Check out new WeChat personal assistant Alfred
Photo: Alfred official WeChat account
Are you too busy to deliver a package to a client? Don't speak good enough Chinese to book a table at a local restaurant? Too lazy to leave the house to get a massage? Too incompetent to do a lot of things adults should be able to do? Well, it seems there's no need to worry: WeChat concierge/digital butler service Alfred has arrived in Shanghai and claims it can cater to your every need (within reason, we assume), offering 'help for any tasks you may have'.
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Currently in beta testing, Alfred's service options include booking, cleaning, health services, delivery, online shopping, translation and more. Basically, Alfred says it'll help you with pretty much every aspect of your life here in Shanghai. You can even hire 'runners' to carry out simple tasks and run errands for you. As if life here wasn't already convenient enough...
Operating between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Saturday, you can contact Alfred's staff through the official WeChat account (Alfred行政助理). They say that services such as flower delivery have a very quick turnaround and can be sorted on the same day, while others have may take a day to process depending on your request, often due to being referred to a third party – complex translations, hiring cars, etc.
When we put Alfred to the test, asking it to source us a potted plant for the Time Out office, they quickly got back to us with photos of what they thought we might like (based off our vague description). After agreeing on the one we wanted, they sent us a payment QR code that allowed us to pay through WeChat. The plant arrived two hours after the scheduled 1.30pm delivery time (at one point we thought they were trying to grow it) but we were impressed by their security protocol, as you are required to present an order code (texted to you in advance) to the delivery person before they hand over your item(s). Also, the plant is in good health, thanks for asking.
(Disclaimer: we haven't tried it out with bigger ticket items like flights or the more complicated sounding services like organising translators or arranging a doctor to come to you.)
Presumably named after Batman's butler, Alfred, the service's slogan is: 'Your Personal Butler Service – Not everyone can be Batman, but you can feel like Bruce Wayne...' We assume feeling like Bruce Wayne refers to having a butler called Alfred, not being a billionaire philanthropist playboy who witnessed his parents being murdered when he was a child. However, it's still in beta, so we'll see how things develop...
Billionaire philanthropy aside, Alfred's services are currently free for its entire beta phase (the service charge that is), with pricing to be published in May and to come into effect in June. So, try it for yourself and keep an eye on our website for news on pricing/developments.
Please note that Alfred's services will be on hold from April 5-8 for Qingming and will resume on Monday 9.