The Community Management cheat sheet: William Hatfield’s 5 tips for smooth operations

The Community Manager role at a coworking space is a dynamic, multifaceted one. Between overseeing daily operations, handling member requests, and fostering a strong sense of community, this job is a balancing act of structure and adaptability. 

Few know this better than William Hatfield, Community Manager at The Work Well in Houston, Texas.

A seasoned coworking professional and runner-up for the Global Workspace Association’s Community Manager of the Year award, Hatfield and his team have developed streamlined systems to manage operations efficiently and effectively—without sacrificing member experience. 

In this interview, Hatfield gives a glimpse into what it takes to be a world-class Community Manager, and shares five tips fellow Community Management teams can use to make their days run more smoothly.

A day in the life of The Work Well’s William Hatfield 

Every day in a coworking space brings new challenges and opportunities. While Hatfield aims for a structured schedule, reality often dictates a mix of planned work and unexpected needs.

“My goal is a 75/25 split between structured time and reactive tasks,” he explains. “But honestly, it’s usually closer to 50/50. Some days, I have everything mapped out, and then we have walk-in tours, IT issues, or member requests that change the entire trajectory of my day.”

In the morning, Hatfield starts by walking the space, ensuring everything is in order—from internet connectivity to fresh coffee at the bar. 

Then, he shifts to handling emails, billing, and any pre-scheduled tasks before opening up his schedule for ad hoc needs like facility tours, community engagement, and problem-solving.

The key to making it all work seamlessly? Implementing these five fundamental strategies.

5 strategies Community Managers can use for simpler, more efficient workdays

Being a great Community Manager takes a blend of structure, adaptability, and smart delegation. 

That’s why Hatfield and his team use these five strategies for keeping coworking operations smooth, organized, and member-focused.

1. Build systems that eliminate guesswork

For a Community Manager, consistency is key. Having documented procedures for daily tasks prevents things from falling through the cracks and makes training new team members easier.

“Every primary service offering—whether it’s setting up a printer, managing memberships, or handling mail—needs a detailed checklist and workflow,” Hatfield explains. “We utilize a shared calendar for visibility and task assignments, printed procedure guides for key processes, and have used programs like Asana and Microsoft Teams to help manage projects.”

This structured approach ensures that even on busy days, essential tasks get completed efficiently and correctly.

2. Create a schedule with both structure and flexibility

Unpredictability is the only predictable part of a Community Manager’s day. Between planned responsibilities and unexpected requests, you need to strike a balance between structured time and flexibility.

“I try to schedule my most important administrative work in the mornings so that the afternoons remain open for anything unpredictable,” Hatfield shares. “Walk-ins, last-minute requests, and member needs are easier to accommodate when I’m not tied down by meetings or deep work all day.”

By intentionally setting up a flexible schedule, Hatfield ensures that the business runs efficiently while still allowing room for member interactions and last-minute challenges.

3. Define team member roles and responsibilities

There’s no one member of a Community Management team who can do it all alone. Delegation is essential to ensuring that nobody gets overwhelmed while maintaining high service levels for members. 

"I focus on items like billing/accounting, member relations, community engagement and community level operational decisions," Hatfield explains. "For the day-to-day tasks, our entire team relies heavily on each other to ensure everything gets done with minimal bottlenecks."

Tennaiyha Jefferson is the Front Desk Associate and a primary contact for Work Well members. She's also responsible for handling the majority of the digital mail operations.

"She spends dedicated time each day managing nearly 285 digital mailbox and business address customers," says Hatfield. “This is a mix of our own members as well as the many customers we’ve received from iPostal1. I will say that iPostal1 has created a really good, user-friendly interface for both the customer as well as the coworking space operator. It’s very efficient and easy for our Community Management team to use. So, we’ve been able to systemize how we offer these services so that Tennaiyha can efficiently sort mail, send notifications, and flag larger packages for pickup—without it becoming overwhelming.”

He adds, “For the amount of revenue these services generate, it’s a low-effort, high-impact operation that runs smoothly with minimal oversight.”

Beyond digital mail, Tennaiyha also handles member check-ins, assists with tours, and manages inquiries from walk-ins. 

Meanwhile, The Work Well’s General Manager, Olga West, focuses on sales, occupancy, prospect tours, membership execution, and overall operational reporting for the brand.

Events are another major aspect of community-building at The Work Well, and Hatfield’s team assists with logistics, from setting up spaces to communicating event details to members. 

“We host anywhere from six to ten events per month, so making sure the team knows their roles ahead of time is key,” he says. “A well-delegated team ensures that everything runs smoothly and nobody is overwhelmed.”

4. Set time boundaries to support efficiency

While interruptions are par for the course on any given day, Community Managers still need dedicated time to focus on core tasks. Hatfield’s solution? Having a designated quiet area within The Work Well. 

“I block out time in a separate office for deep work—billing, member research, and system improvements,” he shares. “Otherwise, I’d never get uninterrupted time to focus.”

By setting boundaries for focus work, Community Managers can handle administrative tasks more efficiently without compromising their availability to members.

5. Automate to save time and enhance member experience

“Automation has been a game-changer for us,” Hatfield shares. “It reduces our manual workload and allows us to focus on what really matters—creating a great experience for our members.”

One of the biggest efficiency boosters has been Kisi’s automated door access, which eliminates the need for manual key management and improves security, particularly for after-hours access. 

“With Kisi, we don’t have to worry about manually unlocking doors or handling access requests,” Hatfield explains. “It’s fully integrated with our booking system, so when a member makes a reservation, access is automatically granted.” 

William’s bonus tips for Community Managers

The Work Well utilizes onboarding surveys via SurveyMonkey to enhance the member experience.

“Our surveys help us stay ahead of issues and keep members happy,” Hatfield says. “We don’t wait for problems to arise—we identify them early and solve them before they escalate.” 

To simplify communication and engagement, The Work Well also leverages a private social media group to keep members informed and connected. 

“Creating a private Facebook group for members has helped automate engagement, in a way,” Hatfield adds. “For one, it allows us to share updates, promote events, and foster connections quickly. But it also provides our members with a way to engage with one another, even when our team isn’t directly involved.”

A well-organized Community Manager directly impacts the success of a coworking space. 

By structuring workflows, leveraging delegation, and prioritizing engagement, Community Management teams can help coworking spaces run more smoothly—leading to happier members and a more profitable business.

With iPostal1 and iWorkSpaceMail, Community Management teams can help generate additional revenue for your coworking space—no heavy lifting necessary. iPostal1 brings in digital mailbox customers beyond your coworking community, while iWorkSpaceMail lets you offer the same service to existing members. 

With a simple system in place, digital mail can be managed efficiently in just a couple of hours per day—allowing your team to focus on building a great member experience.

Ready to get started? Contact us today.