Whether your current location isn’t drumming up enough business or your business is expanding, you may find that you need to relocate at some point. Moving can be problematic, and you’ll need to do it in a way that causes minimal disruption to the flow of your business. To help you, here are seven tips for relocating your business.
Update Your Details
You need to let everyone know that you’re moving ahead of time. Tell your employees about the move at least four months in advance and give your clients and suppliers a minimum of one month’s notice. Update your phone number and address on your website, letterheads, and business cards. You should also update your social media, change the contact details on your email signatures, and send out an email newsletter and a press release to let your clients know that dates the office will be closed and when the new premises will open. You should also update your postal service so that all of your deliveries will be redirected to your new business premises.
Backup Your Data
Data loss is a blow to any business and with hard drives being jostled around during the move, you never know if one or two will fail. Your IT team should be responsible for backing things up, so make sure it’s all sorted before the move and that they have everything set back up at the new location.
Make a Plan
Relocating your business is a laborious process, and everything needs to be organised for the move. Create a checklist of all the items that are being moved and plan out where they are going to go in the new building so you can tell the movers where to put things. Having a list and preparing for the relocation in advance will prevent any mix ups and will ensure the move goes as smoothly as possible.
Hire Professional Movers
Once your employees have cleared their desks and have taken their personal items home, it’s time to start clearing out the office. Only hire experienced movers to transport your furniture and equipment. Office equipment is expensive, and you don’t want to have to worry about repairing or replacing anything that gets damaged. Hiring professional movers is also essential if you have to transport any valuable or fragile stock or merchandise. The movers can help you dismantle furniture, pack things up, and load everything onto the van(s), ensuring that everything is transported safely and securely. They can also help you to unload everything and unpack them in the new building.
If there’s anything you’d rather pack yourself, such as important documents and files, be sure to do it before the movers arrive and clearly label the boxes. If you’re still not convinced you should hire professional movers, taken some time to learn more about the ones in your area.
Clean Everything
Before the movers arrive, clean everything. Bin or donate anything you aren’t taking with you and leave the old premises as it was when you first arrived.
Wipe down all of your furniture, stationary, and equipment so everything is clean and disinfected when it arrives at the new building. If the building you’re moving into hasn’t already been cleaned, hire some professional cleaners before everything arrives. Your employees are sure to complain if they come to work and the new place is messy and dirty.
Use This Opportunity to Make Upgrades
Moving to a new business premises is a great opportunity to make a few upgrades. If the furniture from your previous office is worn and old, you should consider getting new desks and chairs. You can also get new equipment, such as computer monitors, PCs, printers, and photocopiers, so that everything is modern and up-to-date update. Some new equipment my save you money in the long run and be more energy-efficient than the older models.
If the layout of the old building wasn’t working for you and your employees, use the move to improve the layout. Try moving things around so that it is set up in a way that encourages productivity and efficiency.
Set Up the Utilities
Get the premises up and running before your employees show up for their first day of work in the new building. If your utilities aren’t included in the rent, then you’ll need to sort the water, gas, and electricity, and make sure the landline and broadband are set up. If this is the first time you’ve relocated your business, you should learn more about how to make the new building a better working environment for your employees. Getting these things sorted out straight away will minimise the disruption to your business and will ensure your employees will be able to get back to work as soon as possible.
Image Credits: Max Vakhtbovych
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