India’s largest community of coworking areas, Awfis, focuses on the energy of coworking areas for uplifting and fostering creativity inside workplaces. Initially, its goal group included startups, freelancers, and entrepreneurs, however as the model matured, and the coworking tradition began to realize prominence, it included mid-sized corporates and SMEs in its goal group. Over the years, the model positioning of Awfis has advanced and it has emphasised work-life stability, selling a productive atmosphere and way of life for professionals.
Over the final two years, the power of the community of Awfis has grow to be the focus of the model’s communication technique, with a larger focus on facilitating networking and collaborations and never simply offering workspace options. It has adopted a D2C or Direct-to-Consumer method centering on constructing a powerful on-line presence by way of content material advertising and marketing and social media, leveraging influencer collaborations, and harnessing the energy that comes with influencer advertising and marketing in reaching the most variety of customers. For its wide selection of merchandise, it depends on B2B advertising and marketing, creating the buyer profiles of its purchasers and mapping their buyer journeys, together with categorising the totally different approaches for lead technology in addition to lead nurturing.
Sheetal Vanwari has headed advertising and marketing communications operations at Awfis since March 2023 and has a number of years of expertise with a diversified skilled journey. In dialog with Adgully, Sheetal Vanwari, Head of Marketing, Awfis, mentioned, “From its basis, Awfis has been a trailblazer in shaping the Indian coworking landscape, introducing a paradigm that resonated with professionals, startups, and companies by recognising the demand for versatile options.”
What is the model positioning of Awfis? What is its USP?
Awfis’ model positioning has advanced. In its nascent stage, Awfis focused freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startups, focusing on the potential of coworking areas to encourage and foster creativity. As the model matured and the idea of coworking in India began to mushroom, it shifted its consideration to SMEs and mid-sized corporates. Emphasising the significance of group and work-life stability, we positioned ourselves as the place the place work seamlessly built-in with private life, selling a harmonious and productive way of life for professionals.
The COVID-19 pandemic offered a novel problem and alternative for Awfis. Experiencing exponential development throughout this era marked a big transformation in the model. Awfis shifted its focus to focus on enterprise and huge company purchasers, increasing its choices to fulfill a various vary of necessities. One key facet that has grow to be central to Awfis’ model is the power of its community. This community has now grow to be the model’s biggest asset, and it’s been the focus of Awfis’ model communication technique over the previous two years. It is not nearly offering workspace; it is about facilitating connections, collaborations, and entry to sources, all nicely inside India Inc’s attain throughout cities.
Who is the target market and what is the advertising and marketing technique?
Marketing serves as the bedrock of Awfis’ model identification institution and reinforcement, using a diversified method throughout digital and conventional media, social platforms, and occasions. The target market varies considerably for various merchandise inside our firm’s portfolio. When it involves our mobility options, we’ve adopted a direct-to-consumer (D2C) method. In this method, we make use of a number of methods which have confirmed efficient for D2C manufacturers. Firstly, we prioritise constructing a powerful on-line model presence by way of social media and content material advertising and marketing, which permits us to immediately have interaction with potential prospects.
Additionally, we leverage influencer collaborations as a method of increasing our attain and connecting with a broader viewers. This method allows us to achieve a broad client base and domesticate model loyalty. Conversely, for our different merchandise, we primarily have interaction in business-to-business (B2B) advertising and marketing. This method entails shut collaboration with our purchasers, permitting us to realize helpful insights into their distinctive necessities and preferences. Our direct entry to them means we are able to intently observe their each day actions, together with how they spend 8-10 hours every day, their dietary preferences, likes and dislikes, and the particular areas they utilise. Over time, we’ve developed detailed person personas and buyer journey maps to tailor our methods. We’ve additionally categorised varied approaches for lead technology and lead nurturing.
This focused method permits us to successfully join with our B2B purchasers, assembly their distinctive necessities. Beyond this, it takes on the accountability of spotlighting Awfis’ worth proposition, successfully conveying benefits like workspace flexibility, modern options, and group engagement. We’ve applied an in-house buyer relationship administration (CRM) system and a buyer satisfaction (CSAT) platform, which successfully streamlines communication and allows personalised interactions. This consists of processes like reserving, fee, dealing with service requests, and extra. Moreover, the insights gleaned from these programs supply helpful suggestions that constantly aids in the enhancement of our communication methods. Our entry to purchasers and their suggestions performs a pivotal position in shaping communication methods that resonate with our B2B viewers and yield vital outcomes.
What are the advertising and marketing campaigns/ actions undertaken by Awfis this yr?
Marketing performs a pivotal position for Awfis as the largest coworking community throughout 17 cities. Serving as a bridge between Awfis and its target market, it facilitates efficient communication, enhances model visibility, and fosters sturdy buyer engagement. This significance is mirrored in its position as the conduit for conveying the model’s essence and choices to a various clientele. This yr, Awfis has applied a spread of selling campaigns and actions designed to spice up its model presence and buyer engagement. These efforts have been significantly centered on electronic mail and WhatsApp advertising and marketing inside the mobility sector by way of automated messages confirming their requirement to driving conversion by way of unique reductions and one-time offers and at last capturing suggestions of their expertise, we rigorously craft the full communication cycle of each person. Here’s a breakdown of the key initiatives:
Brand Awareness Through Influencer Engagement: Collaborations with our group have helped construct a stronger connection between us and our purchasers. Awfis has taken a strategic method to extend model consciousness by collaborating with each micro-influencers and well-known influencers like Aiyyo Shraddha. These influencers promote the model and assist showcase our house with none overt branding.
Product Videos and Promotions: To educate potential prospects and construct consciousness not solely about the model but additionally about its particular product choices, Awfis has been actively creating product movies. These movies cowl a spread of subjects, from design and construct elements to managed places of work and day move choices. In the future, it helps construct model desire, elevates transaction worth by way of repeat purchases, upselling, and cross-selling, and has the potential to show prospects into model advocates.
Establishing Thought Leadership: Thought management is a important part of Awfis’ advertising and marketing technique, which incorporates webinars, panel discussions, and the publication of stories. Awfis was in the distinctive place to drive significant conversations between all the totally different stakeholders – from the occupiers to the IPCs, the builders, and the staff. We’ve established a complete content material platform that gathers insights from main CRE specialists, curates articles and developments in the world of labor, and showcases podcasts and interviews with {industry} specialists, together with Founders and CXOs from our group. Our analysis retains a finger on the native and regional pulse of the CRE {industry}, greedy the finer particulars of occupier and end-user preferences. The stories we publish then function an {industry} information for crafting recent office methods. Some of the stories we’ve revealed in the previous, each in collaboration and standalone embody: JLL &Awfis Flex Your Workspace Report, Colliers &Awfis Workplace & Flexibility Report, Workspace Survey Report.
Performance Marketing and CRM Enhancement: In addition to those main initiatives, Awfis has ongoing efficiency advertising and marketing actions. However, the firm’s focus on enhancing its CRM has been significantly impactful. By analysing totally different buyer cohorts (1-10 Seats, 10-25, 50-100, 100+ Seats: 200+ seats) and understanding their conversion lifecycle, Awfis can deploy automated interventions at the proper moments. Furthermore, there have been modifications in remarketing methods, leading to improved conversion charges, diminished advertising and marketing prices, and extra environment friendly buyer acquisition.
How is Awfis leveraging digital media to draw potential prospects and retain current ones?
In our method to buyer acquisition, we’ve embraced a predominantly digital technique. We’ve established a seamless collaboration between our in-house regional gross sales group and the central advertising and marketing group to successfully construct a strong gross sales pipeline and nurture it by way of varied channels, together with social media, electronic mail, and WhatsApp advertising and marketing. Our focus on retention is not simply an afterthought; it’s an integral a part of our technique. We perceive the significance of partaking with our current buyer base to make sure their continued satisfaction and loyalty.
Furthermore, we don’t view model advertising and marketing and efficiency advertising and marketing in isolation. Instead, we see them as interconnected parts that complement one another. By guaranteeing that our branding efforts align with our efficiency advertising and marketing targets, we create a cohesive and constant buyer expertise. As considered one of the pioneers in the Indian coworking {industry}, our robust website positioning presence is a testomony to our first-mover benefit and the in depth community we have constructed. This has been additional bolstered by our content material portal, which not solely enhances our on-line visibility but additionally serves as a helpful useful resource for our viewers. Our built-in method to digital buyer acquisition, retention, and the synergy between model and efficiency advertising and marketing has been instrumental in sustaining Awfis’ place as a pacesetter in the coworking {industry} in India.
What are the strategic partnerships and collaborations of Awfis?
Awfis was in the distinctive place to drive significant conversations between all the totally different stakeholders – from the occupiers to the IPCs, the builders, and the finish customers (the staff). From a developer’s perspective, Awfis has established robust partnerships and collaborations with a few of the high manufacturers throughout totally different areas, in addition to with nationwide gamers like Prestige and Nyati. These collaborations prolong past conventional actual property relationships and embody a broad spectrum of {industry} sectors. Awfis has additionally joined forces with industry-leading property consultants and advisors, comparable to JLL, Colliers, and extra not too long ago, Savills, to provide insightful stories and analysis, which additional enhances its place as a thought chief in the coworking and actual property house. In addition to those actual estate-focused collaborations, Awfis has solid a number of partnerships with a wide selection of FMCG, F&B, electronics, enterprise, D2C, journey, and e-commerce manufacturers. These collaborations are usually not solely mutually useful but additionally enrich the expertise for Awfis’ vibrant group of dynamic people throughout India.
Brands partnering with Awfis achieve entry to a captive and numerous viewers, permitting them to supply unique offers and affords that resonate with this engaged group. Furthermore, Awfis has prolonged its attain to incorporate aggregators and monetary establishments like MasterCard and ICICI Bank for its mobility merchandise. These collaborations in the monetary and mobility sectors present added worth to prospects and strengthen Awfis’ general service providing. At Awfis, we’re enablers of the conversations individuals have and need to have, of issues that matter to each working particular person and in the course of construct or redefine an inclusive workspace of the future.
What are the methods employed to reinforce buyer engagement and retention?
Customer engagement holds a central and intrinsic position inside Awfis’ operational ethos. This dedication to buyer satisfaction is evident by way of a well-rounded method that includes a number of key parts. We actively monitor and gauge buyer satisfaction with month-to-month Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) assessments performed at the middle stage. This allows us to realize granular insights into the distinctive wants and preferences of our purchasers. Our central advertising and marketing group collaborates intently with native middle groups to curate a various array of engagement actions. These actions span the spectrum, starting from seasonal and festive celebrations to knowledge-sharing occasions and networking alternatives.
This holistic method ensures that our group members not solely discover a productive work atmosphere but additionally a vibrant and supportive group that enhances their general expertise. Awfis additional harnesses know-how with its “Expiry 90” engine, which boasts a formidable 80% accuracy fee in predicting buyer renewals. This predictive mannequin empowers us to proactively tackle potential points and guarantee the seamless continuation of our companies. Additionally, to facilitate buyer suggestions and difficulty decision, we keep a ticketing system that streamlines the course of and enforces well timed decision turnaround occasions. This system underscores our dedication to resolving any considerations promptly and effectively.
At the floor stage, we place a powerful emphasis on constructing and nurturing relationships. This method recognises that real, in-person interactions are important in cultivating lasting connections with our prospects. This customer-centric focus, from data-driven predictions to personalised engagement efforts, displays Awfis’ dedication to making sure the highest ranges of buyer satisfaction and underscores the core of our buyer engagement technique.
What are its enlargement plans and future outlook?
Awfis is dedicated to ongoing product innovation to deal with the altering wants of the modern workforce – from fastened seats, and government cabins to upgraded bodily areas and modern workspace designs. Furthermore, the firm will improve its technological infrastructure to create important instruments that assist mobility and foster a hybrid work atmosphere. Over the subsequent yr, the prevailing developments will nonetheless revolve round group and collaboration in the workspace and Awfis will proceed to keep up its pivotal position in facilitating discussions on the future of labor.
Could you are taking us by way of your journey to date?
In its 8-year journey since inception, Awfis, India’s largest homegrown coworking house supplier, has undergone a transformative evolution marked by exceptional achievements. From its basis, Awfis has been a trailblazer in shaping the Indian coworking landscape, introducing a paradigm that resonated with professionals, startups, and companies by recognising the demand for versatile options. Over time, it has advanced right into a complete workspace options platform, catering to numerous work wants, together with work-from-home and work-near-home setups. The firm’s expansive development, beginning with 5,800 desks throughout 20 facilities in July 2015 and now providing 88,000 seats throughout 150 facilities in 17 cities, displays its deep understanding of micro markets and the complexities of the Indian business actual property ecosystem. Achieving profitability inside three years of inception underscores Awfis’ strategic foresight and monetary sustainability, whereas constant year-on-year income development speaks to its efficient enterprise mannequin capturing a considerable share of the dynamic coworking market.
Awfis’ dedication to innovation shines by way of its numerous product portfolio, together with tailor-made choices like Awfis Enterprise Solutions, Flex Products, and Remote Working Solutions. The distinctive Managed Aggregation mannequin, partnering with house house owners to function coworking areas, showcases adaptability and capital effectivity. Awfis stays devoted to its mission of offering modern options that cater to evolving wants. This journey epitomizes resilience, adaptability, and unwavering dedication to excellence, positioning Awfis as a distinguished participant in India’s dynamic workspace options landscape.
As a lady chief, what are the challenges you confronted on the manner and how did you overcome them?
I’ve been lucky to not personally encounter gender-based differential remedy, which, for my part, displays the numerous vary of experiences in the company world. The problem was to transcend my self-doubts and limitations to achieve my targets. My journey is considered one of studying to construct on my inherent qualities and cope with conditions with empathy, humour, and embrace the uniqueness of every particular person. I firmly imagine that efficient management goes past becoming right into a stereotype or position mannequin of who a pacesetter, a lady, or a lady chief must be and as an alternative focuses on qualities that contribute to a optimistic work atmosphere. Diversity ought to prolong past gender and age, encompassing varied persona varieties in order that we create a welcoming house the place everybody might be their genuine selves.
How was the yr 2023 for Awfis?
The present yr is certainly a exceptional turning level for Awfis. The widespread adoption of versatile work preparations displays our dedication to staying forward of {industry} developments and assembly the evolving wants of our workforce. Winning prestigious awards, comparable to the ‘Great Place to Work’ and a spot in the ‘Top 50 for Women’, is a testomony to our dedication to creating an inclusive and supportive office for all. Our meticulously deliberate community enlargement has unfolded efficiently, guaranteeing we’re well-prepared to fulfill the calls for of the future. Our sturdy gross sales and demand pipelines are a testomony to the laborious work and dedication of our group, showcasing our robust market presence. Most importantly, our shopper’s satisfaction is a mirrored image of our dedication to delivering distinctive service, and this alignment between shopper and firm happiness is a robust indicator of our continued success. We’re pleased with our achievements and stay up for constructing on this momentum as we transfer ahead.
https://www.adgully.com/sheetal-vanwari-on-how-awfis-is-shaping-the-indian-coworking-landscape-139271.html
