Taylor & Mathis is one of the largest and most respected diversified real estate companies in the Southeast. The Taylor & Mathis Portfolio consists of more that 12.2 million square feet of institutionally owned commercial properties with an overall value of over $1.6 billion. Taylor & Mathis earned an enviable reputation with institutional owners who rely on Taylor & Mathis’ deep experience and strong real estate management methodologies.

Annette Arnold, CPA, serves as the Controller for Taylor & Mathis and as a real estate professional for over 20 years, knows the challenges facing companies in today’s marketplace. “We are in a deadline business with increasing pressures to do more with fewer resources. It is important that we provide reports in specific formats and ensure their accuracy every month. If we don’t deliver, we face the risk of losing business. It’s that simple. You have to keep your clients happy, and you have to make smart decisions in managing your properties.

“We have found IRES to be a company that gets it right! I have used several other commercially available products in my career but IRES is a step above. This has been advantageous to us in growing our business. I have found we can add properties without adding personnel. This is good for all of our stakeholders and puts on in a competitive advantage when we talk to new clients.

Personal service, a competitive differentiator…

“When we were in the market to upgrade our software and reporting systems it was immediately evident that our ability to provide quality service to our tenants and owners was contingent on the ability of our software provider to be able to support us with a high level of quality and responsiveness. In working with IRES, you can tell that client service is the overriding business culture and it is ingrained in their operating mechanism. This is a characteristic not found as strongly with other vendors I have worked with.

“For example, I get a kick out of the fact that when I call IRES, the company operator knows my voice and exactly how to help me. I get my issues handled quickly by people who know my business and how I use the applications,” Arnold asserts.

An integrated solution that saves you time and money…

Taylor & Mathis utilizes virtually all of IRES’ suite of fully integrated property management and accounting applications. “Because the software is so tightly integrated, it eliminated multiple entries and cross checking of reports. We also gained productivity by eliminating many of the Excel spreadsheets and “bolt on” databases we used to handle the more sophisticated reporting requirements.

“In addition, the flexibility of the software is unmatched. When we talk to potential clients, they are amazed at how easily we can adapt our reports to their specific requirements. Or, if they come to us later on and ask for something unique or a change to an existing report, we can turn it around on the fly. This ability is very empowering to our organization and facilitates our commitment to giving the clients what they want when they want it.

“It was also comforting that IRES allowed us to grant clients access to their information anytime, anywhere through the Internet, Best of all, the user security set up is simple and easy, enabling us to control all users with a great deal of precision. Therefore, users can conduct business without risking data integrity. As a CPA, this is important to me and our clients.”

Remain focused on your core business…

IRES offered Taylor & Mathis the option to purchase the software or utilize its application hosting offering, NetSource. “By allowing IRES to host our applications and data, we can focus on running our business instead of planning for upgrades and other IT issues. IT dollars are scarce and we chose to invest personnel dollars into our core business—property management. We are glad that IRES can perform the tasks we can’t.”

Well-tested back-up services and disaster recovery…

Another benefit that drove Taylor & Mathis’ decision to use NetSource was IRES’ comprehensive disaster recovery system. With the focus on Sarbanes-Oxley, the operational security and data reliability legislation, it is more important than ever for companies to have a well-tested back-up services and disaster recovery plan in place. IRES’ ability to get companies up and running less than 24 hours after a disaster, without losing data, was not a claim other companies could make.

Arnold explained, “As a third party property manager, it is crucial that we can guarantee our clients’ data security. Otherwise, why would they trust us with their real estate assets? NetSource ensures business can run as usual…no matter what.”

NetSource has real-time disaster recovery built into the system, with a fully redundant, operational hotsite that is ready to take over on short notice. This system was tested during the blackout of ’03 and Taylor Mathis was impressed with how quickly the system was restored.

“When we came in the next day, MRI was fully functional and our data was current. Frankly, we couldn’t say the same even for our own internal systems,” Arnold noted.

Making the transition easily…

“When we selected IRES’ Commercial suite of integrated solutions including, escalation recovery, accounts payable and general ledger/financial reporting, we were a little apprehensive at first.”

Taylor & Mathis’ nerves were calmed when they began working directly with a regionally-based project manager who crafted a very detailed implementation plan, personalized to incorporate every aspect of their conversion and training. Regarding the actual data conversion, “I was led through specific questions regarding our data and the amount of history we wanted to retain,” explained Arnold. “Other than that, very little effort was required on our end. It was great! There wasn’t a conversion we had that the consultant hadn’t already done.”

In addition, Taylor & Mathis’ initial fears about preserving their data integrity were also quickly dismissed. “We had very few problems when we brought the data over and any issues we encountered were fixed immediately. We were pleasantly surprised at how easy this process was and realized that it was IRES’ experience that made the difference.

“You could tell their consultants were well trained and came from the real estate industry. I didn’t have to explain our business to them and they were able to ask me the right questions and based on the answers, knew what had to be done. This is the reason we were able to do the conversion so cost effectively.

Flexible, comprehensive training solutions…

“When we discussed our end-user training needs with our project manager, we were amazed at the number of training options available,” said Arnold. MRI’s training options run the gamut:

*Classroom Training
*Customized On-Site Training
*Live, Web-based Training
*Self-Paced E-learning

“Even when we requested special training for our team, IRES responded swiftly with scheduling someone. The training was very personal and helped people fill the gaps in their knowledge,” Arnold asserts.

IRES’ partnerships with clients

A critical aspect of our selection process was the reputation and durability of the vendor. We were planning on making a significant long-term financial commitment and needed to develop a positive relationship with the vendor that would be providing us with this mission critical application. The partnership IRES develops with its clients is a refreshing and a reflection of the company’s commitment to providing a total solution,” said Arnold.

Another example of IRES’ commitment to client partnerships is the company’s support of a large National User Group Network. IRES strongly supports its Regional User Groups, which provide a vehicle for clients to network with other IRES users, share knowledge and experiences in terms of best practice solutions and obtain the most current information about IRES products, services and enhancements,” Arnold explains.

Likewise, Arnold finds the IRES International User Conference one of the most valuable events an IRES client can attend. “We really appreciate this opportunity to network with other users and IRES staff, while attending informative workshops on a multitude of IRES solutions.”

With the addition of focus groups and usablility labs to the conference and other venues, clients like Taylor & Mathis can be assured that their voices will be heard…and that IRES’ products will continue to be developed with their insights.

About Taylor & Mathis

Taylor & Mathis is a diversified real estate company specializing in the development, marketing and management of office buildings, suburban office parks, industrial parks and mixed-use projects. Since the company’s inception in 1967, they have grown to become one of the most respected privately held real estate firms in the Southeast. Today, they employ approximately 250 people at various offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Birmingham, Miami, Coral Gables, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Tampa and Orlando. For more information, please visit their website at www.taylormathis.com