The coworking community manager often stands as the unsung hero. Their responsibilities extend beyond the conventional scope of managerial roles, often playing a crucial role in shaping the culture and vibrancy of the space.
What Does a Coworking Community Manager Do?
A coworking community manager wears many hats. Their primary role is to cultivate a vibrant, collaborative, and productive environment for members. They serve as the bridge between the coworking space and its occupants, ensuring smooth operations and fostering a sense of belonging.
Distinct Levels of Responsibility for a Coworking Community Manager
In the world of coworking, community managers often juggle multiple hats, ensuring the space thrives both as a community and a business. Their responsibilities can be broadly classified into three categories:
Sales and Business Development – Attracting New Members & Partnerships
- Outreach and Marketing: Actively promoting the coworking space to potential new members through various channels.
- Tours and Onboarding: Providing tours for prospective members and ensuring new members are introduced to the community and the facility’s amenities.
- Retention: Implementing strategies to keep existing members engaged and satisfied.
- Partnership Building: Developing relationships with other businesses to offer discounts/benefits for members and connecting members to partner companies.
Community Management – Supporting Existing Members
- Building Relationships: Getting to know members, understanding their needs, and potential collaborations among them.
- Conflict Resolution: Addressing and resolving any issues or disputes within the community.
- Gathering Feedback: Instituting regular feedback mechanisms to enhance services and amenities.
- Administrative and Operations – Space and External Relationships
- Space Management: Maintaining a strong relationship with the landlord, managing interactions with neighboring offices, and ensuring the physical space remains conducive for members.
- Supplier Relationships: Managing relationships with various suppliers, from tech vendors to cleaning services, ensuring smooth operations.
- Partnership Management: Handling the operational aspects of partnerships, from agreement terms to the delivery of partnership benefits.
Reception Services – Being the Face of the Space:
- Call Handling: Being the first point of contact, answering and directing calls appropriately.
- Scheduling: Organizing and confirming space tours for potential members.
- Warm Welcomes: Ensuring every member feels greeted and acknowledged upon entering the space.
- Mail Management: Systematically organizing incoming mail, packages, and deliveries for members.
In large coworking setups with multiple community managers, it’s common for each individual to focus on just one or perhaps two of these categories. They become specialists in their domains, ensuring optimal execution of their tasks. For instance, in smaller coworking spaces with limited staff, community managers often handle responsibilities across all three categories. It’s a testament to the versatility and adaptability required in the role.
How to Hire the Right Coworking Community Manager
When looking to hire a coworking community manager:
- Experience Matters: Look for candidates with prior experience in community building, ideally within a coworking setting.
- Soft Skills: Prioritize soft skills like communication, empathy, and adaptability.
- Tech Skills: With the increasing integration of technology in coworking spaces, familiarity with relevant tools and software can be advantageous.
- Trial Period: Consider having a trial period or a probationary phase to assess their fit within your community.
Essential Qualities of a Coworking Community Manager
What characteristics truly set apart a phenomenal community manager from the rest?
- Relational Expertise : A commendable manager ensures that both potential and existing members feel acknowledged and valued. Whether it’s an innovative event proposal, addressing concerns, or taking feedback.
- Â Responsibility and Ownership: Are the pillars that uphold the space’s ethos and operational efficiency. Regular updates on metrics like revenue, member dynamics, and ongoing challenges demonstrate their commitment and the tangible value they add to the workspace.
- Genuine Engagement: weave their passions and personal pursuits into interactions with members.
- Strong Dedication: The heart of a successful community is its manager’s excitement. When looking for the right community manager, it’s essential to find someone who genuinely connects with the space’s goals and passionately supports its values.
Example of a Coworking Community Manager Job Description
What characteristics truly set apart a phenomenal community manager from the rest?
- Relational Expertise : A commendable manager ensures that both potential and existing members feel acknowledged and valued. Whether it’s an innovative event proposal, addressing concerns, or taking feedback.
- Â Responsibility and Ownership: Are the pillars that uphold the space’s ethos and operational efficiency. Regular updates on metrics like revenue, member dynamics, and ongoing challenges demonstrate their commitment and the tangible value they add to the workspace.
- Genuine Engagement: weave their passions and personal pursuits into interactions with members.
- Strong Dedication: The heart of a successful community is its manager’s excitement. When looking for the right community manager, it’s essential to find someone who genuinely connects with the space’s goals and passionately supports its values.
How to Evaluate a Coworking Community Manager
The success of a coworking community manager can be determined by:
- Member Retention Rates: A thriving community often sees higher member retention.
- Feedback Quality: Positive feedback and constructive suggestions indicate effective community management.
- Event Participation: Successful events with high participation rates reflect active community engagement.
- Conflict Resolutions: How effectively and swiftly conflicts are resolved can indicate managerial prowess.
- Adaptability: The ability to adapt to changing member needs and industry trends is crucial.
Regular performance reviews, surveys, and member testimonials can be used as tools to evaluate the effectiveness of a community manager.
Conclusion:
The essence of a coworking space lies not just in its infrastructure but in its community. This community is cultivated, nurtured, and sustained by the coworking community manager. Their multifaceted role, spanning from member engagement to operational oversight, is critical to creating a space where innovation flourishes, collaborations thrive, and members feel a genuine sense of belonging. The role of the community manager will undoubtedly become even more crucial. For those looking to ensure their coworking space stands out, investing in a competent and passionate community manager is a step in the right direction. The ripple effects of their efforts not only strengthen the community spirit but also significantly impact the bottom line, making their role indispensable.
