We realized that people needed a resource that they could trust to do all kinds of stuff for them. Kraus and Sherbrooke's research showed them that workers in the United States considered a work-life balance to be a major priority, and that concept became their market opportunity. Circles isn't alone in trying to give relief to the growing population of the overburdened. Dozens of Web-based companies offer similar services within specific niches. What sets Circles apart from its competitors is the breadth of its services.
Most companies provide the service to their employees at no cost.
They offered to let me test it for myself. Plainly, I was likely going to get VIP treatment, but I still figured that I'd learn something. On the morning that I got my password, I signed onto the Circles Web site and entered nine separate requests in less than 90 minutes, which raised a few eyebrows at the Circles call center in Boston. But, within an hour, I'd received emails from three personal assistants, letting me know that each of them was hard at work on one or more of my requests. In each case, I was told that I could expect a response within 48 hours.