Top Features That Every Co-working Space Needs

In their early days, co-working spaces seemed like a strange concept that only students and a few quirky professionals would take on. However, the tide appears to finally have turned. Co-working spaces are now in high demand as remote workers, start-ups, and many more people have begun to appreciate their cost-saving advantages.

It thus goes without saying that setting up a co-working space in a strategic location could earn you some nice change. That said, you will have to offer your customers the right ambiance and great value for their money. So, let's take a look at some key provisions that are crowd-pullers.

A Reliable Booking System

Most co-working spaces run a hot desk system where people can pick out work areas as they arrive. Nevertheless, some of your customers may appreciate the opportunity to be able to reserve specific workspaces. It also saves them the headache of coming over and not finding any room.

Make an effort to set up a reliable booking system on your online platforms. Allow clients to compare different work areas and their different prices then make a well-informed booking. You could additionally offer time slots and possibly request a commitment fee to avoid the inconvenience of no-shows.

Different Workspaces

You will likely host professionals that work in different sectors. Some may need to host meetings, others may need large surfaces to draw on, while others may require complete silence to get anything done. In a nutshell, your customers' needs may vary.

Consider breaking down your layout into different types of workspaces. They could include private pods, meeting rooms, solo, and shared desks. This would help you cater to a variety of workspace preferences and possibly earn more income by charging scaled rates for different areas.

Storage Space

Picture this: a client checks in the morning and plans to work at their designated work area for the rest of the day. Naturally, they will require bathroom breaks, a lunch break, and may even need to hop across town to run an errand at some point. At the same time, they likely have their work gear in toe and would probably feel apprehensive about leaving it unattended.

Evidently, your co-working space could serve them a lot better if they had some personal storage space that they could use for the day. It could easily be the thing that draws them to your venue or pushes them away to your competitors.

On the upside, the solutions here are quite simple. The first option would be to aim for work desks with lockable drawers. On the other hand, if your clients will be leaving behind valuables like laptops, it may be safer to offer an under desk safe at most of the workstations.

Ensure that you have a clear policy on goods that can and cannot be left at your premises. It may equally be wise to reserve such provisions for full-day clients because while this may be a game-changing convenience, some clients could misuse it.

Task Lighting

Creating separate work areas may distort the flow of natural or artificial lighting in your space. As such, you may need to supplement your overhead lighting with task lighting.

Task lighting is a light fixture that specifically illuminates a work surface. In this case, the idea would be to keep the work desks well-lit for your clients to work even into the night, if your schedule allows.

Consider affordable and effective task lighting options like digital LED strips. They can conveniently be installed above work areas and adjusted to a suitable brightness at different times of the day. Moreover, they would cost a lot less than options like desk lamps and are designed to last much longer.

A Break Room

A break room with refreshments would be a win-win situation for you and your clients. It would allow them to take a break from their work and have some coffee or a snack. At the same time, it would provide extra income for your business aside from the co-working space fees.

Try to make your break room area lively and airy so that it truly feels like a break from the work areas. Invest in good wallpaper or art to liven up the walls as well as some greenery if it would blend well in your space.

Aim for fun colorful furniture designs too. Plastic chairs, in particular, are often great for this kind of decor. If you can not find any appealing ones in the market, go the extra mile and hire a good plastic mould maker then come up with a custom design.

Conclusion

The recent lockdowns have made it clear that a workplace no longer has to be a rigid office setup. Everyone can be just as productive in other spaces as long as they have basics such as those highlighted in this blog. Consequently, if there was ever a time to start running a co-working space, this must be it.