Moving your business to a new location can be a real nuisance. It takes a great deal of time and effort to pack up your offices, move everything to your new premises, and get everything set up as quickly as possible. It not only costs a lot of money to undergo this process, but it will also cause significant disruption to your staff and business operations.
There are several reasons why a business might want to move to a new location. Perhaps you are expanding and need a larger office to accommodate your growing staff and infrastructure. Or maybe you need to be closer to your big clients or target audience. Whatever the reason, a commercial move can be a headache and you want to make it as seamless as possible.
To help you make the move and get your business back up and running right away, here are seven top tips for moving your commercial premises.
Make a plan
Your office relocation doesn’t start on moving day. It begins the moment you decide to change to a new premises. You should be making a moving plan well in advance, so you can avoid leaving things until the last minute and having to deal with unexpected problems on the day. Create a moving schedule that itemizes all the key milestones in your move and allows you to spread out the task over several weeks to make it more manageable. If you have access to your new offices early on, this makes life a whole lot easier as you can break down the move into bite-sized chunks, gradually shifting your equipment and furniture to the new location. Your plan will help to keep you focused and motivated on making the switch.
Set a budget
Moving can be expensive. There are all kinds of costs to factor in, including removal companies, packing equipment, and any new furniture and supplies you’ll need to get started. And that’s not to mention the loss of profit that can come with all this disruption. To help you minimize your losses, it’s a good idea to set a budget for the move. This will enable you to keep track of all related expenses and make sure you are not spending too much. Work out a figure that your business can reasonably spend on the move and try to keep as far below this number as you can. Of course there may be unexpected expenses that arise, but the budget will help you to avoid major financial loss.
Declutter
If you have been in your current office for a long time, it has undoubtedly accumulated a great deal of clutter. There is no point transferring all this extraneous junk to your new office, so this is an excellent opportunity to have a spring clean. Go through your entire premises and get rid of anything you no longer need, whether it’s ancient files, broken furniture, or outdated equipment. You can either sell it, donate it to charity, or simply take it to the nearest rubbish tip. This decluttering will be a hugely satisfying process and will give you a blank slate from which to start afresh. When you make the move to your new offices, you will only have to find a place for essential items, and you’ll have a whole lot more space to work with.
Let people know
When you’ve moved to a new address, will your clients and customers be able to find you? Make sure you let all relevant people know about your move well in advance. Make them aware of the moving date, your new contact details, and any other pertinent information they might need to know. If you’re moving a long way across the country, make sure you get set up with new local phone numbers right away, or consider transferring your existing number for consistency. It’s important to plan this step early, as you don’t want important mail to be sent to your old offices after you’ve moved.
Hire a reliable moving company
No matter the size of your business, you will need to hire a moving company to help you relocate. The firm will be able to help you pack your equipment, transport it to your new office, and unpack upon arrival. Although it may be possible for you to do this yourself, hiring a moving company will drastically reduce the associated stress and difficulty of the move. Make you hire a removal firm that is reliable and trustworthy. Check online reviews before you go ahead, and contact multiple companies for quotes.
Enlist your staff
One great way to make the move a whole lot easier is by enlisting your workforce to help. Use a working day to get things shifted over to the new office, and you can ask your team to help transfer equipment in their own vehicles or help to deal with tasks like painting walls, building furniture, or loading and unloading the removal truck. This will help to speed up the process significantly, thereby minimizing cost and disruption. It will also provide a welcome break from the day-to-day routine and an opportunity for your staff to bond and work together as a team.
Look at logistics
It can take some time to get used to working in a new office. But you want your staff to be able to start work as soon as possible while minimizing any loss of productivity. Make sure you are ahead of the game when it comes to the logistics of your new office, and let your team know this information well in advance. For example, they will want to know about the parking situation, how to get to the new office via public transport, the process for entering and exiting the building, the wifi password, local amenities, and so on. Don’t make them figure this out for themselves. Instead, send it round in a detailed email well before the move.
By following these steps, you can make your transition as seamless and pain-free as possible. Good luck with your commercial relocation!