What is Coworking Space Management Software?

When we first get into conversation with coworking owners and operators, they are usually feeling one of two ways about coworking technology.

Either they are overwhelmed with the world of coworking management software and not sure where to start, or they are unhappy with the technology they are currently using and they are not confident in moving forward with another tool.

For those who are just getting started with coworking space management software, this is the blog post for you. We’ll walk you through the basics of coworking software including what it is and the benefits of it.

And for those further along in their coworking software journey, check out our list of best coworking software to find out how to choose the best solution for your business.

What is coworking space management software?

Coworking space management software is a technology system that helps coworking operators streamline, optimize, and grow their business.

A robust space management software can:

• Automate time-consuming member management duties
• Gather insights into space utilization to understand how much space is being used
• Support your business in scaling and growing
• Elevate and reinforce your coworking brand
• Improve the user experience

For coworking owners and operators looking to grow a notable coworking business, the right technology platform is absolutely critical.

What are the benefits of coworking space software?

Workspace management software plays a crucial role to help ease the everyday burden of running a coworking space.

Implementing coworking software in your space can help you:

• Grow your community
• Reduce overhead costs
• Make informed decisions
• Increase efficiency
• Introduce automation into everyday tasks

Comprehensive space management software is the best way to scale your business, while ensuring you have more time to dedicate to your community.

Key features in coworking space management software

Some of the most popular features when it comes to coworking software include:

• White-labeled mobile apps
• Event management
• Visitor management
• Desk booking
• Automatic billing
• Integrations with door access control

When it comes to evaluating solutions, it’s tempting to look at it in terms of what tool has the most features. However, many solutions go for quantity over quality, meaning the features you get are often lacking.

This was the experience of Deborah and Rachel from Brooklyn Hourly Offices. They found their old system over complicated and over-engineered. They switched to Optix from OfficeRnD to give their members a better user experience. Learn more about their coworking journey.

How to choose the right coworking management software for your business

Looking for the right software to help with your flexible workplace management? Ask yourself these questions before planning to purchase a coworking system.

1. What are my coworking space’s biggest operational challenges?

Understanding the most time-consuming tasks of your team will help you pinpoint areas that can be improved with the help of automation.

Some common challenges include:

• Growing your business: Scaling can be tricky without the right tools. Ensure you have a platform that can grow with you as you grow.
• Lack of data insight: Without hard data to back business decisions, each choice you make is a shot in the dark. As a result, the chances of failure are higher.
• Community engagement: Nurturing a sense of community is crucial for coworking spaces, but it can be tricky to find ways to engage members.

Good coworking management software should have features to address these pain points and streamline space management.

2. What do my coworking members want?

It can be easy to fixate on your own needs when choosing coworking technology.

However, you can’t forget about your members. After all, these are tools that will impact their day-to-day lives as well.

Now is a great opportunity to run a quick member survey to gather direct insight into your member experience and how to improve it. Consider asking about their experience in the space or their experience with your current platform provider if you have one.

3. Will the coworking management software integrate with my mission-critical tools?

Another key consideration is your software integrations.

The platform will be significantly less useful if it doesn’t connect with the tools you use today, and the ones you will need in the future.

To help make the question of software integration easier, look for solutions that connect with the automation tool Zapier. This unlocks integrations with over a thousand other technology tools you likely use or will be using soon.

4. What kind of onboarding and ongoing support comes with the coworking management software?

It’s important to understand what a typical onboarding process looks like with the solution you’re going to choose.

It’s not just onboarding you should think about, however. You also need to ensure your provider takes a partnership approach and can troubleshoot issues, answer questions, and support you in making strategic decisions.

Look for a provider with a knowledgeable customer success team, live chat support, and a robust Help Center to refer to as needed.

5. Does the coworking software provider’s vision align with mine?

Coworking management software is a long-term investment. The last thing you want is to outgrow your provider in a few years’ time.

That’s why you need to make sure their vision aligns with yours.

Choosing a mission-driven company with values that align with your own can ensure your partnership is a long-term agreement and not something that will change in six months time.

6. How customizable is the coworking space software?

Coworking software is oftentimes an out-of-the-box solution. This means, you’ll be able to start using it immediately without any dev work involved.

However, it’s likely that your space will have custom needs that are beyond the scope of what your software was designed for.

Therefore, it’s extremely important to consider how flexible the software is. For example can the features be turned on or off, in addition to the platform capabilities and APIs of your coworking software platform?

Having a platform with APIs, tools, and documentation will be a game-changer; enabling you to develop customized experiences and services.

With APIs, you’ll be able to customize the platform to fit your unique needs such adding additional features to the platform.

7. Can the software scale with me as I grow my business?

Your business is growing and your platform needs to be able to grow with it.

Having a software that supports multiple locations and can grow with your business is extremely important for your success. You don’t want to be limited in your ability to grow your business because your software can’t support you.

Spend some time looking at where your business is now and where you want to be in the next 3-5 years.

Then, make sure that you are choosing a software that supports multi-location management with a single dashboard for multiple locations and reasonable scale pricing.

Optix is the top coworking software for improving space utilization

You need a unified platform that offers desk booking, automated billing, and the ability to book rooms and keep track of users, all while supporting you in growing your community.

Where will you find such a tool?

Introducing Optix, the #1 coworking space management software for user experience as voted on by Coworking Resources.

Optix is a mobile first coworking software that offers beautifully designed white-labeled apps to help you create an exceptional coworking environment for your members.

With Optix, enjoy automatic billing, increased space utilization, and improved space management designed to help you streamline, optimize, and grow your coworking business. It’s the ultimate space management software to help operators create exceptional experiences for their members.

Ready to get started on your coworking software journey? Connect with one of our friendly Product Experts to find the right coworking management software to help you tackle your operational challenges, and transform the experience your members have within your space.