Let me start by saying that “Operations” is a vague word. It could mean a bunch of different things depending on the context. When it comes to business and coworking, “Operations” can be even more confusing as it encompasses a whole range of different tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
However, regardless of the size or type of business you’re running, operation management is always about one thing: Efficiency. And whether we’re talking a 20 person space or a 300 person space, coworking operations is about creating the highest level of efficiency possible while aiming to achieve the business’s bottom line. To get a better idea of what this role entails, let’s look at the daily operations of a hotel.
Daily operations of a hotel
A hotel operations manager takes on a great deal of responsibility. They essentially oversee all key areas of the business to ultimately ensure customer satisfaction. For example, creating work schedules and monitoring workflows for different departments, public relations, and staff training.
Think of operations management as a conductor of sorts; overseeing all the “to-dos” and tasks of the day, and ensuring that the employee assigned to a specific task gets the job done.
Similarly, operations managers in the coworking industry are buzzing behind the scenes making sure the business runs smoothly. Simply put, they’re hired to make sure sh*t gets done.
That said, let’s have a look at what the typical daily operations of a modern coworking space looks like in action.
Cleaning Services
We don’t realize how vital a clean and tidy workspace is until we don’t have it at all. To ensure the cleanliness of your space, you may choose to hire a dedicated staff member, alternatively, you may outsource the task to a third party janitorial service.
Whichever you decide, a large portion of daily operations means ensuring cleaning staff knows what needs to get done and that the general cleanliness of the office and facilities are always maintained.
Access Control
Part of the daily operations of a coworking space involves monitoring access control. In other words, who comes in and out of the space.
When space is smaller and open only during the day or business hours, having a dedicated reception employee may be enough to control the flow of people in and out of your space. However, if you’re planning on keeping your space open 24/7 you might want to consider keyless access control solutions for your space.
Mail Services
The reception will be responsible for receiving the member’s mail and packages. You can expect to receive an even higher volume if your space offers virtual office memberships. Not only will you be receiving packages for members, but you will also be receiving packages and deliveries for your business.
In short, there will be a constant flow of couriers coming in and out. Using a coworking space management software like Archie will facilitate the process of managing inbound mail and packages, however, a high level of care and an efficient process must be applied to mail services to minimize the opportunity for human error.
IT & Wi-Fi services
Whether you have a dedicated IT person on staff or you’ve hired a third party to help when technical issues arise, part of the daily operations of a space is to ensure the internet and Wi-Fi are running smoothly, and if any issues arise, they are taken care of as swiftly as possible.
Kitchen & common area maintenance
Even if you have cleaning staff coming in regularly to do some heavier cleaning, it’s equally important that light cleaning and general maintenance be performed regularly.
Although your members will (hopefully) be respectful of your workspace, things can get untidy quickly and surprise messes do happen.
Daily operations involve identifying and delegating what needs to get done in terms of space maintenance. Ensuring that the space is always presentable because you never know who might walk through the door for a spontaneous tour.
Employee Supervision
An operations manager is a type of conductor, and the role of the conductor is to make sure everyone is completing their tasks and following through on responsibilities.
For example, if the member management team has a tour booked that day, making sure they have everything they need to offer the best tour possible, and the space is in a presentable state. Operations made easy through the coworking software Archie’s building management tools.
Archie has layers of intergrations, and in depth community and building management tools. Daily operations, being aligned with your team on tasks, and complete access control makes operations within your space that much easier.
