I have worked in shared/open-plan offices for almost 20 years and owned/operated a co-working space for the last few years. I prefer a more social office, so it suits me. Productivity is one thing, but I'm here for hours each day and I want to enjoy it. I have lifelong friends that have arisen from shared offices and would be very hesitant about working in a private room every day of the week.

I work in a small business environment, so having complementary businesses around me is useful, but also insightful - I've learned a lot from copywriters, graphic designers, marketers, etc.

At our coworking space, we fend off the types of tenants likely to be making a lot of sales calls, and most calls are made outside of the main space. I think it works pretty well.