Case Study

Suffolk University Optimizes Space Usage with MRI Workplace Central

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Suffolk University is a prestigious academic institution in Boston, Massachusetts. The campus includes classrooms, residence halls, labs, offices, athletics facilities, and event spaces that together span half a mile through Boston. These facilities support nearly 5,200 undergraduate and over 2,000 graduate students across three schools, all laid out on 1.6 million square feet and 10 geographically dispersed buildings.

Business Challenge

Ashley Lindsey, the Director of Facilities at Suffolk, was tasked with managing the university’s sprawling properties but was struggling to do so with a homegrown system and spreadsheets. Without AI capabilities, the system could not automatically retrieve data points on seating trends across the different properties, and it wasn’t managed on a singular centralized system.

“It was basically a repository of outdated data that didn’t reflect how we were actually using the space. I couldn’t run reports, there was no user interface, and it didn’t allow me to add fields that would capture the data I needed.”

Ashley Lindsey, Director of Facilities
Suffolk University

Solution

Ashley and the team at Suffolk, with the support of ROI Consulting Group, implemented MRI Workplace Central because of the solution’s deep analytics capabilities for space utilization and the rapid implementation that allowed them to promptly start managing their space without delay. Workplace Central enabled Suffolk to leverage real-time data to strategically consider how to best use their space across their 10 properties.

“I was very impressed by the implementation speed. Workplace Central was a much-needed addition, so it was a bonus that we were able to start using it so quickly.”

Immediate Business Impact

Working side-by-side with ROI Consulting Group, Suffolk University got MRI Workplace Central up and running in just four weeks. The implemented solution enhanced Suffolk’s space optimization tactics so they can best decide how to improve their properties’ space usage. Ashley’s team was able to get the data and reporting they needed to measure space usage and determine the best course of action for their properties.

“Workplace Central goes beyond basic utilization by allowing us to categorize different types of space, which is extremely useful. With that capability, we have data points that weren’t available to us before.”

Granular Visualizations

Workplace Central gave Suffolk University deeper insight into their spaces through different visualizations. Space Utilization’s color-coding and categorization for floors and desks made it easier to identify vacant and underutilized space, which helped them make improvements to their spaces in real-time.

Real-Time Data Collection

Before Workplace Central, Ashley’s team used out-of-date data collected from disparate spreadsheets. Workplace Central’s data capturing functionality made it easier for her team to capture data from different sources such as booking check-ins and badge swipes to better understand how their space is being used.

Optimization through Reconfiguration

Workplace Central has made it easier for Ashley’s team to plan, manage, and execute changes on space allocation based on variables that impact space usage, such as seasonal changes. As their departments’ programming changes, they’re able to understand how space usage in certain areas has shifted, allowing them to analyze and optimize how that space is used.

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