Managing a coworking space can be a challenging task, with multiple responsibilities ranging from managing bookings, facilitating communication, handling payments, and ensuring the safety of members and their belongings. Fortunately, technology can make it easier for coworking space managers to streamline their operations and create a better member experience.
In this article, we will introduce 11 types of software integrations that every coworking space manager should know about, including accounting, access control, CRM, payments, and Wi-Fi. We'll discuss the benefits of each integration type and how it can help you optimize your coworking space operations, saving you time and resources while improving your members' experience.
Whether you're just starting in the coworking industry or looking to improve your current operations, read on to learn how software integrations can help you streamline your coworking space and create a thriving community.
Why Integration is Key for Your Business Success
As a coworking space manager, you know how important it is to provide a seamless experience for your members. To achieve this, you need to ensure that all your operations are running smoothly, from member communication to invoicing, CRM, access control, visitor management, and more. However, managing these tasks can be overwhelming, especially when you are using multiple apps that do not integrate well with each other. This can lead to a disjointed experience for your members and create unnecessary stress for you and your team.
This is where software integrations come in. By seamlessly integrating all the software you use, you can streamline your coworking operations, saving time and resources while providing a better member experience. Integrating your cloud-based accounting software with your coworking management platform, for instance, can help you keep track of invoices, payments, and expenses in one place. Similarly, integrating your CRM system with your communication tools can help you manage member communication more efficiently.
Furthermore, as your business grows, you may need to adopt new technological solutions like access control and cloud printing systems that are not included in your coworking management software. Integrating these tools with your existing software can help you create a unified platform that provides all the functionality you need to run your flexible space smoothly.
Maximizing Your Coworking Space Efficiency with Essential Integrations
When choosing the right coworking space software for your business, it is essential to consider the integrations that come with it.
To ensure you have all the necessary integrations at your disposal, it's crucial to ask vendors about their available integrations or check their integrations page. This step will not only save you from future technical difficulties but also help you avoid overpaying for unused features within your main coworking space app.
While it can be challenging to remember all the essential integrations you might need, we have compiled a cheat sheet of popular integration types that other coworking operators frequently use. With this list, you can rest assured that your workspace is equipped with top-notch, up-to-date applications and extensions that you're already familiar with.
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Most Popular Types of Integrations
All integrations a coworking operator might need fall under 11 groups according to the issues they address:
1. Booking
This type of integration enables seamless synchronization of meeting room reservations between your coworking space management software and your personal or Google Workspace calendar. With this integration, you can effortlessly manage your bookings from one central location and avoid double bookings or scheduling conflicts.
This integration operates in a two-way synchronization model, meaning that when a booking is created or updated in your coworking software, the same information is automatically reflected in your Google calendar or any other calendar that you use. This ensures that you always have an up-to-date and accurate record of your bookings across all platforms.
In addition to providing real-time synchronization of bookings, this integration also offers the ability to display real-time room availability on various online marketplaces for external booking. This feature enables you to showcase the availability of your meeting rooms to potential clients or customers who may be searching for a suitable space to conduct their meetings or events.
2. Automation
This type of integration can help you boost productivity by automating the flow of information between your main coworking space software and the other apps you use. This integration allows you to streamline your workflows and reduce manual data entry, which saves time and minimizes errors.
For instance, you can easily connect your coworking software with a range of other popular apps, such as Google Calendar, Slack, HubSpot, Typeform, and many more, using Zapier. By doing so, you can automate tasks such as inviting members using your own sign-up form, cross-posting between a corporate community feed and Slack, registering members as hosts in your visitor management app, and much more.
The best part is that you can set up automated workflows, called Zaps, in just a few minutes. This allows you to integrate your coworking software with the other software you use to operate your coworking space efficiently. Zapier supports thousands of apps, so you can easily find the right integrations to suit your needs.
3. Printing
This type of integration allows you to fully automate printing at your coworking space. For instance, you can seamlessly integrate your coworking software with a cloud printing solution like Sindoh, which can help you streamline the printing process and improve the member experience.
One of the key benefits of this integration is that it allows you to sync member information to the Sindoh database, which means that you can easily manage member accounts and track printing usage. With this integration, you can automatically issue Sindoh Print IDs to members, which eliminates the need for manual setup and ensures that members can start printing right away.
Additionally, the integration allows you to track printing usage by members, so you can monitor usage patterns, identify trends, and optimize your printing resources accordingly. You can see how many pages each member printed, which can help you bill accurately and prevent any misuse of the printing facilities.
4. Communication
This type of integration enables coworking space managers to streamline communication with their members. It helps to improve member engagement, reduce communication errors, and save time by automating the process of sending automated text messages to members.
One of the key benefits of the "Communication" integration type is the ability to sync member information from your coworking software to your email marketing platform, such as Mailchimp. By doing so, you can easily create targeted communication campaigns and send messages to the right people on the right channels, including email and social media. This integration enables you to create efficient communication workflows and saves you time by enabling you to manage your communication from one place.
Another example of a "Communication" type of integration is Twilio. The tool enables streamlining Wi-Fi authentication for your coworking space members using. With the integration of your coworking software and Twilio, you can easily deliver login confirmation codes to members via email and text messages. This feature eliminates the need for manual verification and allows members to quickly and easily log in to the Wi-Fi network, enhancing their experience at your coworking space.
5. Payment
This type of integration enables online payments at your coworking space. By connecting your coworking software to a payment system like Stripe, Kakaopay, Mercado Pago, WayforPay, FreedomPay, or PayPal, you can streamline the payment process and improve member experience.
One of the main advantages of the integration is that it frees up your managers from chasing members for payment reminders, membership fees, bookings, and bills. Members can easily pay for your coworking space services through your app, eliminating the need for manual payment processing and reducing errors.
Additionally, the integration allows you to offer flexible payment options to your members, such as one-time payments or recurring subscriptions. This feature ensures that you can accommodate the needs of your members and make the payment process as convenient as possible.
By integrating your coworking software with a payment system, you can also improve the security of payment transactions and reduce the risk of fraudulent activity. Payment systems like Stripe and PayPal offer advanced fraud detection features and secure payment processing, giving your members peace of mind when making payments.
6. CRM
The integration of a CRM enables coworking space managers to streamline customer relationship management by connecting their coworking software to tools like HubSpot or Pipedrive. With this integration, you can easily build a seamless customer journey and keep member data in sync, improving the efficiency of your sales and community management processes.
One of the key benefits of CRM integration is the ability to automate the process of inviting customers to your coworking space app. This feature speeds up the onboarding process, saves time, and reduces manual work. By automating customer invitation into your coworking space app, you can provide a seamless and efficient onboarding experience for your members.
Additionally, the CRM integration allows you to track and manage member data more effectively. By keeping member data in sync between your coworking software and your CRM tool, you can ensure that you have a complete and accurate picture of each member's activity, preferences, and needs. This enables you to provide more personalized and targeted services to your members, enhancing their experience at your coworking space.
7. Access Control
Integrating an access control system enables coworking space managers to automate access to their space and improve security. By connecting your coworking software to a platform like SALTO KS, or Kisi, you can grant members access to your workspace automatically and in real time, improving the efficiency and security of your coworking space.
One of the key benefits of the access control integration is the ability to grant members 24/7 access to your workspace. With this integration, members can open doors with their smartphones, eliminating the need for physical keys or access cards. This feature not only provides a more convenient access method for members but also enhances the security of your coworking space.
Additionally, the access control integration allows you to track who goes where and when providing valuable data on member behavior and helping you optimize your coworking space layout and resources. You can also set up notifications for specific events, such as when a member enters the space after hours or when a door is left open, allowing you to take action quickly and maintain a secure environment.
8. Accounting
Integration with accounting apps is a crucial feature for any coworking space that wants to streamline its financial operations. By integrating your main coworking software with an accounting system like QuickBooks or Xero, you can automate invoice creation, payment tracking, and other accounting tasks, saving time and improving accuracy.
One of the key benefits of the accounting system integration is the ability to automatically create invoices whenever a new room or desk booking is made on your main coworking space software. With this integration, you can save a ton of time that would otherwise be spent manually creating invoices or chasing payments. The integration also keeps your payment and customer data in sync between your coworking space platform and your accounting solution, ensuring that your financial records are always up to date.
9. Analytics
Analytics integration provides valuable insights into the performance of your coworking space. It allows you to track and analyze various metrics such as user behavior, traffic, and conversion rates. By integrating your main coworking software with powerful analytics tools, you can gain a better understanding of your workspace's performance and make data-driven decisions.
One popular analytics integration for coworking spaces is Google Analytics. With this integration, you can track user interactions with your branded mobile and web applications, understand user behavior and experience, and identify popular pages with the most significant social impact. Google Analytics provides real-time updates and detailed reports that enable you to optimize your coworking space website and improve your online presence.
Another useful analytics integration for coworking spaces is CoworkIntel. It provides detailed reports on space occupancy, revenue, and member behavior that help you optimize your coworking space's performance.
10. Marketplaces
Integrating with one or more marketplaces, coworking space operators get the opportunity to expand their reach and attract new customers through third-party platforms. For instance, by integrating with LiquidSpace, you can list your space and make it available for booking by individuals or teams who are looking for flexible workspace solutions. The Liquid Space integration allows managing your bookings, prices, and availability in real-time.
The platform provides a seamless booking experience for customers, who can easily find and book available workspaces in their preferred locations. Additionally, as a coworking space operator, you can gain access to Liquid Space's marketing and promotional tools, which can help you reach new customers and grow your business.
11. Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi integration with coworking software is an essential type of integration that enables you to provide seamless internet access to your members, visitors, and event attendees. For instance, with the IronWiFi integration, you can connect your wireless network hardware to the coworking software and authenticate members for automated passwordless access to Wi-Fi at your coworking space.
By integrating your coworking software with IronWiFi, you can ensure that members go online easily according to their membership level, external customers that book rooms or desks, visitors, and even event attendees. All of them will get temporary secure access to your wireless network without you having to manually grant access.
With IronWiFi, you can also set up different levels of access for different types of users. For example, members with a higher level of membership can get priority access, while visitors can get access only for a limited time.
To Take Away
In conclusion, integrating all the apps you use with your coworking management platform can significantly streamline your operations and enhance your business's overall efficiency. As we have discussed, there are several integration types that you can leverage to achieve this, and by creating a list of your desired integrations, you can customize your coworking software to your specific needs.
Fortunately, if you are an Spacebring customer, you can rest assured that our platform integrates with all the tools mentioned in this article and more. However, if you are not yet an Spacebring customer and would like to learn more about our software's capabilities, we encourage you to schedule a demo call with one of our product experts. They will be more than happy to guide you through our platform and answer any questions you may have.
