Chicago (The Loop)
Chicago (West Loop)
Chicago (Wacker)
Houston (Theater District)
Houston (Scanlan Building)
Dallas (Katy Building)
Charlotte (Uptown)
Jacksonville (Groover-Stewart Building)
Seattle (Pioneer Building)
Alexandria (Old Town)
Indianapolis (Circle Tower)
Pittsburgh (Golden Triangle)
San Diego (Gaslamp)
Denver (16th Street)
Chicago (River North)
Kansas City (Kessler Building)
Richmond (Shockoe Slip)
Nashville (5th Avenue)
Minneapolis (Lasalle Building)
Boulder (15th and Canyon)
Cincinnati (Hooper Building)
Savannah (Johnson Square)
Phoenix (Midtown)
Chicago (Superior)
Minneapolis (TriTech Center)
Madison (The Capitol)
Orlando (Angebilt Building)
Denver (Trinity Place)
Milwaukee (Cathedral Square)
San Jose (North First)
Washington, D.C. (Dupont Circle)
Phoenix (Heard Building)
Norfolk (City Center)
America Chicago
America Adak
America Anchorage
America Anguilla
America Antigua
America Araguaina
America Argentina - Buenos Aires
America Argentina - Catamarca
America Argentina - Cordoba
America Argentina - Jujuy
America Argentina - La Rioja
America Argentina - Mendoza
America Argentina - Rio Gallegos
America Argentina - Salta
America Argentina - San Juan
America Argentina - San Luis
America Argentina - Tucuman
America Argentina - Ushuaia
America Aruba
America Asuncion
America Atikokan
America Bahia
America Bahia Banderas
America Barbados
America Belem
America Belize
America Blanc-Sablon
America Boa Vista
America Bogota
America Boise
America Cambridge Bay
America Campo Grande
America Cancun
America Caracas
America Cayenne
America Cayman
America Chicago
America Chihuahua
America Costa Rica
America Creston
America Cuiaba
America Curacao
America Danmarkshavn
America Dawson
America Dawson Creek
America Denver
America Detroit
America Dominica
America Edmonton
America Eirunepe
America El Salvador
America Fort Nelson
America Fortaleza
America Glace Bay
America Godthab
America Goose Bay
America Grand Turk
America Grenada
America Guadeloupe
America Guatemala
America Guayaquil
America Guyana
America Halifax
America Havana
America Hermosillo
America Indiana - Indianapolis
America Indiana - Knox
America Indiana - Marengo
America Indiana - Petersburg
America Indiana - Tell City
America Indiana - Vevay
America Indiana - Vincennes
America Indiana - Winamac
America Inuvik
America Iqaluit
America Jamaica
America Juneau
America Kentucky - Louisville
America Kentucky - Monticello
America Kralendijk
America La Paz
America Lima
America Los Angeles
America Lower Princes
America Maceio
America Managua
America Manaus
America Marigot
America Martinique
America Matamoros
America Mazatlan
America Menominee
America Merida
America Metlakatla
America Mexico City
America Miquelon
America Moncton
America Monterrey
America Montevideo
America Montserrat
America Nassau
America New York
America Nipigon
America Nome
America Noronha
America North Dakota - Beulah
America North Dakota - Center
America North Dakota - New Salem
America Ojinaga
America Panama
America Pangnirtung
America Paramaribo
America Phoenix
America Port-au-Prince
America Port of Spain
America Porto Velho
America Puerto Rico
America Punta Arenas
America Rainy River
America Rankin Inlet
America Recife
America Regina
America Resolute
America Rio Branco
America Santarem
America Santiago
America Santo Domingo
America Sao Paulo
America Scoresbysund
America Sitka
America St Barthelemy
America St Johns
America St Kitts
America St Lucia
America St Thomas
America St Vincent
America Swift Current
America Tegucigalpa
America Thule
America Thunder Bay
America Tijuana
America Toronto
America Tortola
America Vancouver
America Whitehorse
America Winnipeg
America Yakutat
America Yellowknife
Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HAST)
Hawaii-Aleutian with Daylight Savings Time (HADT)
Alaska Standard Time (AKST)
Alaska with Daylight Savings Time (AKDT)
Pacific Standard Time (PST)
Pacific with Daylight Savings Time (PDT)
Mountain Standard Time (MST)
Mountain with Daylight Savings Time (MDT)
Central Standard Time (CST)
Central with Daylight Savings Time (CDT)
Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Eastern with Daylight Savings Time (EDT)
Atlantic Standard Time (AST)
Atlantic with Daylight Savings Time (ADT)

There are many benefits to coworking, which is why the concept is growing in popularity around the world. One of the many positives of coworking is that you are free to build your company dynamically, without a drastic rise in overheads. As your business expands, it is essential that you equip your team with the best tools available to provide structure, help communicate, and coordinate progress throughout all departments. With so many tools to choose from, it is important that you understand exactly what you need from each tool in order to help you make an informed decision.


1. Google Apps

Google has garnered a reputation for developing some of the best online organizational tools; their Apps suite provides small businesses with many low-cost benefits. Storing large piles of paperwork is not an option in a coworking environment, but Google’s excellent implementation of cloud computing eliminates this problem quickly and easily with the added advantage that people can collaborate on a piece of work. Microsoft Office has always been the undisputed market leader, but Google Docs is rapidly closing that gap, and for individual companies, it may be a better choice.


2. Slack

Slack is one of the fastest growing platforms for small business communication. Effectively an online chat program, it offers many advanced and premium features. Totally cross-platform, Slack enables teams to talk within one large group, individually, or any other variation that is needed. For instance, managers could have their own private group with individual employees, but also have integrated channels shared with everyone on the team. Communication within a company is a fundamental component to success, and Slack provides many different methods to facilitate this.


3. Trello

There may well be situations where instant communication could be difficult, especially if your team works in different shifts. In this regard, Slack may not be a great solution. Trello, on the other hand, is an easy way to run and coordinate your project management. Separate teams are easily able to see the progress made on projects and what remains. The software is very easy to learn and understand, which is another important factor to consider when selecting your software of choice. With the bonus of native Google Docs integration, Trello provides the perfect project management platform with only a subtle learning curve for your staff.


4. Dropbox

Dropbox provides the perfect solution for file storage. A cloud-based storage system, it has apps for the vast majority of platforms that provides easy access to all of your important files, regardless of location. This includes videos, photos, and any other type of digital medium. Syncing is fully automated, and the system can be set up to store your files on a desktop computer and in the cloud. This provides a form of resilience should either system develop a fault.


5. LastPass

Security should always be of importance both in personal and professional situations. Clients are trusting you with their data, and as your business grows, the list of passwords and login details will also grow. Storing these vital details in a book or on a sheet of paper is introducing a significant weakness into your security procedures. Secondly, if all ten employees need access to a piece of software or a server, it is essential that you have a better system than just providing everyone with a sheet of paper. LastPass provides the perfect solution for all of these issues, as it allows you to have one separate encrypted security vault, which can be accessed individually via a private password. Each employee has their individual password, and the owner of the company has the option to limit access to certain items. LastPass provides the best level of protection, for online passwords, and your data remains safe and secure at all times.


There are thousands of different pieces of software you can use to further enhance your coworking space. As a manager or owner, it is essential to remember that any software is only valuable if your staff can operate it quickly and easily.

Keep in mind, overly complicated pieces of software will create more problems than they solve, so consider all options before making your final decision. At Novel Coworking we are always evaluating ways to further enhance the coworking experience, so come visit one of our locations and try it out!