Around 25% of all working people in the world have finished a portion of their work remotely. Some view themselves as digital nomads, location-independent professionals, or remote workers. This portion of workers uses innovation to complete their work irrespective of their area while meeting new individuals and encountering newer working environment on a regular basis.
These independent professionals, along with other entrepreneurs, business enterprises, and organizations form an important part of the clientele of a co-working space. However, it doesn’t matter whether they are far from their home base or don’t have access to a furnished office; they are well adept at making the cut and bringing up the productivity. And, that’s why they need equally efficient co-working spaces.
But, what keeps them from utilizing co-working spaces? What do they like most about the communal working and where they’ve visited the most? What factors keep them off from using a shared office? An ongoing trend that many coworking owners see is the lack of footfall in their spaces. People come, they explore, and they leave. It seems quite frustrating and when a visit doesn’t materialize, there must be few things which you’re completely ignoring.
Digging in further, here few factors which will enable you to influence your co-working space and gain more footfalls.
(A strong internet connection is a crux your value creation, and it shouldn’t go down, at all.)
A strong Wi-Fi network – One of the biggest issues that new members regularly complain about is the draggy Wi-Fi network in the office. When everything that you do is on the internet, nobody would want a weak connection. Make sure there is a great internet because your community’s livelihood depends on the great internet.
For independent workers and digital nomads, having a quick and robust internet connection is vital to push forward their business and productivity. While it is as vital for the member, it should always be an essential element of a normal co-working floor. A strong internet connection enables them to remain associated with their customers, deal with their day-to-day activities, and complete the work that encourages them. Poor internet speed (or neglecting to appropriately publicize the actual speed) is obstruction community managers hear again and again, which make members discontinue their membership. Even for people incoming on a free pass to explore the community; an access to fast, free internet will propel them to make a decision faster. Some co-working owners make it simple – your internet should be faster than the nearby coffee shop. Unsure of your coworking’s internet speed? Run a test to find the download and upload speeds.
Chances to associate with the local community – There’s nothing more interactive as the community meetups. Even for those who are not from a specific industry, activities like group gaming, life-career-knowledge guiding interactions, discussions over few cups of coffee – any meetup that you do in your co-working space, it is a critical path for your community members to mingle.
Provide more chances to connect and engage. Some co-working spaces are better at it over others, however, there is a possibility the opportunity to get better. Your co-working exists due to your members, and the engagement levels should not be disregarded. Coworking owners should take full control on that, regardless of whether a member is dropping in for a day or working for the whole week.
About 50% of your community will consist of people who are constantly travelling either for work or fun, and they are the ones who carry phenomenal experiences which they would surely like to share with other co-workers. Take coworking spaces in Gurgaon as an example, where people from all over the world drop-in. The easy proximity to the airport and the heap of activities happening all over the national capital region makes Gurgaon as the perfect spot for independent professionals and entrepreneurs a chance to connect with the people who call a neighbourhood home. Many of them are only in town for a short while, so meeting others who they can grab a drink after a work session can go a long way.
(Basic amenities like the furniture, lighting, and private space are few essentials that many seek in a co-working space.)
Access to essential amenities – It is all going to come down to the advantages of utilizing a workspace instead of working from home, or a neighbourhood bistro. People who’ve never been to a co-working space have a lot of questions in mind. Would they be having the appropriate office tools? Or, the environment is suitable according to their standards? Or, is there a kitchen that they can utilize? Are the people who work there, friendly? Can the cost be moderated? – The speculations are endless and it’s your duty to fulfil them all.
Regular members of a coworking space are used to work remotely, and more often solo too. They wouldn’t adapt to a lifestyle that they aren’t comfortable spending time alone. This means that for some, the biggest draw that you can make to attract people is to create a more comforting environment. Since most of your members have worked from home, amenities play an important role. Access to the kitchen, comfortable chairs, and a little vibrant décor can make a co-working space feel more like a home away from home.
You can imbibe the same in your marketing activities as well; emphasizing on the productivity and presence of like-minded people. This can serve as a great way to attract travelling workers into your co-working venue.
More adaptable membership choices – Co-working spaces would be better on the off chance that they didn’t focus so much on the membership. Apart from the regular members, there would always be people who would want to work just for few hours, and a flexible membership would go a long way in building a brilliant rapport and word-of-mouth publicity.
The only reason that people have selected your co-working space is that it gives them greater liberty. They will have ample to time to focus on their domestic projects or an emergent errand that needs to be taken care of. A half-day plan (in this case) would be beneficial for the members. Similarly, a 3-4 hours work shift would be liked by many because people don’t work for more than that in a stretch. On one hand, memberships in different time-zones are favourable for members having an international clientele. Freelancers and remote workers keep aside odd hours, because of the unhindered environment they would be getting. They might need a place to hole up for a few hours to plug into the internet but aren’t interested in staying the whole day. Half-day plans and other flexible options can be a great way to appeal to the modern day workers.
(Give space to the existing members and help them interact with the new ones, so that they don’t feel ignored.)
A feeling of having a place – The sense of belongingness is a much-needed reality check. The community is often touted as the essential part of what makes a coworking space work, but many spaces over-stress on building connections between their long-term tenants. This can leave the regular members feeling alienated or too intimidated to make connections. Take steps to make everyone feel welcome and a part of the community, even if they’re just there for the day. It can go a long way towards encouraging a steady stream of new visitors.
How can you do this? A great place to start is having a dedicated community manager or someone similar to engage new visitors in conversation and connect them with others in the space that have similar interests or a similar skill set. Create events that will work as the welcoming vibe for both the old and the new – be it around the coffee station or the kitchen, there are other great ways to engage with your members.
Following methods are some of the few tactics to gain more followers and subsequent footfalls in your coworking space. Surely, there would be many more, and we’d like to hear about them. Share your ideas in the comment section below and tell us how you earned more footfalls in your co-working space?