Essential features to look for in a Workspace Management Software

The UK government, in partnership with public and private sector bodies, are investing to support the renovation and expansion of High Streets across the UK. With numerous flexible workspaces currently being repurposed from existing high street buildings, vacant high street assets are being regenerated to introduce premises with mixed facilities, allowing professionals to share space, specialist equipment, business support and other resources at more affordable rates, and these multi-use spaces are creating opportunities for high streets and town centres to become more explicitly community focused.

Despite all this great work, high streets may find themselves unequipped to deal with the challenge to accommodate new types of space formats, for example, re-orientating for a wider mix of users, incorporating greater adaptability with shorter term licences and changing space configuration.  Technology therefore has a key role to play to efficiently adapt to these changing circumstances, assisting in managing repurposed space and looking to achieving sustainable growth.

Successful workspace providers are powered by robust Workspace Management Software solutions that provide a centralised platform which allows for a more positive on-boarding and day-to-day experience and improved space efficiency and processing capacity. Workspace management is designed to unlock functionality on major components such as occupancy, contract management, billing, payment and space utilisation and offer a variety of reporting and analytical functions. Many solutions available on the market may appear to have similar capabilities and it could be difficult to evaluate all the available options.

What are therefore the essential features that shareholders and managers should look for when choosing the ideal solution to support their processes? Every space of course has different priorities, and based on this and the detailed feedback received from our users, we’ve categorised these features to must-have, should have and nice-to-have features.

Must-have essential features for your business needs:

• A current property and facilities database, with detailed view and breakdown of all available space, including shared calendar views with ad-hoc and temporary space availability, such as meeting rooms or event locations, across all sites.
• Resident and customer management tools with current and historic customer records.
• Sales pipeline and enquiry management including integration for lead importing, task management and proposal generation.
• Contract management for leases and licenses of any contract type or term, with abilities to record stepped deals and rent-free periods, record associated services and set-up fees, and manage on-going existing contracts and renewals. 
• Financial and payment management (with links to other accounting systems), automated billing, with the ability to import charges from 3rd party systems such as call charges, meter readings and point of sale devices.
• Bank reconciliation functions and Direct Debit collections.
• Event booking management for rooms, resources and services (with capacity and availability) diary overview, room booking creation and recording of associated services such as catering, business equipment and all other available resources.
• In-depth business reporting.

Should-have features that can add substantial value for staff and customers:

• E-signature capabilities for contract management, client on-boarding and room bookings.
• An external bookings and payment portal for capturing additional business from external sources.
• Self-service customer portal for convenient self-service of bookings for meeting rooms and common resources, account overview, maintenance requests and site documentation.
• Digital Signage: meeting room and office bookings, door and reception display, providing tenancy listings and news feeds.
• Visitor and appointment management with contactless sign-in for visitors, staff, vendors & contractors and emergency roll-call features.

Nice-to-have support features:

• Enterprise-wide management of incoming parcels.
• Asset management and inventory control.
• Billing for meter charges.
• Full facilities maintenance support.

In addition, your chosen solution should be from a reliable provider that can assist you with implementations, ensure integration within your software and support remote working.  The following should also be included in your package: consultancy services, full training and reliable and friendly support to assist in day-to-day operations.

If you would like to discover more about our solutions, please click here or contact us to discuss your requirements. Our experts can help you to understand and choose the right technology for your needs. Get in contact today to see what you can do to add value to your space and support your employees and customers.