{"id":1021,"date":"2023-09-04T13:06:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T18:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/?p=1021"},"modified":"2023-10-23T13:15:51","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T18:15:51","slug":"humans-tech-community-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/humans-tech-community-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"Humans + Tech: Community Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog is supported by Yardi<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Coworkers are sociable creatures \u2013 and they need human interaction throughout the day. They want to drink coffee and eat lunch together. They want to see each other\u2019s eyes light up as they throw ideas around over the table.<\/h3>\n

At the same time, technology is advancing at superspeed. Organisations across every sector are looking to increase efficiency by embedding technology into their everyday practices.<\/p>\n

So, how is tech sitting with those inside the coworking industry? Is there a place for modern technology in spaces designed to facilitate human connection?<\/p>\n

On Tech: The Community Managers<\/h4>\n

With so many different needs and personalities coming together in one place, coworking spaces can be tricky to manage. Community managers are a special breed of human who can keep their cool while the fire alarms are being tested, the coffee machine is leaking and that enthusiastic new member, Jerry, is asking them to help book a meeting room.<\/p>\n

Surely they could use a hand? We asked three community managers what kind of tech helps them to deliver the kind of experiences their members are looking for.<\/p>\n

Tech that\u2019s part of the furniture<\/h4>\n

The coworking industry is designed to facilitate human connection, so it makes sense that community managers are focused on the experience they\u2019re providing to their members. Flashy tech isn\u2019t welcome in the majority of spaces \u2013 instead, community managers are looking for solutions that can support them to connect with their members on a human level.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a relatively small team running a big space,\u201d Becky Thorn from Spacemade<\/a> tells us. \u201cIt\u2019s a challenge being everywhere all at once. We have iPads that check people in, so we can concentrate on providing that 1-1 experience they come to us for.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo Credit – Spacemade<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

iPads are unobtrusive and intuitive to use, and it takes a job that can be pretty time consuming off the community manager\u2019s hands. They\u2019re part of many people\u2019s everyday already \u2013 but what happens when a coworking space introduces something a bit different?<\/p>\n

Tech that functions well<\/h4>\n

Equipment that integrates seamlessly into the space can allow the people running the space to shine. Equipment that doesn\u2019t work as expected, though, can be incredibly stressful for community managers and coworkers alike.<\/p>\n

Matt Miller from Projects<\/a> found that out the hard way when Projects Lanes opened.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a real challenge when our front door mechanism broke. It’s not like a normal door \u2013 you’ve got different control panels that enable different ways to access the building.\u201d The glitch was something of a blessing in disguise, because it allowed the team to get to grips with the system early on. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to push your tech to the limit in order to understand exactly how it works.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo Credit – Projects<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Tech that helps everyone belong<\/h4>\n

Projects is integrating technology with the clear intention of helping their members feel a sense of belonging \u2013 and making sure they can easily operate it without help is key.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that being able to use our tech independently helps our members to feel a lot more at ease in our spaces,\u201d says Matt. \u201cIf they\u2019re struggling to do something that should be simple, like connect a computer to a TV, they tend to get frustrated and sometimes begin to question whether this is the right place for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as making sure they\u2019re installing the most user friendly tech on the market, Projects is creating easy to follow how-to guides for every tech-enabled room. \u201cOur guides are all written by ad-hoc users rather than tech teams. That way they\u2019re free of jargon and person-friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a place for fun, immersive tech when it comes to building a healthy sense of community in a coworking space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll never forget our launch party, when we brought in a laser maze company to showcase the possibilities for our event space,\u201d Matt reminisces. \u201cThe game had an unexpected side effect: it really brought people together. People were meeting in the queue and cheering each other on, and were genuinely happy for each other when they \u2018won\u2019. Everyone was part of the action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tech that facilitates connection<\/h4>\n

Trey Nelson-Campbell from X+Why<\/a> knows that people join coworking spaces to be with other people, and believes that should remain the focus when it comes to embedding new technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our own app which allows members to book meeting rooms, and also connect with each other when they\u2019re not in the space.\u201d Nothing can beat the magic of a real-life conversation, though. \u201cWe always promote organic relationships, where members meet at the coffee machine or at one of our breakfasts.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Photo Credit – x+why<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Trey finds job satisfaction in building meaningful connections with members. Often, that means being there to help solve their challenges as and when they come up. \u201cI like being their go-to person. No need to \u2018raise a ticket\u2019. Let\u2019s keep it old school – come and see me and we\u2019ll get it sorted out!\u201d<\/p>\n

Tech that improves (work) lives<\/h4>\n

How could wellbeing be enhanced in coworking spaces? There are lots of big ideas being thrown about right now, but perhaps the most impactful could be made possible by detailed data capture and ambient tech.<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine if you could personalise somebody’s office to exactly how they like it,\u201d Becky muses. \u201cIf members walked into their office and it was the perfect temperature, and their favourite chocolate bar was waiting for them.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tech also has the potential to improve the work-life balance of community teams, by taking over out-of-hours service. \u201cWe don’t want to be working 24\/7,\u201d Becky tells us, \u201cbut we still want people to have a good experience when we\u2019re not here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tech that works with them (not for them)<\/h4>\n

Lots of people are feeling anxious about losing their jobs to their robot counterparts in the future \u2013 but community managers in coworking spaces seem pretty confident that they can never be replaced.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople buy from people, not robots,\u201d Trey believes. \u201cAnd community managers bring the vibes. No one can bottle a coworking space\u2019s vibe – it’s unique and it’s really hard to replicate. You cannot fake it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They\u2019re not even in a rush to get help with everyday tasks like emailing and social media posts from generative AI.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a people person,\u201d emphasises Matt. \u201cI want to be as personal and supportive as I can be. I\u2019m worried I\u2019d regress if I started relying on tech to help me interact with members.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the future for humans + tech in coworking spaces?<\/h4>\n

As the demographic of coworking changes, coworking spaces will inevitably become more tech enabled to meet the expectations of their members.<\/p>\n

\u201cYounger people are starting to join our spaces, and they’re very techie,\u201d Becky tells us. \u201cThey expect a space to be tech enabled, because they\u2019ve never known anything different.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There\u2019s one thing we\u2019re hearing loud and clear from our community managers, though. Coworking is human, and always will be. Technology is welcome to play a supporting role.<\/p>\n

\n

This article was researched and written by humans Emilie Lashmar and Rose Radtke, with the help of AI. We interviewed all of the coworking managers on Zoom, and used Otter.ai<\/a> to record and transcribe our conversations. We used Notion to capture our thinking.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you to Yardi<\/a> for sponsoring this article. Yardi is a software company that is passionate about creating engaging content whilst championing those working within this evolving industry. Their extensive range of software products and services is used by a variety of coworking and real estate companies and professionals.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog is supported by Yardi. Coworkers are sociable creatures \u2013 and they need human interaction throughout the day. They want to drink coffee and eat lunch together. They want to see each other\u2019s eyes light up as they throw ideas around over the table. At the same time, technology is advancing at superspeed. Organisations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,32],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uk.gcuc.co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}