ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON COWORKINGEUROPE.NET

Essensys is a leader in building software for workspace operators throughout the world. The platform aims at powering every workspace operator’s business, allowing them to grow by automating processes from lead to cash and everything in between. The Essensys software also provides an active community interface that serves as a global networking and member directory, a social feed, and a communication tool for events, announcements, and operator-to-member and member-to-member messaging.

We interviewed Steve Eveleigh, CMO of Essensys, one of the main partners for this year’s Coworking Europe conference.

Hi, Steve. You provide a digital workplace management platform. How do you make sure that your tool remains as “human-centric” as possible?

There is a misconception that technology removes the human element.

In our ten years’ experience, we’ve seen operators hindered by the complexity of running their workspaces. Consumed by manual billing and invoicing, mundane administrative tasks and clunky IT management, operators spend little time in the workspace with their members. Our platform resolves the problem of inefficient processes and the need to juggle multiple vendors, contracts and systems in a way that gives operators more time to focus on their customer relationships and the member experience in their center.  

Our software not only makes managing the coworking space easier and more efficient so operators can spend more time with their members. It also provides a digital community platform for all. Members can take ownership and initiative in building the community that they want with the ability to connect and grow relationships within their workspace community platform.

Connecting, co-collaborating and building professional and social bonds is easier and more human-centric than ever.

This year’s GWA brought together new members, new vendors and old friends under the bright lights of Sin City. We’re taking a stand against the cliché whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. We took it all with us and want to share our 10 key takeaways from this year’s 30^th Annual GWA Conference.

1. New Faces to the Industry

It was great to see so many new operators at GWA 2016. We spoke with many new members at the welcome events and later during the breakout sessions and it was refreshing to see new faces, ideas and investment beginning to proliferate through our industry. Not only are there new members who have been running spaces, but we met a slew of future-operators attending the GWA to get the guidance and know-how from industry experts.

There is an entire market out there seeking interactive environments to grow and nurture their business objectives. This goes for professionals in creative industries as much as it does for TMT industries. At GWA 2016 we saw new and existing Operators keen to optimize on this and deliver customized space and services to their membership.

2. Co-working is Dominating Discussions

There is no doubt that coworking is booming – but almost all of the new operators I spoke to at GWA 2016 were operating coworking spaces. Many were still in the early stage and had big ideas of how they can scale their business and grow their membership and number of sites. Many were looking to find out how they could integrate technology into their operation and to their portfolio.

RELIABLE AND HIGH PERFORMING TECHNOLOGY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF A SUCCESSFUL WORKSPACE ACCORDING TO ESSENSYS, WHICH HAS DEVELOPED A PLATFORM FOR WORKSPACE COMPANIES THAT IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND, ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. GLORIA LOMBARDI INTERVIEWS ESSENSYS' CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER STEPHEN EVELEIGH, IN MARGINALIA, TO FIND OUT MORE.

Flexible workspaces are flourishing and to a large degree have been driven by the changing expectations of companies and indeed their workforces – they have created a new phenomenon called space-as-a-service market. In fact, over the past few years we have witnessed the emergence of flexible office solutions such as co-working spaces, innovation hubs, science parks and executive suites. Companies such as WeWork, the Impact Hub or Techspace are examples in a sector which is growing – attracting both small and large entrants. 

 
Written by Mark Furness, essensys CEO. Originally published in Officing Today
 
In their vision of tomorrow’s office, some futurists might be doing the younger generation a disservice. Millennials are more sociable than you might think. Quick to label them the digital natives that favour online communication tools and remote working options, there is a danger that we miss a key ingredient – people.
 
From our experience, younger workers are in fact, more collaborative in the way they work than previous generations. They value the contributions of their colleagues and aren’t afraid to pull in resources from outside of their usual business circles. 

 
This week is International Coworking week and in observance, we’ve put together a past, present and future snapshot of the most important topics to keep you in the know.

 
 By Justin Harley, Vice President of International Business development at essensys
 
Think of workflow automation as a way to delight your customers by transforming the quality and consistency of your service.
 
A workflow is a sequence of steps and actions that need to happen for a business process to complete. Today, in most shared workspaces, this is all manual. Imagine if you could remove repetitive and time-consuming tasks while enhancing human interactions with your customers too!
 
Automated workflows can have a major impact across your workspace - from sales enquiries to on-boarding customers. I’d like to share an example, as well as six key benefits to staff and customers.

 
By David Kinnaird, President North America at essensys
 

Today’s modern workforce – from freelancers and entrepreneurs to large businesses – has never had so many workspace options. The rising cost of commercial real estate in urban areas and the increased competition among shared workspace operators accentuates the need for providers to stay competitive and to make cash.
 
Based on over 10 years’ experience with one of the UK’s largest providers of shared workspace, I’d like to share some insight to help you succeed. Whether you already operate shared space or have plans to integrate it into your offering, here is some food for thought.

Based at the Steelcase Worklife Center in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month, the latest GCUCALL event was a grand slam in the essensys books. GCUC (Global Coworking Unconference Conference) is the largest coworking conference event series in the world and this year, they partnered with the Alliance Business Center Network to form a global union within our industry: GCUCALL.