The client:
Neuberger Berman has more than 75 years in investment management for global institutions and financial advisors. The firm has team members worldwide with an investment culture based on independent thinking and keen research and development.
“It was the bus that sold me. I can put folks in, drag and drop them to proposed locations, and easily produce reports for executives in the C suite.” Jessica Fay, NB
The challenge:
When discussions began regarding office renovations and/or team relocations for its 500,000 sq ft New York City headquarters, they highlighted the clear need for a strategic software tool to aid in planning this process. They needed to find an optimal occupancy solution that minimised disruption and looked to Accordant to keep the professionals of NB doing what they do best…making money for their business partners.
Jessica Fay, the AVP of Corporate Real Estate, was challenged by the existing CAFM system. It was an out dated semi-manual process that felt clunky to work with and was complicated to use. Just creating reports was difficult and painful for Fay, who at the start of the project was the only user. She began looking for a cost effective, fast to implement, easy to use system that could grow with the firm.
The story:
Accordant was an obvious choice, as she had seen a presentation previously and remembered how enthusiastic she was with ease of use. The functionality of the system and the test scenarios it could produce for a variety of moves were also key desirable features. Via demonstration and actual trial usage, Fay realised the simplicity of doing required activities such as rent reporting and charge backs, capturing existing space, modifying floor plans, and planning moves.
Simply put, Accordant far exceeded the capabilities of what was currently being used. The system was reasonably priced, simple to install, user friendly, and had the capability of allowing staff to serve as floor monitors and keep things up to date. Nobody needed AutoCAD except Jessica, and now the manual work was decreased through these assigned users.
The outcome:
Accordant was installed quickly and easily on NB’s own hardware and staff attended training sessions at CADM’s regular NYC classes. By early 2016, NB was in great shape for a proposed move across Manhattan in 2017; extensive scenarios had been created, tested and approved aiding in the selection of the right accommodation for over 1,200 NY-based staff.
Fay remains encouraged that she can handle any pending move. “It was the bus that sold me. I can put folks in, drag and drop them to proposed locations, and easily produce reports for executives in the C suite.”
