Coworking space managers are consistently seeking ways to streamline Coworking operations, keep their staff lean and still maximize their personal interactions with members.
Technology takes a lot off a staff member’s plate and prevents the need for spreadsheets and manual chores. Consider a space with 100 members. At the end of the month, an office manager could waste a full seven business days just doing the books—time that could have been spent deepening the connection with his Coworking community. Operating manually and building your Coworking community as a one man show is nearly impossible, that’s why you should automate processes to save time and, ultimately, money that you can reinvest in your space.
Financial Services
Billing, accounting and invoicing are all services that can easily be automated. When onboarding a new member, or booking any desk services, capture payment data to streamline the collection process. Give members the ability to set up direct payment options and categorize your customers based on their method.
Cash collection can be streamlined through linking your access control system to your member management software. You can program certain systems to deny access to outstanding members. Another option, if you have front desk staff, is to use your door reader to flash a different color when granting access to that outstanding member—that way it becomes apparent to both parties that payment is due, while still allowing them to access the space. With the proper software automation and tools you can benefit from seamless payment collection and, hopefully, never need to manually review an Excel spreadsheet again.
Room Booking
Coworking software, such as Yardi Kube, and various mobile apps make desk and room booking simple. In our last webinar, we discussed how conference rooms are like money doors, and should be a strong revenue generator. Space owners typically charge for these rooms to be reserved, but if a lock isn’t placed on the meeting room door, it could lead to some awkward interaction at the least.
Integrate your access control system into your CRM to automatically send digital key links for meeting room access once the space has been reserved in your member management app. You’re investing in the success of your Coworking space and keeping revenue streams consistent by locking the doors on your meeting rooms and ensuring that they’re being used the way you’ve budgeted.
Communication
Person-to-person interaction is extremely important but it’s not possible to have a thriving community without a communication software. You can begin with an off-the-shelf solution, like Slack, or use a Coworking management software with a social portal. People use Coworking spaces to foster community. Providing a forum for coworkers to chat and learn about events and share ideas, is imperative.
Community-oriented software will also allow you to take notes of meetings you have with your members—to keep track of how they’re doing and what services they want you to offer. Keep those members digitally connected to you and the business in addition to speaking with them face to face.
Coworking Software
Coworking management apps are constantly evolving with real-time updates, and they ensure a positive user experience from the start. They will help your future clients buy memberships online and provide them with integrated door access, scheduling amenities, and numerous other services. Coworking management apps will ensure a consistent experience at all your locations and allow you to effortlessly scale your space.
If you launch your space without a software platform you’ll accumulate hours of onboarding tasks later on when your community has grown, so it’s smart to plan the scope of your space and to consider how large and fast your ramp up could be.
Automate Access
You can increase operational efficiency by managing your door access in real time. Coworking spaces experience turnover every month, and using traditional key cards requires extra man hours from community managers and interrupts workflow.
Cloud-based access control solutions, like Kisi, leverage the power of APIs to allow CRMs to easily integrate their functionalities—admins can unlock doors on one platform, alongside other commonly-used functions, like booking conference rooms.
Kisi also allows you to rent out your event space after hours or to make the facility 24/7 accessible. Since members have 24/7 access, you can see, in real time, who is entering and exiting and what rooms they’re using. This enables you to utilize your space accordingly and gives you a sense of security while you’re away.
Visitor Management
Visitor management, like Envoy, Proxyclick or SwipedOn, ensures that when a non-member arrives at your organization they are greeted and monitored. Companies traditionally used log books to keep track of visitors, while modern companies often opt for advanced visitor management systems.
Modern visitor management systems provide complex, secure solutions that allow managers to create customized badges, pre-register visitors, set their user permissions, take photos, automatically notify employees of visitors, and much more. Visitor management systems ensure additional security and automate processes that would otherwise be time consuming—these systems prevent worker interruption, especially in offices with no permanent receptionist, enhancing overall productivity and cutting down on staff. It allows managers to track real-time visitors, differentiate between clients, delivery men, contractors, and check visitor history, if required.
Any Coworking space, irrespective of its size and number of members, can streamline its operations and enhance security by automating these workflows and simplifying daily tasks. Real-time access and accessibility to digital logs of day-to-day tasks will save you many hours at the end of each quarter—time you can spend on community building and maximizing the potential of your space!