There are many important aspects to consider when moving your company to another office or business premises, so careful planning and employing experienced and reliable commercial movers is paramount in ensuring that the business suffers minimal disruption during the office relocation.
In this article, we will look at some of the important factors to consider and things to look for in selecting a moving company so that relocating an office can be undertaken with minimal risk to the business.
Effective Planning for a Successful Office Relocation
A cursory look around most offices will soon reveal the complexities involved in moving to other premises. It isn’t just the staff and office furniture that need to be relocated but it is likely to be the hidden aspects of an office such as IT cabling, telephone systems and internet connections that can cause issues during a move.
The many dependencies in moving premises mean that creating an effective plan is a crucial step. The plan shouldn’t just cover the packing up of the original office but should also ensure that the new premises are ready to move into with all IT and telephone infrastructure operational before the move.
Staff Delegation
Depending on the size of your company or the number of staff in a particular office that is to be relocated, it makes sense to assign the overall responsibility for the move to one person who acts as the project manager and has the power to delegate tasks to individual staff members and third party companies such as the moving company and any specialist IT or telecoms companies involved.
Each member of staff should be responsible for packing up their own workspace, ensuring that all documents are filed correctly and that all their belongings are ready to be transported to their new workspace in the new office.
A more senior member of staff must also be tasked with ensuring that utility companies have been informed of the move and that the new premises have been provisioned with electricity, water and heating and air conditioning prior to the move.
Professional moving companies will assign a single point of contact who will manage all the moving company resources and work with your removal project manager to help create an effective moving plan thus ensuring that the office move goes as smoothly as possible. A good removal company, such as these commercial movers in Sarasota, will use their experience to advise on potential issues and will have contacts with tried and tested third party companies such as specialist IT technology companies.
Equipment Inventories
It isn’t just the plethora of laptops and computer screens that need to be accounted for and packed up. It is the many leads, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners that also need to be considered and delivered to the correct workspace in the new office. Whilst ensuring that each staff member is responsible for their own IT equipment, a thorough inventory should be undertaken during the preparation stages of the move.
This inventory should be highly detailed so that each piece of equipment and lead should be accounted for so that the working environment is ready for staff to settle into their new office with minimal impact on the operation and cyber security of the business.
Payment and Order Processing Systems
Whilst many businesses implement their office move during a weekend, depending on the nature of their business they may also be receiving orders and processing payments during the pack up period, soon after the move to the new premises and even whilst the move is being undertaken.
This is where a merchant payment services company such as https://www.northamericanbancard.com/ can be of major assistance as they allow customers to pay in a number of ways such as over the phone, online or by mobile devices. Being able to accept payments and process orders effectively during an office move plays an important role in minimising the business impact of the relocation.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that moving offices can be fraught with risk, however by careful planning, effective change control and process management, a company can ensure that the relocation goes as smoothly as possible.
Care also should be taken in selecting a commercial moving company who will offer their expertise and experience to work with you to minimise disruption and ensure business continuity. The aim is to make the move as transparent to your customers and suppliers as possible, even though there are many dependencies and complexities to consider before, during and after the relocation.