帮用户打理家居生活，为他们腾出更多时间。目前该服务的价格是25美元/周或者99美元/月。

    随着管家对用户生活需求的逐步了解，管家可以提供的服务存在更多想象的空间，例如，户主最喜欢的法棍面包应该去哪里买，多久喝完一箱牛奶，桌子不喜欢太整齐，猫咪爱吃哪种罐头等等。

    Nowadays, home service is no longer just about simple cleaning. Customers expect home service, but also a better lifestyle and experience. A company called 'Hello Alfred' in New York is attempting to transition from housekeeping to butler services. Recently, the company received a Series B financing of $40 million, led by real estate developers Divco West and Invesco, with existing shareholders Spark Capital and NEA following suit.

    After the user registration is completed, the system will actively match a butler named Alfred. After users express their needs, Alfred will come to their doorstep at designated times every week to provide services such as room cleaning, watering flowers, grocery shopping, laundry, package collection and delivery, and pet care. The core of the service is that the butler Alfred helps users manage their home life, freeing up more time for them. The current price for this service is $25 per week or $99 per month.

    With the gradual understanding of users' living needs by butlers, there is more room for imagination in the services they can provide, such as where to buy the homeowner's favorite baguette, how long to finish a box of milk, tables that are not too neat, which canned food cats like to eat, and so on.

    「Hello Alfred」直接接触消费者，就意味着员工必须与客户之间建立信任。为此，公司所有管家均为全职。相比兼职管家，「Hello Alfred」要多付出30%的人力成本，但公司创始人Sapone认为这些额外的花费都是值得的，统一的管理和培训带来更可控的服务质量，也更容易建立和维持用户的信任。

    据了解，新一轮融资将用于扩大业务和团队规模，2018年「Hello Alfred」计划将其团队规模扩大一倍，并且将服务的家庭数量由1万户增加到10万户。目前，该公司业务覆盖包括纽约，新泽西，波士顿，旧金山等地的8个城市和地区，未来计划覆盖亚特兰大，奥斯汀，迈阿密等更多城市。

    另外，「Hello Alfred」会继续拓展B端的合作伙伴，寻找与其品牌理念一致的供应商、产品和房地产开发商。今年年初，「Hello Alfred」与瑞联集团合作，为其1.1万套豪华公寓的住户提供管家服务。该公司还计划进一步投资于其技术数据业务和名为“Alfred Home Essentials”的自有家居产品线。

    上门提供家政服务早已不是新鲜事，在这条赛道上，O2O家政平台诸如小马管家、e家洁、阿姨帮、轻喜到家、家事宝等都有各自的切入角度。

    The butlers Alfred on the official website

    'Hello Alfred' directly interacts with consumers, which means that employees must establish trust with customers. For this reason, all butlers in the company are full-time. Compared to part-time butlers, 'Hello Alfred' incurs 30% more labor costs, but company founder Sapone believes that these additional expenses are worth it. Unified management and training bring more controllable service quality, and it is easier to establish and maintain user trust.

    It is understood that the new round of financing will be used to expand business and team size. In 2018, "Hello Alfred" plans to double its team size and increase the number of households served from 10000 to 100000. At present, the company's business covers 8 cities and regions including New York, New Jersey, Boston, San Francisco, etc. In the future, it plans to cover more cities such as Atlanta, Austin, Miami, etc.

    In addition, 'Hello Alfred' will continue to expand its B-end partners, seeking suppliers, products, and real estate developers who align with its brand philosophy. At the beginning of this year, "Hello Alfred" collaborated with Ruilian Group to provide butler services for residents of its 11000 luxury apartments. The company also plans to further invest in its technology data business and its own home product line called 'Alfred Home Essentials'.

    Providing home service is no longer a novelty. In this field, O2O home service platforms such as Xiaoma Housekeeper, e-Jiajie, Auntie Help, Qingxi Home, and Family Treasure have their own perspectives.