Basestation Case Study

Basestation is a coworking space, located in the heart of New Zealand’s startup scene, Tauranga. With 79 residents - representing 34 companies - in the building, there is a steady influx of guests navigating their way into Basestation via the front desk. We caught up with Community & Events Assistant Courtney - who most will agree is the face of Basestation - to talk all things SwipedOn. In this article, we'll deep-dive into how SwipedOn has transformed not only their front desk, but also Courtney's role as a director of first impressions.

The Priorities

When Basestation was initially looking for a visitor management system, their highest priorities were that it would be easy to use, hospitality focused and professional. With an average of 10 guests visiting per day, this coworking space welcomes a range of people through the door; from people simply looking for a coffee at Folk to freelancers looking for a hot desk for the day, interview candidates, and guests for one of those 34 companies who call Basestation their office. It’s important that all guests, especially those higher profile, sign in using a method which is does not feel cheap and unnecessary.

A New, Hospitality Focused Role

When Basestation initially implemented SwipedOn, Courtney’s role didn’t exist because there was no-one to sit at the front desk, SwipedOn really was their receptionist. As a community connector rather than a sole receptionist, even with her stationed at the front desk, the software is highly necessary.

Courtney’s role means that she can’t always be at her desk - whether she’s setting up an event, looking after residents or picking up the milk, SwipedOn means that she doesn't have to be glued to her desk 100% of the time. In this hospitality focused, coworking space it’s important to Courtney that SwipedOn is simply a tool that helps her do her job, rather than a tool that replaces it. If it weren’t for SwipedOn she wouldn’t be able to function properly within her role - she would be a classic receptionist and would need to be glued to her desk.

Why SwipedOn?

For Basestation, it was a personal reason. One of the SwipedOn co-founders was a permanent resident in Basestation from the first days of the coworking space being open. Through the process of SwipedOn growing, Basestation grew alongside and proved essential for feedback during the BETA period. Not only that, but with SwipedOn being a local business, it allows Basestation to support local. They also are reassured that, because SwipedOn is local, they know that the world class customer support team is on their doorstep and always happy to help when needed.

The Results

SwipedOn enables Courtney to actually do the role she was initially hired for and provides a professional back up for when she is not stationed at her desk. Most of the time, it will stop total chaos of someone walking into a strange building and having no idea where someone’s company is.

The three key features of SwipedOn that are most beneficial to Basestation include easy visitor sign in, customizable design and remembering previous visitors. The latter being very important to Basestation because it specifically alleviates stress associated with being a returning visitor along with the admin side of the job for Courtney. She still hasn’t come up with an appropriate name for it but comments “I keep wanting to call it my third arm or my right hand woman… my team mate… still figuring that one out!”

We asked Courtney to tell us a little more about how SwipedOn empowers her role...

"I get told off all the time for using the word receptionist for my role because that’s not what I am. But for someone walking through the door for the first time, I need to represent to them a familiar, safe space. If they need to see me as a receptionist to be able to feel calm and safe then that’s fine. Having a tool that’s sitting there which can alleviate the stress that I would experience, allows me to be a lot more present. So yes I’m scared robots might take over the world. But I also understand the power of empathy - and until robots get empathy I’m indispensable. I know my job isn’t being replaced by this machine, it’s actually taking a very menial but time consuming task and taking it off my plate."

Thanks for the insight Courtney! We hope you found this article helpful and it provides a good undestanding of how SwipedOn is utilised at this hospitality focused coworking space. We've highlighted the challenges and results below for quick reference. Feel free to hit the download button on this page to save and read at your leisure.

• The need for someone to always be stationed at the front desk
• A professional sign-in process that doesn’t seem cheap and unnecessary (aka a visitor book)
• Requiring a visitor management solution that is easy to use for a broad range of people walking through the front door

• Courtney is able to do the job she was hired to do which includes ensuring both guests and residents are happy
• An easy sign-in process for all ages and abilities that walk through the front door
• A professional-looking sign-in method that doesn't feel unecesary