Case Study: Member experience review: engagement & strategy

Desklodge is an award winning co-working and flex office provider in two locations in central Bristol, Beacon Tower, and DesklodgeHouse. It launched in 2013 as one of the first co-working spaces in Bristol and has a dedicated following within start-up and tech communities.

They provide hotdesks and dedicated desks for freelancers and individuals, as well as private offices for small businesses up to around 50 people. They also offer meeting rooms and event spaces and provide plentiful shared spaces for businesses to mix with others and network. They have a unique, fun and quirky style of décor which attracts start-up businesses in particular.

The challenge.

Since Desklodge’s launch, both ways of working and office provision have changed significantly, as well as the approach to individual differences such as neurodiversity. Desklodge recognised the importance of engaging with their members, both from an individual and team/business perspective, in order to understand their needs and remain competitive. They opted to use Workwell to carry out this review and engagement in order to offer an independent perspective as well as contribute their expertise of what people need in the workplace.

What we did.

• A review of occupation data, meeting room booking data, customer satisfaction survey and exit survey.

• Competitor analysis, member sector analysis

• Bespoke member experience survey

• Business owner focus group

The result.

We found that hot desk occupation had been declining while private office occupation was stable but not increasing. This aligned with hot deskers reporting reduced connections and networking opportunities as private offices took precedent. Members were very impressed with the staff and atmosphere but less satisfied with some aspects such as settings for video calls and lack of calm spaces. Business owners were concerned with suitable provision for welcoming clients and investors, both on video calls and in person, as well as often low office working rates by their staff due to flexible hybrid working.

We recommended a series of practical, procedural and behavioural changes, split into immediate and longer-term, in order to retain existing occupants and attract new ones, ensuring Desklodge remains competitive and reflects the changing landscape of work.

"Deborah and WorkWell PCS were extremely easy to work with. They understood the reasons why we wanted to conduct customer research and helped us develop a strategy to achieve this. Once the survey had been completed they brought us really valuable insights and headlines as well as deeper data to digest and work through. Would highly recommend.”

Jamie Ellis, Managing Director, DeskLodge