Virtual workspace platforms like Kosy are incredibly easy to use, but like any technology, having a clear plan and following best practices will ensure you are getting the most out of the platform. We’ve put together this step-by-step guide to set you up for success and create a true collaborative workspace out of your virtual office!

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1. Define How You Want to Use Your Virtual Workspace 

Every virtual workspace looks slightly different, depending on your work model and your team’s preferences. Teams that clearly define a cadence upfront and commit to working together within the platform simultaneously each week get the most value out of Kosy. 

As you define how you want your teams to use your Kosy virtual office, consider some of these common approaches: 

• Work together in the virtual space every day using the platform for all interactions, including scheduled meetings, casual chats, and quickly get a hold of one another. 
• Get together in the virtual space setting a few times a week for social activities and meetings like weekly huddles or daily standups.
• Find a cadence somewhere in between. For example, some of our customers will define virtual “work from home day(s)” and fully use the platform a few days a week. 

It’s also a great idea to start small and build over time to find the right balance for your team. For example, start by working together within the platform 1-2 afternoons per week for the first two weeks. Observe how your team reacts, and then ramp up. We’ve seen many teams organically evolve from 1 afternoon each week to spending their full working days collaborating on the Kosy platform!

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2. Define The Optimal Structure of Your Workspace

Once you’ve defined how and when your teams will use Kosy, it’s time to lay out the structure to help your teams work and collaborate most effectively within the platform. Kosy allows you to create a clear structure with dedicated rooms for each function. 

For example, there could be a room for a specific department (HR) or a room for a geographical region (like an America or EMEA team). Many companies also create coworking rooms where anyone can pop in and work throughout the day. These rooms are not assigned to specific teams or departments.

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Work & Collaborate

Within each room, tables are where Kosy interactions happen. When you chat with someone, it happens at a table. Typically, we see one table for each team that acts as their home base.

Tables can range from 2 people to 10 people, and a given room can contain many different tables - it’s up to you and your team’s needs! 

Keep in mind that the rooms and tables in the Kosy platform can be rearranged at any time, at the click of a button. You can easily test out a configuration for a few weeks or a quarter at a time and make adjustments as needed. 

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Socialise 

Besides coworking and collaboration spaces, the structure of your virtual office should include space to socialize. That’s because the most effective and productive teams socialize and regularly interact outside of structured work activities. 

To encourage casual chats and drop-ins, we recommend adding at least a few tables in a social break room to recreate the experience of chatting with colleagues in a coffee lounge or cafeteria in the physical office. Creating these spaces will encourage people to move from their typical team table and engage with others throughout the company that they might not normally work with.

You can create your workspace directly here. It takes less than 1 minute.

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3. Invite Colleagues to Join 

Finally, once your virtual workspace is configured, you can add users individually using the “add users” link. We also create a unique office link [yourcompanyname.kosy.online] that you can share with the company. Users can then request access directly within the platform. 

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4. Set the Tone for Your Virtual Workspace 

To get to a strong start, here are a few things we have seen work best:

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Send meeting invites / replace calendar links

‍You can copy-paste the meeting link of the relevant table you wish to hold the meeting and copy the link for sharing. You can do so for your daily stand-ups, product concept meetings, and any other work session you want! You can also just create new meetings directly in Kosy.

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Welcome your teammates

‍Send a welcome and intentions on Slack or email, giving people details about Kosy, how it is expected to be used, instructions to log in, and way to provide feedback.

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Set your profile image

‍When everyone connects for the first time, tell them to go set up their avatar & title in the profile

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Download the desktop app

In order to make it a habit for people to log in, download the desktop app. It will automatically open on startup. Alternatively, you can ask your teammates to bookmark your space link so they can access the office easily.

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How Can a Virtual Workspace Help? 

The virtual workspace can help recreate the day-to-day interactions that distributed teams miss when they do not share a physical space. Set the tone for your office to help users feel more connected and comfortable using the platform to engage with one another organically.

We’re invested in the success of your virtual of workspace. We would love to hop on a quick call and tell you about the best practices we've seen across the various companies using Kosy: get started for free!