🤵‍♂️ Concierge Tests

✏️ Definition

A concierge test is a technique to validate new product or service concepts by manually delivering the service that would ultimately be automated. In this test, a person performs tasks behind the scenes, simulating how the final product will function. This approach allows businesses to test assumptions, gather user feedback, and understand user needs and preferences without the significant costs and time investment required for full-scale development.

+ Benefits

Direct user feedback

Providing services manually in a concierge test allows businesses to engage closely with users, yielding deep insights into their needs, preferences, and pain points. This direct interaction facilitates real-time feedback, which is invaluable for tailoring the product to better align with user expectations and enhance overall satisfaction.

Cost-effective validation

Concierge testing is highly cost-effective, as it allows companies to manually provide services and validate their concepts with minimal resource expenditure. This approach ensures there is genuine demand before committing significant investments to development. By testing and refining concepts early, businesses can avoid costly mistakes and ensure that their resources are directed toward viable, demanded features.

Flexibility and iterations

Concierge testing offers unmatched flexibility, enabling businesses to adapt and refine their service offerings in real-time based on user feedback. This iterative approach ensures that products evolve directly in response to user needs, allowing for continuous improvement before full-scale development. By engaging directly with users and incorporating their insights quickly, companies can iterate on their offerings effectively, ensuring that the final product is well-tuned to market demands.

📒 Playbook

⏮️ Prepare

Define your objective: Clearly specify the objectives of the concierge test. Identify the specific elements you wish to validate, such as user needs, market demand, or the viability of your service concept.

Develop the service concept and use cases: Craft a comprehensive plan for the service you’ll manually provide. Detail the steps, resources required, and simulation of the product experience. Develop realistic scenarios and tasks for users, ensuring these align with your test objectives.

Set up testing environment: Collect all necessary materials and resources to deliver the service, including scripts, questionnaires, tools, and equipment. Establish a controlled environment suitable for conducting the test, whether it’s in-person or remote. Prepare all tools needed for effective communication and data collection.

▶️ Run

Introduce the test: Begin by briefing participants on the purpose of the test, clarifying that the service will be manually provided to simulate the final product. Ensure participants understand they are part of an effort to enhance the service.

Deliver the service: Manually execute the service as outlined in your plan. Strive to make the experience as seamless and realistic as possible, closely simulating the intended final product.

Record interactions and collect feedback: Closely monitor how users interact with the service, taking detailed notes on their behavior, reactions, and any challenges they face. If possible, record the sessions with user consent for comprehensive analysis. After completing the tasks, collect feedback through interviews, surveys, or informal discussions, focusing on their overall experience, any points of confusion, and suggestions for improvement.

⏭️ After

Document key insights and learnings: Compile and highlight the most critical insights from the test, noting both the successful aspects of the service and areas requiring adjustments. Prepare a comprehensive report detailing these findings and present them to stakeholders. Use visual aids and examples from the test to clearly illustrate key points and support your analysis.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Inadequate preparation of test scenarios

Poorly prepared scenarios and tasks can hinder meaningful engagement, yielding unreliable feedback. Ambiguous or ill-defined tasks may confuse participants, leading to skewed results. To prevent these issues, invest sufficient time in developing clear, detailed, and realistic scenarios that are closely aligned with your test objectives. Ensure these tasks accurately reflect the user behaviors and challenges that the final product is designed to address, ensuring relevance and applicability of the feedback gathered.

Overly influencing participants

Biasing participants with excessive guidance or leading questions can distort their behavior and feedback, yielding data that fails to represent their genuine experiences. To mitigate this, encourage participants to engage with the service independently. Employ open-ended questions and observe their natural behaviors. Offer assistance only when necessary to prevent frustration and ensure a more authentic interaction.

Failing to act on collected feedback

Neglecting the insights gathered from a concierge test undermines its entire purpose. By ignoring valuable information about user needs and pain points, you risk not improving the product effectively. To avoid this, meticulously analyze all collected feedback and data. Identify critical insights and prioritize issues according to their impact on the user experience. Utilize this information to refine and evolve your product concept. Ensure that findings are communicated to stakeholders and meticulously documented for future reference.

👉 Example

⏮️ Prepare

Objective

Primary Aim: Evaluate whether provided neighborhood tips lead to higher user satisfaction. Specific Focus: Gauge if guests are more likely to explore suggested areas and report a better overall stay.

Develop the service concept & use cases

Concept: “Neighborhood Buddy” – a designated local expert who curates recommendations based on a structured list of cafes, parks, and events. Scenario: User books a stay via HostSpot. They are told up front a real human “buddy” is available to answer neighborhood-related questions and provide curated suggestions.

Set Up Testing Environment

Resources: A curated list (e.g., 50–100 local points of interest). A communication channel (chat, email, or phone) where the “buddy” can respond. Team: One or two local experts or staff members who know the area or have access to a well-researched list.

▶️ Conduct

Introduce the Test

Participant Briefing: “Welcome to HostSpot! For a limited time, you have access to our Neighborhood Buddy, a real person who can tailor recommendations to your preferences.”

Deliver the Service

Manual Execution: Guests share their interests (e.g., coffee shops, museums, family-friendly spots). The Concierge Buddy consults the pre-built list and provides personalized suggestions. Transparency: The user knows they’re chatting with a real human.

Record Interactions & Collect Feedback

Observation: Note which recommendations users actually visit. Track any user questions or confusion during the process. Feedback: Survey or brief interview at the end of their stay : “Did our Neighborhood Buddy improve your experience?”, “Which recommendations did you use?”

⏭️ After

Document Key Insights & Learnings

80% of participants engaged with the Neighborhood Buddy at least once during their stay. 65% visited one or more recommended spots; the most requested categories were local cafés and unique cultural attractions. Feedback surveys indicated 90% of users found the one-on-one interaction “helpful” or “very helpful,” citing personalized advice as the main draw.

Response Delays: During peak hours, the Neighborhood Buddy struggled to handle multiple requests. Some users reported 10+ minute wait times. Consistency: Different Buddy staff members had varying knowledge levels, leading to inconsistencies in recommendations (e.g., missing a popular new restaurant that one staff member knew but another didn’t). Scalability: Manually curating recommendations is time-intensive. Staff found it difficult to keep track of recent openings or closures without a centralized, regularly updated list.

Report Findings

Summary: Out of 50 total participants, 40 used the Concierge service, and 26 followed at least one recommendation. 24 participants rated the service at 4 or 5 stars out of 5, citing “personalized guidance” as the standout benefit. Common suggestions for improvement included faster response times and broader coverage of nightlife options.

Next steps: Introduce a simple internal database or app for Neighborhood Buddy staff to quickly search and filter local recommendations. Provide a knowledge base to reduce inconsistencies and ensure all Buddies have up-to-date information on new venues and events. Explore adding more team members during peak times or implementing a chatbot that handles basic queries, with the Buddy service for more nuanced or personalized recommendations.

Disclaimer: This is a hypothetical example created to demonstrate how a Concierge Test can be applied to an Airbnb-like platform. All scenarios, participants, and data are fictional and meant for illustrative purposes only.