10 Coworking Management Software Features To Optimize Member Self-Sufficiency in Your Space

When running a coworking space, you need to take as much off your plate as possible. In one day’s time, space operators and community managers can be expected to onboard new members, communicate with customers, lead tours for guests, drive business through community reach, accommodate reservation requests, and much, much more. It’s easy to imagine the multitude of directions in which you are pulled.

What is more, many individuals who utilize flexible workspaces already have an innate proclivity to do as much for themselves as they can. These self-starters and solopreneurs likely feel it faster to jump in and do it themselves; thus, a high degree of member autonomy is needed. Your clients have to intuitively understand how to do anything and everything they need to do in your space, without reading a manual or asking for your help.

The following are ten features you want to be sure your coworking management software covers in order to foster this level of self-sufficiency among your membership.

1. Seamless Self-Registration

Truthfully, self-sufficiency shouldn’t start with ease of use for members in your space, but with easefully moving people into membership via self-registration. An efficient system for self-registration should take care of several things at once: setting up recurring billing, creating member profiles, prorating any charges based on start date, establishing preferred payment methods, and taking first payments. The new member is then in your system, set up for fully automatic operations going forward.

1A. Bonus Feature: Website Integrations

If potential members can review your website and see what they want beforehand, this oils the membership gears even more. Some coworking management software solutions offer links for these CTA’s. This isn’t possible for every type of product, of course, but for simple things like virtual memberships or prepaid bundles of hours or days, users are a simple “click on a Buy-It-Now button” away from getting what they want, right then and there, and eliminating the plan selection process entirely.

2. Simple, Solid Member Portal

Once registered, members should be able to see all vital information from a one-view dashboard, including, financial information, passes remaining, upcoming reservations, recurring charges, money owed, etc. Having all this information at hand will surely prevent an onslaught of questions.

3. Member Directory with Shareable Custom Fields

In order to have a thriving coworking space, the seeds of community must be planted. With a Membership Directory, community is given space to blossom by allowing members to communicate and even generate more business for one another. Shareable custom fields allow each person to disclose fun and engaging information about themselves, including a “best way to reach me”. In turn, if someone doesn’t want to be visible within this interface, that option needs to be provided as well.

4. Self-Made Reservations

Both Members and non-members alike need the option to make reservations without calling you. As an operator, you need the ability to determine which spaces can be booked for which hours and by who. This may require certain calendars within the system to be set up, based on membership status. Additionally, recurring reservations with a variety of scheduling options greatly help.

5. Interactive Floor Plans

By having a public-facing floor plan, you can allow anybody to see what your business offers from the comfort of their own home. This garners great interest in self-registration, as they can see what’s available in real-time. In some space management solutions, by clicking on any particular area of the floor plan, one can see a photograph, description, availability, and occupancy of each space. A few even have a connection between floor plans and reservation units, thus updating your site’s occupancy whilst removing the reservation from your availability automatically!

6. Usage Tracking

As we know, the honor system isn’t always honorable, and sign-up sheets give space for user error and revenue leakage. If each member’s usage can be automatically tracked, there are benefits for all. It’s even better if the users don’t have to do anything special, but simply show up, and the software tracks their usage, without any sign-in, manual entry, or anything along those lines.

7. Safe, Secure Internet

Members need to be able to get online automatically upon entering your space and do so securely. Each member ought to have a unique yet memorable username and password; yet once it’s entered, that should be it. They shouldn’t have to enter their credentials every time. Additionally, retrieving a new password for forgotten credentials has to be easily achieved as well. Members forget their information, as do we all.

8. Simple, Obvious Printer Usage

The printer needs to be so easy to set up and use that no manual is required, nor any exhausting moment in which you are called over to the machine for help. We like Sharp printers, ourselves, because of their simplicity of use. You can set up the dashboard to be very intuitive.

9. Door Access System

There needs to be solid security for your business to thrive, but there also needs to be an easeful accessibility, designed for 24/7 use. You can’t possibly staff your center all day and night, but many of your members will expect to use your location during these hours. Thus, dependable door access systems are paramount to your success.

10. Tech Support

Finally, a little help from the tech wizards behind your software is necessary, as you will surely receive questions for which you may not have answers. Make sure your space management solution offers good support, especially when you need it most.

The automation and functionalities discussed can empower your members and lighten your load, so you can focus your energies on driving more business and keeping your space lively and well. It may appear easy and achievable piece by piece, but it can be daunting when seen all at once.

Therefore, let us show you how it can be easily achieved by giving you a demonstration of our software with one of our friendly sales engineers.