You’ve bought the coworking software, got it all set up and now your troubles are over, right? Until they’re not…

That’s where consultants come in. We know that coworking operators sometimes think ‘why should we hire an external consultant?’. Isn’t it the job of the software company to deliver the service I need?  But you don’t buy Microsoft and expect Bill Gates to solve all your internal business problems. The core purpose of any software company is to continue to develop and improve its functionality and fix any issues and bugs along the way. 

The support team for the software you bought will of course be available for queries and questions. But they are there to solve the problem you have right now.  What they’re not there for is to dig into your processes, check how clean your data is and understand the full end to end picture for your specific business. That’s an impossible ask for software companies with thousands or tens of thousands of users. 

What does a consultant actually do? 

1 – We ask the right questions.

Often we start our discovery workshop sessions with new customers saying ‘your head may hurt at the end of this’ The first step of really understanding the requirements of a business is to ask A LOT of questions. This analysis work is essential.

What are your processes? Are they written down?  Who is responsible for managing your data?  Does any one person control the software right now?  What are the current issues and challenges?  Where would you like to be in the future?

Alongside this, we carry out an audit of the software, a look ‘under the bonnet’. That is, to see what is actually going on in your software, is the data clean? Is everyone on the team working in the same way or do some ‘fix’ the issues without understanding the impact on everything else? Are there clear workflows?

2 – We clean up the mess

Software is only as good as what you feed it. Duplicate member records, inconsistent naming conventions, outdated billing info, and undocumented workarounds don’t disappear when you switch platforms because you are frustrated with the software you have — they just move with you and cause new problems in a new system. 

We clean up your data and help you establish good habits (consistent approach to data entry, clear pricing structure, defined approval for changes) that keep the software running well long after implementation. Skip this step and even the best-fit platform will underperform, because no software can compensate for bad data.

3 – We recommend solutions based on your set of circumstances 

Coworking software is usually very flexible and open to customisation, because it has been built to accommodate the many different ways that many different coworking spaces do things. This is a great strength but also can be a weakness when you don’t understand the right way to set it up for your space. 

Getting this right from the outset lays the foundation for well-run systems. A consultant uses their experience, knowledge of the software and understanding of your business (see many questions above :-)), to implement your requirements and prepare the business for future growth. 

4 – We fix problems 

Often what brings a consultant into a coworking space business is team or management frustration. The software ‘isn’t working’. Things are breaking, customer experience is impacted, the team doesn’t understand what is causing the problems, and often you’re considering walking away. It’s the system that’s the problem, time for a new one…

The truth is, it’s rarely the software. It’s the way it’s been set up and the way it’s being used. Consultants make good detectives. They isolate the symptoms, trace it back to the root cause and provide long-term resolutions to prevent recurrence. A quick fix can solve today’s problem, but it will resurface if an underlying issue of incorrect process, software set-up or lack of training is not addressed. 

5 – We enhance your software use

While you might bring in a consultant to fix problems, often the real value comes from them recommending ways to improve what you’re already doing and make the most of your software investment.  

Strong knowledge of your coworking software allows a consultant to find opportunities for process automation, less manual work for your team and better customer experiences. It’s a well-documented fact that most businesses use 20% or less of the functionality of a software they’ve bought. We can help you make more return on your software investment.

The Bottom Line

To be fair, if you’re running a single small space, have simple billing needs, and the time to thoroughly test-drive the platform, you may be able to handle the set-up without outside help.

But if you’re managing multiple locations, complex membership structures, hardware integrations, or a migration from legacy software, the complexity climbs fast. 

Buying coworking software isn’t the hard part. Anyone can sign up for a free trial and click through a setup wizard.

The hard part is making sure the platform actually fits your business, integrates with what you already have, and gets implemented in a way that allows you to focus on the important stuff – your customers and successful growth. That’s where consultants earn our keep and provide the return-on-investment!