We keep it open and flexible. People's plans change all the time, a car breaks down, the kids get sick, etc etc.
Too much stuff happens to require people to adhere to a rigid system, at least that's the way we see it at our space. On Fri, Mar 22, 2019 at 6:31 AM Alex Hillman <[email protected]> wrote: > Even when we were tiny (<1800 sq ft) we never required pre-scheduled > usage, and never have. We DO ask people to pre-schedule tours (though we > won't turn away a walk-in, we might ask them to hang out in our lounge > until we're done with something), but to come in and work I've seen it be > an unnecessary barrier in far too many cases. > > Often people plan to come in, and their plans change. Sometimes, people > realize that they need a change of scenery. > > Most people do the scheduling systems because they fear overbooking, but > when I ask, they've never actually experienced overbooking or even close to > it! And especially when you have a mix of alternative zones (including > lounge/kitchen type gathering spaces) there's always a backup for someone > to have a spot they could sit and work. > > So instead of having people pre-register, the metric we monitor is the > daily average # of empty spots. And when that number begins to REGULARLY > get close to zero (for even the smallest spaces, I suggest when that number > gets anywhere near 2-3 empty spots), we start a waiting list for our > highest-usage flex membership options (in our case, that's a 3 day a week > plan). This means we stop adding new flex desk-users who are most likely to > come in often and take us to "zero spots left." > > IMO, this metric is muuuuuuch more useful than "occupancy" which > celebrates 100%. I never want our space to be 100% occupied, I want it to > be comfortably active and with available spots for someone to walk in > unexpectedly and have a great day. The easiest way to do that is to make > sure there is always at least 1 open seat, and design that into your space > & business model. > > -Alex > > > > On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 11:03 AM <[email protected]> wrote: > >> That is a good idea, but sometimes people who have impromtu needs might >> be turned off >> >> On Monday, March 18, 2019 at 3:49:07 PM UTC+1, AK wrote: >>> >>> Wondering. Since we have limited space that we want to get maximum use >>> out of, should we require our "hot desk" users to pre-schedule or at least >>> call? I hate to turn people away, but feel in order to accommodate, people >>> should plan. >>> >>> We are a small space owner and may not even open if people are not using >>> it for the day. >>> >>> Feedback welcome. >>> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Coworking" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Coworking" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Coworking" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
