Case Study: National Imaging Associates

June/July 2005

Based in Hackensack, NJ, National Imaging Associates (NIA) provides radiology benefits management services in the U.S.  With a data repository of more than 15 million healthcare patient images, the company manages radiology care for over 12 million enrollees in 30 states, as well as a network of about 185,000 physicians and other providers.

The Challenge: National Imaging Associates, a provider of pre-authorization services for diagnostic radiology procedures, needed space fast to expand its inbound customer service center, located in Rancho Cordova, CA.  Initially, NIA was focused on obtaining real estate at a cost that was comparable to or even less than its existing location.  Later they sought to evaluate prospective locations based on the cost of labor rather than real estate.

The Solution: To address this new objective, NIA sought the assistance of Call Center Services Group (CCSG).  CCSG analyzed a number of key indicators in five short-listed labor markets including community overview, market saturation, wages, and cost of living.  CCSG's comprehensive labor analysis package, along with on-the-ground community tours, enabled NIA to locate just the right facility at the Airport Technology Center in Phoenix.  Formerly a financial services call center, the selected site provided a turnkey space for the NIA's call center needs.  In addition, the Phoenix area has an abundance of call center reps to staff the center.

The Result:  With the help of CCSG, NIA negotiated a lease worth $2.7 million over five years for 30,000-square-feet of space, reducing the hourly cost-per-seat by over 25 percent compared to its California location.  The new location will bring 100 jobs to the community, ramping up to 250 by 2005.  Because the location was already configured as a call center, with all the cabling and furniture in place, the company was able to occupy it in only 60 days!

"The facility has worked out great," stated Bryan K. Darby, Vice President of Infrastructure and Facilities for NIA.  "With CCSG's help, we received a generous tenant improvement package enabling us to create an upgraded space that a company of our size would not have been able to afford.  The location is a great showpiece for visiting clients to see how we operate.  We are also in the process of working with CCSG to increase the space by leasing an additional 32,000 square feet upstairs to house auxiliary back-office services we provide."