Joining a new community is always a unique experience for everyone. When a new member enters your coworking space for the first time, it is very important to warmly welcome them, right from signing the agreement to sorting them. It gives an excellent first impression of your coworking space.
Whether your coworking space is cool or not, you have to make every effort for new members to feel a part of your community from the first day. It would be best to show them every strategy to succeed with their new coworking space in the first few weeks.
You cannot wait to grow your community organically. You have to take some extra steps and provide support to build your community faster during the onboarding process.
It may look challenging as many frictions can arise while onboarding a new member. To reduce them, take a look at these tips to welcome new members of your coworking space.
1. Start With a Welcome Box
Apart from the documentation needed (digital or hard copy), you can include a welcome box of customized t-shirts, coffee mugs, custom candle boxes, and a personalized photo book listing all of the amenities of your coworking space. It will make the new members feel special and also improve your relationship with them. For innovative ideas on welcome box gifts, you can also search websites like Pinterest.
You can also include a list of nearby restaurants, cafes, and other amenities which the new members might enjoy visiting. To elevate your first impression, you can also provide them with one-time free passes to upcoming events or coupons to businesses you are partnered with.
2. Provide a Tour of the Space
Show the new members where their private office is and also the public areas of your space. Let them know which area to hang out in casually with their peers, how to reserve meeting rooms, or where they can make phone calls. Do not forget to show them all the amenities you have, even if you have a small space. In short, make them feel comfortable and oriented with the surroundings.
You need to provide information about accessing the space as you cannot assume they know all things. If a new member is stuck on these basic things, you may never be able to delight them with your community or hospitality.
3. Connect New Members With Current Members
Connect the new members with current members in your community (who can potentially benefit from each other). If possible, make an open conference with the existing and new members to give their intros.
It will make the new members feel good and help them find a potential partner with a like mindset. It would be best to connect the members with similar hobbies, professions, and skills to grow your community faster.
4. Add Them to Your Group Lists
When a new member gets added to your coworking space, make sure to add them to all your social network channels like Facebook, Twitter, Slack, community board, email newsletter list, directory, etc.
It will help them to stay connected with your business at the time of need. Don't just stop by adding a new member to your group list; go ahead and announce them with a brief introduction to show them how much your community is active.
5. Suggest Them Neighborhood Spots
If the new member is unaware of the locality, you can suggest neighborhood spots for lunch, shopping, etc. It will make them feel comfortable to navigate for their next lunch or a sip of coffee easily.
You can also provide them with a list of other important amenities and resources available near the office, as it might come in handy during an emergency or need.
6. Introduce Them to the Community
Existing members are always curious to know about who joins their community. So, introduce the new members to the community through any digital medium like emails, social media, or even through bulletins in your coworking space.
If possible, explain in brief about the new member so that it helps to start an internal conversation and make the community function more effectively.
7. Invite Them to the Next Event
Sending a personalized invitation to new members in your coworking space will make them feel special rather than just dropping an email to them.
When the new members arrive at your event, try to interact with them and make them part of your community discussions.
If the new members miss out on the event, don't forget to send them an email saying, "We missed your presence in our last event!"
8. Host a New Member Meetup
It feels good to improve connections and strengthen bonds with the new members facing the same experience as old members. If possible, arrange a small group meetup with the new members. It may act as an icebreaker for them.
To make the process more comfortable, pose a question that acts as an icebreaker, and every new member can relate to. It will help them get comfortable with each other and also understand the values of your coworking space.
9. Take Them for Lunch or Coffee
The new member might not be aware of your coworking space surroundings. So, treat them as your friend and offer them lunch or coffee to make them feel special.
If you know someone who can make the interaction more lively, then take them up with you to lunch or coffee so that the newbie feels comfortable during the conversation.
If you cannot afford lunch, at least try making a coffee for the new member and hit them up with some cheerful conversation.
10. Ask Them Questions
On the first day, new members might have many questions running in their minds regarding your workspace. So, to clear their doubts and provide reassurance, it is important to ask as many questions as possible and solve their queries.
The best way to understand the needs of a new member is to have an in-person meeting with your community manager and ask a list of onboarding questions. It will help you better understand what they are looking for and why they have joined your coworking space.
11. Invite Members to Your Workspace App
Invite the new members to your workspace app, where they can interact with your other community members or seek help if they find it challenging to get the work done themselves.
It will also help you make new members' onboarding process easy and manage welcome activities more effectively. You can introduce the new members through a community newsfeed and let them immediately access all workspace perks and services.
Also, make sure that the steps required for the new members to sign in are reduced with the help of your workspace management system.
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12. Send Contract by Mail
You can send it to new members in advance through the mail when you sign a lease contract. It helps the new members get familiar with your terms and conditions before signing the contract in person.
13. Schedule Monthly Orientation
Scheduling a monthly orientation will help the new members to build strong connections with the existing members in your coworking space. When you plan for a monthly orientation, ensure that you follow the same routine and day every month.
It helps the newbies save the date every month and make themself comfortable for upcoming monthly orientations.
14. Follow up Onboarding
For example, if you were in a restaurant and the server disappeared as soon as he served food, you might probably rate the restaurant as poor. Because he did not understand what your further requirements are?
Similarly, when a new person joins your coworking space, it is important to ensure that the member is settled in and all his doubts regarding your space are answered.
Regular communication and open feedback will make the new member feel that member satisfaction and experience are the top priority of your coworking space.
Final Words
The idea behind every tip listed above is to make the new members feel comfortable and engaged with your community. Try these simple hacks and see how good every new member feels when they first step into your coworking space.
Also, create a consistent process for onboarding new members and provide training to your team about these processes. You need to help your team members to understand the importance of a great onboarding experience.
It always takes less effort to keep existing members than to find new ones. And a great onboarding experience will also work as an effective marketing and retention strategy for your coworking space.
Try to provide a positive experience and help them get more than their expectations in the first week of joining, and the members will be more likely to stay with you.
The article was written by Ranjit Singh. Ranjit is a freelance web developer and blogger at AppsTale. He helps online business owners to increase their sales and optimize conversions through various marketing strategies.
