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Case Studies
Matching Service with Security
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With a network of more than 105 offices spanning the globe, Grubb & Ellis is one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate services firms in the world. In FY 2005, the company generated revenues of $464 million through the provision of services to clients including Fortune 500 companies, institutional and private investors, retailers, government and academic institutions and other users of office and industrial space.
Assuring its clients of the highest level of customer service has been a hallmark of Grubb & Ellis since the company was founded 50 years ago. Growth and customers’ needs for more sophisticated and reliable technology were the drivers behind Grubb & Ellis’ decision to relocate its Manhattan-based service center to a state-of-the-art Client Service Center in Wappinges Falls, NY. The 140,000 square foot building, which Grubb & Ellis shares with Cervalis, is equipped with uninterrupted power supply systems with multiple feeds from several substations; dual fiber feeds into the building; self-healing, high-speed fiber WAN; and a fully redundant LAN infrastructure. The new facility enables Grubb & Ellis to provide its clients with the benefits of a new and improved call management system; an expanded call center with redundant telecommunications service carriers; enhanced business continuity and disaster recovery operations; increased reliability and added security for client data.
The Optimal Design and Implementation
Grubb & Ellis’s choice of communications systems was central to the entire operation. “We receive as many as 500,000 calls annually from current and future clients,” said Rich Cataggio, Vice President, Client Service Center. “When you add that number to the routine phones, faxes and emails between our operation and branch offices, you get a sense of the importance that efficient communication plays in our business.”
Grubb & Ellis considered two options for its communication system: an expansion of its existing Nortel system and development of a new communications solution. “Consultedge’s presentation showed the technical and management expertise we were looking for. They understood our needs and gave us confidence that they could design a new system and deploy it within the significant challenges posed by our relocation and new construction,” said Cataggio.
Two primary challenges were time and business continuity. With the lease at its former center set to expire in just two months, Grubb & Ellis needed to complete its relocation within that time frame and without any interruption in service. Construction on the building and IT infrastructure continued until the last minute, introducing multiple vendors and individual projects into the mix. Consultedge’s standard assignment of an individual Project Manager was critical to the move. “There was a lot going on,” said Cattagio. “Consultedge succeeded in bringing the project to completion on time, despite the confusion underway.”
To ensure a successful project, Consultedge partnered with Grubb & Ellis to gain a thorough understanding of the company’s communications needs, infrastructure constraints and scheduling issues. Based on that understanding, Consultedge designed a communications solution that effectively addressed the
company’s technology, management and infrastructure needs. The Avaya S8400 Media Server replaces the Nortel system used by Grubb & Ellis at its New York office with expanded versatility, flexibility and reliability. Integrated into the platform are key Avaya technologies that include:
- Elite Call Center enables automatic call distribution and call routing, quickly matching the caller with the optimal agent for more consistent, personalized customer service. The Call Center supports agent specialization and consolidation with highly flexible routing capabilities that extend seamlessly across locations. This was important for supporting the Grubb & Ellis client base, because of the specialized applications required for individual customers. Something they lacked previously.
- Call Management System (CMS) arms managers with the tools to monitor, analyze and manage contact center operations. Access from any desktop or laptop PC supports mobility, while the ability to run other PC applications while actively monitoring operations optimizes manager time and infrastructure resources. This coupled with the new ability to produce historical reports for trending, gives Grubb & Ellis statistics to enable them to better staff their center to handle client needs.
- Objectworld Call Attendant Office unifies messaging from voice, fax and PC systems into a single point of access for improved efficiency and accountability. The capability to integrate voicemail & email plays an important role in the Grubb & Ellis center to provide optimal service to its cliental.
Serving the Customer
Grubb & Ellis’ required the same standard of excellence for its communications system that it demanded for its new facility. “We were determined to create a Client Service Center that provided our customers with every benefit that technology could offer,” said Cataggio. The real estate giant achieved its goal, from the military-grade security for its data center to the robust versatility of its communications system.
Consultedge was successful in translating Grubb & Ellis’ ideas for its communication system into reality by listening to the client, understanding the unique technology and deployment challenges of the project, and using its management expertise to assure seamless implementation of the system.
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