‍Company Background

Founded in 1988, Symphony Workplaces is an early pioneer in the flexible workspace market. Symphony Workplaces provides high-end, fully furnished private office spaces for businesses, offering everything from desks to Internet  to coffee. With locations in Palm Beach, FL, and Morristown, NJ, Symphony serves a variety of clients, from short-term renters to businesses that have been with them for over 30 years. They focus on offering a seamless, all-inclusive office experience across 80,000 square feet of premium office space.  With full ownership of their centers, Symphony ensures direct, responsive service, maintaining a first-class experience for all clients.

The Challenge

Before adopting Guru, Symphony Workplaces struggled with disorganized information that was scattered across multiple systems like Dropbox and SharePoint. This created inefficiencies, especially for staff who needed to access specific procedures for setting up office equipment or managing client services. The IT team, managed by Carol Merriman, often received repetitive questions that could have been answered by having more accessible documentation.“Everything was living in lots of different places—not updated, not timely.  This person would create it, that person would leave, and somebody else would come in and create it again. It was scattered all over and in different formats. So it was just like; we need to clean out our closet,” Carol explained. This inefficiency slowed down operations and left staff without the right answers at their fingertips.

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The Solution

Carol carefully considered multiple options before choosing Guru, explaining, “I looked at a lot of different products because I needed something I liked since I’m going to manage it. But just as important, I needed solid support on the back end.” Guru’s responsive customer service won her over: “You guys are really great. If I reach out through chat, I can ask a quick question and get a fast response.” This level of support made Guru the ideal choice for Symphony’s evolving needs.

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Symphony implemented Guru to centralize all operational procedures, making them easily searchable and accessible. This included procedural information on setting up phones for clients, managing client interactions, and accessing critical process documents through SharePoint, Dropbox, and locally.  By consolidating knowledge into Guru, Symphony was able to eliminate duplicate information and ensure that the latest, most accurate data was always available to staff. “We use Guru a lot for procedures,” Carol shared. “We had processes scattered around in different places, but Guru allowed us to consolidate everything. Now, it’s the go-to place for anyone who needs information.”  

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Additionally, Guru helped Symphony organize large documents stored externally: “We also have information from SharePoint and Dropbox in Guru, so now staff can easily find and access what they need without hunting for it.”  

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The Approach

1. Consolidating Procedures: The IT team migrated scattered documents, like client phone setup instructions and office and client procedures, into Guru, creating a centralized knowledge base for the team.
2. Linking External Systems: SharePoint and Dropbox documents were linked to Guru cards, making it easy for staff to find relevant information such as client contracts and asset management forms.
3. Rolling Out to Staff: Staff were introduced to Guru as their central hub for all IT and operational knowledge. They were trained to use Guru’s search capabilities to quickly find the information they needed, reducing interruptions to the IT department.
4. AI-Powered Search: With Guru’s AI-powered search, staff can now easily pull up the latest procedures and external documents, streamlining their workflow. “Instead of scattered resources, everything is in one place, which has saved us a lot of time,” Carol said.

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The Outcome

Since adopting Guru, Symphony Workplaces has seen a dramatic improvement in operational efficiency. Staff now have access to real-time, up-to-date information, reducing confusion and reliance on the IT department for routine questions. Carol Merriman noted a significant reduction in outdated information and duplicate content:

“More people now have the correct, timely information—rather than outdated information. That’s the big thing,” Carol emphasized. “It saves me time because instead of calling me for answers, they can check Guru.”

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Guru has become Symphony’s trusted home base, helping them better serve clients and freeing up the IT team to focus on more complex tasks. As Carol jokingly shared, “My husband calls me the ‘answer grape’ because I was always answering questions. But now, thanks to Guru, people can find answers themselves.”