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Altus Group / ARGUS Software - Customer Service Training Team of the Year

 

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Company: Altus Group / ARGUS Software
Company Description: Altus Group (ARGUS Software) is a leading provider of software, data solutions and independent advisory services to the global commercial real estate industry. For decades, CRE professionals world-wide have trusted Altus Group to better manage risk, inform decision making, and drive investment performance.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Team Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Training Team of the Year - Technology Industries

Nomination Title: Altus Group / ARGUS Software Training Team: A Winning Story

Tell the story about what this nominated team achieved since the beginning of July 2017 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes: REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION

ARGUS Software products are the US industry standard in commercial real estate valuation software. In June, 2017 technical support ended for the industry standard software, ARGUS Valuation – DCF (DCF). Clients moved from DCF to the new software, ARGUS Enterprise (AE), and nearly all required training. Our training department set out to train clients from large, multinational firms to small mom-and-pop shops during this transition period. The goal was to give them expertise in AE, which is acritical driver of their business performance.July, 2017 is the beginning of our success story.

Our top priority is the success of our clients. We offer clients a variety of training offerings for a range of schedules and budgets:

  • Public & Private Bespoke Classroom Training
  • Instructor-led Online Training
  • Unlimited Virtual Public Training Subscription
  • Self-Paced eLearning
  • ARGUS Software Certification
  • University Program

2017-2018 Climate

While there were some early adopters of AE, many did not transition until DCF technical support ended. This created specific challenges and considerations for our training team that started in July, 2017:

  • Many clients had to be trained,requiringadditional staffing.
  • For clients who cannot attend onsite classes, we want toensure a superior level of learning and retention. This made usreassess our online training deliverymethod.
  • We want tomaintain consistencyin training when working with all clients, including those withschedule and/or budget limitations.
  • Clients had tomove sensitive DCF datainto AE andchange their entire internal processes. They needed meticulous guidance and support.

Each of these issues required a thoughtful and thorough strategy.

Actions

We are dedicated to the success of our clients.To lay the groundwork for that success, we are verydeliberate in the people we hire:

  • Our trainers all have a degree.Some haveadvanced degrees.
  • All go through a verythorough three month onboarding programand arecertified in the software.
  • They areenthusiastic, each travel up to 85%, and have anational knowledge of commercial real estate. Senior trainers understand intricacies of international real estate.
  • Other departments within ARGUS hire from the training department. This turnover requires us to have astrong onboarding program.

Knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated people help our clients flourish in their endeavors.
We took several actions to accommodate our clients’ growing needs:

  • Developed new classesthat would aid in the transition of the new software and help clients create their own internal processes to move data into the new software.
  • Implemented anew virtual platformto handle more people in virtual trainings and give them ahands-on experience in a lab.
  • Developed a strong onboarding programgrew our teamfrom 6 to 11 trainers and from 2 to 3 instructional designers.
  • Added backup trainersfrom our Technical Support Team.
  • For those with budgetary restrictions, weoffered free one hour training each weekfor anyone interested in attending.
  • University Program - Although not new in 2017, wepromoted and transitioned to AE in our university programso that job applicants would graduate knowing the new software.

Results

The results are exciting! When looking at July 2017-June 2018 against July 2016 – June 2017:

  • Strengthened relationships with clients.
  • Helped to successfully transition the market to AE.
  • Strongly contributed toAltus Group’s reputation and growth.

Today, thanks to our engaging and effective ARGUS Enterprise training programs we’ve helped everyone – whether they are preparing for a new job, upskilling and/or seeking expertise in implementing the software – to meet their goals and accurately track property financials in AE.