BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Red Butler revolutionized the online concierge industry in 2005.  This week, they re-invented it. Bolstered by a new user interface, dynamic credits system and rolodex of exclusive relationships with such established brands as Starwood Hotels & Resorts, sbe Entertainment Group and House of Blues, Red Butler (http://redbutler.com) has re-established its leadership position in the virtual assistant and concierge marketplace.  Red Butler's latest incarnation boasts not only a boldly redesigned user dashboard and interface, but a worldwide network of partners offering top-drawer perks, privileges and access. 

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121023/CG56179)

"Our clients are men and women who travel, explore, excel and work at the top of their fields," observes Red Butler Founder and CEO Daniel Abas. "They're accustomed to premium service.  They have high expectations.  That we routinely surpass those expectations is a point of tremendous pride for our team."

A decade ago, Red Butler broke new ground in the personal services field, offering subscribers access to a unique interface that could book plane tickets, recommend restaurants, compare entertainment and nightlife options, and handle virtually any kind of service request. Frequently leveraging the abundance of available online information—a novelty at the time—to provide discounts for many of the most requested travel and entertainment services, the company won a dedicated customer base of upscale professionals who came to rely on their "virtual assistant" as much as they counted on their in-office personnel.

As competitors jumped onto the bandwagon, Red Butler (http://redbutler.com) raised its game by adding personal assistant services such as calendar scheduling and outbound calling, and at its highest subscription levels, inviting "genius requests," tasks that required extensive and specialized research, effectively becoming a consultant-on-demand.  "Imitation can never keep up with innovation," states Abas.  The company went mobile ahead of the curve, launching its iOS app Red Butler 1.0 in October 2009. The app (http://itunes.com/apps/redbutler) enables members to aggregate thousands of geo-specific local Privileges, consult numerous online city guides, check in using social media and, of course, submit their service requests.  The app was the first of its kind to serve as a digital ID Card, allowing members to flash their Red Butler Privilege Cards without reaching for their wallets.

Since then, the company has added hundreds of new partners, with over 1,600 Privileges from elite establishments around the world, such as Michelin star restaurants, exotic boutique hotels, and exclusive nightspots such as the SBE Nightlife group, which includes such Hollywood glitterati mainstays as Hyde Staples Center, The Sayers Club, Eden and Greystone Manor.  The Privileges program (http://redbutler.net) has proved so popular with fast-track corporate professionals (as well as the high-end establishments seeking their business) that the Red Butler logo will soon be found on several other exclusive membership cards, allowing those subscribers to access the exclusive network of VIP Privileges.

Today, the company unveiled its new online presence and streamlined credit system, opening the exclusive world of Red Butler to an even broader market of upscale subscribers.  Members will now purchase credits, on a baseline exchange rate of $20 for five credits.  Each action, request, search or call undertaken by the Red Butler team on a client's behalf consumes one credit.

"Just because the service is exclusive doesn't mean it has to be complicated," Abas observes. "We don't need a byzantine membership structure to provide value.  The new credit system keeps things simple, quick and easy.  Our customers' time is valuable.  We save that time for them so that they can work more, travel more, experience more and live a happier and more rewarding life." 

The new Red Butler dashboard tracks credit usage and status of both open and completed requests, as well as credit usage in a variety of different categories, including travel, dining, purchases, ticketing and research.  Members will particularly appreciate the system's "Privileges Near You" functionality, which suggests nearby perks based on current geographic location.   The convenient geo-specific tracking also remains available on the company's mobile app.

Despite the increased sophistication of its online interface, Red Butler remains a people-driven company at heart.  "Any organization is only as good as its staff," notes Abas.  "The reason Red Butler is the premier online concierge and virtual assistant service is our people.  Our members' requests aren't fielded by some phone-tree algorithm, or by a call center in Mumbai.  You're dealing with a seasoned, American staff, who have been hired because of their tremendous service skills and their extensive familiarity with the professional and lifestyle needs of our clients.  Even Apple's SIRI, which has popularized digital assistants, is still just a robot connecting the dots.  It's not comparable to dealing with an individual, who can utilize his or her unique insight and creative solutions to come up with options that might never have occurred to you."

Abas is counting on that dynamic synthesis—of old-school person-to-person customer service harnessed to streamlined design and cutting-edge technology—to continue to separate Red Butler from the increasingly crowded pack of knockoffs.  "I know how they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," laughs Abas.  'Let's just say that at this point, I'm very, very flattered."

About Red Butler:

Red Butler (http://redbutler.com) was established in Beverly Hills, CA in 2005. In this time, Red Butler has expanded internationally, and now provides concierge services to affluent members and Fortune 500 companies around the world. Red Butler revolutionized the concierge industry by offering concierge services through a subscription based model. With the addition of Red Butler's mobile application and Privileges network, it is the industry leader in Mobile Concierge Services and VIP Privileges.

About Daniel Abas:

An innovator and serial entrepreneur, Daniel Abas, MBA is the CEO & Founder of the digital concierge service Red Butler (http://redbutler.com) and the social media management agency Ghost Post (http://ghostpost.com).  In 2013, Abas will launch Boost (http://boo.st), a points based social media loyalty program.  In his ventures, Abas synthesizes a broad range of interests and expertise -- including media, communications, art, technology, travel and hospitality -- to create products and services designed to meet the needs of professionals and leaders navigating an increasingly interconnected global culture.

Media Contact:Amy Green, Red Butler, 888-288-5372, info@redbutler.com  

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE Red Butler