MS Society

Case Study: MS Society of Canada Transitions to Resource Central

“Our staff was anxious about switching to a new booking system, but they have been very pleased with Resource Central. Many of them have commented on how easy it is to use. Because the system integrates with Microsoft Outlook®, there really wasn’t much to learn. It wasn’t taxing to implement.”

Valerie Weddell, Project Manager/Business Analyst at the MS Society

Customer Profile

Industry: Non-Profit

Country: Canada

Organization: Founded in 1948, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (MS Society) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The MS Society provides services to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their families, while also funding research for the cause and cure of MS. The organization is governed by a National Board of Directors and has 28,000 members.

Challenge

The MS Society faced challenges in managing its meeting room booking process at its head office in Toronto. The organization needed a more robust solution for room scheduling and also wanted to reduce real estate costs by implementing a hoteling system to manage shared workspace.

Solution

After evaluating various solutions, the MS Society implemented Add-On Products’ Resource Central software. The integration with Microsoft Outlook® and Exchange Server made the system familiar to staff, which led to a fast adoption rate.

Resource Central has enabled the MS Society to transition to a shared workspace environment, reduce office space by 25%, and save an estimated $1.5 million in real estate costs over the life of its lease.

Overview

The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada Reduces Office Space by 25% and Saves an Estimated $1.5 Million on Real Estate Costs with Resource Central

Meeting Room Booking Woes

Before Resource Central, the MS Society used basic Microsoft Outlook® calendars to book meetings. Users found it difficult to get a quick overview of available resources, and there were issues with determining the size or location of meeting rooms.

“Booking an appropriate meeting room was a struggle because you couldn’t obtain a quick overview of all resources and their availability. You also couldn’t determine the size or location of meeting rooms.”

MS Society User

Resource Central: A Cost-Effective, User-Friendly Option

The MS Society evaluated multiple meeting room booking systems that integrated with Microsoft Outlook® and Exchange. Resource Central stood out as a cost-effective, user-friendly solution, providing the following benefits:

• Saves time and frees up staff for other important tasks.
• Integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook® and Exchange.
• Gives users an overview of all available meeting rooms and shared workspaces.
• Easy to administer and use.
• Displays important details about meeting rooms, including images and location.
• Handles all changes and cancellations automatically.

“Moving to a hoteling arrangement has allowed us to reduce our office space in Toronto by over 25%. We are saving an estimated $1.5 million on real estate costs over the life of our lease. Resource Central has been critical to making this transition successful.”

David Arbuthnot, VP of Information Technology, MS Society

Advantages of Resource Central

Resource Central serves as a one-stop solution for meeting room and shared workspace booking. Key features include:

• Quick overview of available attendees and resources.
• Ability to order additional services such as catering and AV equipment.
• Schedule meetings and order services in less than 2 minutes.
• Automatic order receipts sent to internal and external service providers.
• Shared workstation booking.
• Reports on resource utilization to monitor and improve meeting room usage.
• Prevents double bookings of resources.

Easy Expansion to New Locations

Expanding Resource Central to the MS Society’s Burnaby office was simple. All the organization had to do was create a folder for the new office and add its resources. As the MS Society continues to grow, this folder feature will help streamline resource management at new locations.

“Resource Central will keep things quite organized as we expand it. For any given location, we can create a folder for meeting rooms and a folder for workstations.”

David Arbuthnot, VP of Information Technology, MS Society

Reducing Real Estate Costs

The MS Society’s transition from fixed desks to a shared workspace environment at their head office in Toronto was made seamless with Resource Central. The adoption rate was fast, and little training was required due to the system’s integration with Microsoft Outlook® and Exchange. As a result, the MS Society has reduced office space by 25% and is saving an estimated $1.5 million in real estate costs over the lease’s life.

“As a non-profit organization, we have to watch our dollars very closely. Moving to a hoteling arrangement has allowed us to reduce our office space in Toronto by over 25%. We are saving an estimated $1.5 million on real estate costs over the life of our lease. Resource Central has been critical to making this transition successful.”

David Arbuthnot, VP of Information Technology, MS Society

About Resource Central

Resource Central is a premier booking solution from Add-On Products that allows users to book resources, equipment, catering, and other services. It integrates with Microsoft Outlook® and Exchange Server, simplifying the scheduling process.