How to Launch a Coworking Space App in 5 Easy Steps

The coworking business can be called multi-dimensional without any exaggeration. There are so many revenue sources and business models intertwined there. For instance, you can offer long-term and short-term shared office space leases, a desk for a day, a meeting room for an hour, additional services for businesses, educational and fun events, and so much more.

It would be impossible to manage such a variety of products without a digital platform that brings all the above together and makes the offers available to customers. Such online platforms became integral parts of flexible workspaces, especially in times of COVID-19 when there was no other way for businesses to keep existing customers and reach new markets.

If you are still new to the technology we are talking about, have just acquired your coworking space app, or feel like you don’t use its potential to the fullest, read this article and learn how to make your members addicted to the platform.

 

1. Define the Metrics of Success   

Before going any further, let’s decide how we will measure success as this is really critical for achieving any goal. We at andcards like to say “what can be measured, can be improved.”

And the most essential index of a coworking app launch success is:

• App Activation Rate

This metric shows how many members downloaded your app, logged into it, and started to use it. It’s very important to make sure that customers don’t just download your app and forget about it but actually use it on daily basis.

And this leads us to the batch of secondary metrics that show customers’ engagement with every separate module such as:

• Quantity of room/desk bookings made by members through the app
• Number of newsfeed posts and members’ interactions with them (Likes, Shares, Comments)
• Number of in-app applications for Events/Benefits/Services
• Number of in-app Visitor registration requests
• Number of support queries submitted through the app, and more.    

Author’s note: Please don’t be scared by the amount of data you need to collect. I fully understand that you may not have a degree in statistics and you don’t need it. Coworking space management software you are starting to use will gather the required data automatically and pack it in easy-to-understand graphical reports. So, all you need to do is skim through the Analytics page for real-time insights.

Analytics on andcards coworking space app

Your utmost goal is a 100% app activation rate, which is rather challenging but possible. Let us show you how.

We went into this with a mindset of replacing all the old things. And we did this in two days. andcards solution turned out to be so noob-friendly that both members and managers started to use it at once. In just a week the number of support tickets decreased and in a month people started to engage with the app actively. — Anders Nilsson, the Founder of Embassy House in his success story for andcards

 

2. Make Sure Your Coworking App Is Ready for the Prime Time 

This point is similar to the pre-flight check. Before starting to promote your app to members actively, you certainly want to make sure that all set up is finished, the app is well-configured, and doesn’t have any dead ends.

In other words, you need to breathe life into software and fill it with valuable content that will take the user and navigate them through the page up to particular goal completion.

For example, if a newcomer enters a community newsfeed, they should be prompted their next step.

Hi Jorge! Welcome to our community feed. Please introduce yourself to start interacting with other members.😉

Do the same for your Services, Benefits, Events, and other sections. Add nice pics illustrating your offers, write creative descriptions, and call-to-actions prompting members how they can get what they want right now without leaving the app.

Shop on andcards coworking space management app

 

3. Plan a Launch Strategy for Your Coworking App

To craft a good app launch strategy, I highly recommend involving all your management teams in the process (sales, marketing, community, operations, finance, etc.) Only together you will work out a comprehensive plan that will let to approach the matter from multiple sides for the ultimate efficiency.

Here are some typical ways each of your management teams can contribute to the successful launch of the coworking space app.

Sales team

• List coworking space app among the membership benefits in sales materials.
• Use coworking software features to craft innovative products for customers (example: use desk booking system to turn a flexible office into a super flex office for hybrid teams.)  
• Upsell customers with new services via the app by featuring them in a beautiful Service Catalog

Marketing team

• Prominently state on site that the space offers a cool self-service app for members, explain what it does, and how to download it.
• Promote the app online through Instagram, Facebook, and other social media giving direct download links.
• Promote the app offline by creating user manuals showing how to do this or that on the app.

Embassy House Members App Guide

• Make some amenities (such as desks and rooms) available to general public (non-members) via the app downloaded on Google Play or App Store. 

CitySpace was able to open up to outside customers through the app. The ability for non-members to book and pay instantly allowed us to shorten the distance with people who use office space ad hoc. — Jakub Bawoł, Marketing Manager at CitySpace in his success story for andcards.

Community team

• Fill the Events showcase with upcoming events and update it frequently.
• Direct workspace visitors to self-service Check-in display and encourage members to pre-register their guests through the app to speed up the process.
• Welcome new members on Stream newsfeed by creating personalized introductions to involve people from day one. Encourage leading managers to post there as well. The entire team may support those posts with likes, shares, and comments giving members a positive example to follow. 

Newsfeed on andcards coworking space app

Operations team

• Place QR codes for quick app download all over the space (kitchen, restrooms, probable issue spots.) you can use any best dynamic QR code generator available in the internet. 
• Implement in-app customer support.
• Integrate coworking system with access control and WiFi (to unlock the doors with a smartphone and connect to WiFi members will have to download the app.)

Financial team

• Make use of Membership Plans (invoicing) functionality on the app.
• Accept payments for coworking space services inside the app.
• Synchronize your tax and accounting software with coworking space management system.

 

4. Plan a Coworking Space App Launch Event

As our customers’ experience shows, one of the best ways to make members download your app is to arrange a launch party for them.

Events showcase on andcards coworking space management app

Here you can take the mike and tell everyone how convenient it is to use the app. The experience is similar to having the entire coworking space with all its products and services right in your pocket. No need to contact managers directly, get what you need with a few taps of your finger.

If your coworking space is already up and running for some time, you can just add members’ details in your app yourself, which will make things even simpler for them.

Make sure to include the fun part in your event. For instance, you can announce different contests that will motivate members to download the app and start interacting with it.

• Free cocktails for 10 first members who download the app.
• Nice presents for 3 funniest photos posted on Stream (the winners are selected according to the number of likes got from the community.)
• Additional credits (free meeting room hours) for the first 5 members that will book a room through the app.

Your goal is to demonstrate to members how your app is cool and how much simpler and better it makes their lives. Using the app for everything they need must become a habit. Your launch event is only the first step to this objective. You need to be consistent in the future and refer members to the app with all their inquiries.

Members use a self-service platform for literally everything, administrators don’t have to manage bookings, open doors, or spend a ton of time onboarding newcomers. They just supervise all the processes from a single place, refer members to the app in 95% of situations, and send monthly bills that are automatically generated by the system as well. — Anders Nilsson, the Founder of Embassy House in his success story for andcards

 

5. Keep the Pace

After completing the above steps, you will happily admit that a lot of your members started to use the app. It’s really important not to stop here and move on with the progress.

The trick is that some features (such as WiFi and in-app door unlock) don’t require extra promotion to be actively used while most of the community features (such as benefits, shop, and events) need constant fueling. You have to remind members about their value all the time.

Why is it essential to put efforts into promoting community features?

1. Because you want to make members happier by addressing all their needs (even the ones they don’t know about yet).
2. You want to earn more money by upselling members with extra services and increasing the average bill.  

Here’s what you can do.

Create a publications plan for your newsfeed just like you do for your blog and social media. Publish viral content regularly, hook your members, engage with them, make them come back for your posts every now and again. The more often members will open the app and browse its pages, the greater chances are that they notice your new service or benefit and apply for it. This will increase their monthly bills and grow your revenue, which is the key objective of every coworking operator.

 

Track Your Progress

These were five major tips following which your app will change both members’ and managers’ behavior forever. One last piece of advice that I want to give you is—don’t be lazy to track your progress continuously. Skimming through all those visual reports provided by your coworking software won’t take much time and effort but give you valuable insights about business performance and customers’ happiness.

If looking at those numbers you understand that some of them could be much better, read this article for more hacks on the improvement of coworking space app activation and engagement.