Office relocations can be dreadful if not planned properly. Poor planning can result in unwanted downtime to your office’s operation. To prevent this from happening our expert move team has compiled the best office moving tips that will help you avoid unwanted downtime.
Create an Office Relocation Action Plan
The success of your move is only possible with a detailed office relocation action plan.
A moving plan is the key to moving a business with minimal downtime. Outline everything that needs to be accomplished before your set moving date. A basic office move checklist should include these following steps:
- Creating a moving budget
- Assembling an office move team
- Hiring a professional office moving company
- Notifying IT
- Creating a new office floor plan
- Purchasing, disposing, recycling or donating unused office furniture & equipment
- Notifying all clients, vendors, service providers and suppliers
- Moving in and resuming office operations
Create your action plan tailored to your own business operations. Don’t forget to include time lines for when things should be accomplished. Additional tasks should be added along with the basics. The more detailed you are with your plan, the higher the chances are for minimizing the threat of potential downtime.
Things to Consider When Moving Offices
Planning for Contingencies
Most of the time, not everything will go perfectly as planned. Knowing that contingencies are bound to occur at some point in your moving process will better prepare you for handling the circumstance.
The more common contingency that occurs with most office relocations is when you begin noticing broken and damaged items when planning the move. Repairing them is not possible during transit, so set aside a budget specifically for when you need to replace anything and don’t bother moving the old items.
Another helpful tip is to plan your move intelligently. Schedule your move around client meetings and try to refrain from starting big projects during your moving period. It is also important to let your customers know in advance of your move, so they are not surprised that your location has changed.
Rules & Guidelines for Moving Out
Most office complexes and business parks have certain guidelines and rules for moving out. Typical guidelines and rules have required timeframes and set dates for when you can conduct your office move. Have your move manager review your new and current contract to see if there are certain procedures you need to follow.
If you are uncertain or unclear about any rules or guidelines, contact your building manager.
Labeling Office Items Properly
Communication is critical in any big move and labeling plays a significant role in a successful communications plan. Proper labeling will help you stay organized once you arrive at your new office space. If done correctly, your new office location will replicate the same office experience your employees have at your current location.
Properly label all desks, servers, IT equipment and other office supplies so that when moving day comes you will know exactly where everything needs to go.
Schedule the Office Relocation During Off-Peak
The surest way to avoid downtime is by capitalizing ON downtime. Plan your office move when your business is least active. If there is a seasonality to your industry schedule your move when you are the least busy. If you don’t typically have a slow season, consider scheduling your move on weekends or evenings.
Let Expert Movers Do It For You
When you hire experts, you won’t have to ask yourself how to organize an office move. There is a reason why moving is its own industry. They have:
- The experience handling complex projects.
- The necessary moving equipment and tools.
- The required experts for every job.
A clear example of why you should have an expert moving company is your IT department. If you don’t have the skills for transferring electronic and IT equipment, you could end up experiencing downtime for days or even weeks.
Hiring a professional mover will ensure that none of your IT equipment will be damaged. This will also ensure that everything will be dropped off and installed in time prior to completing your move.
How to Find the Best Office Movers
Ideally, you want a mover that will guide you through your entire planning process including setting a budget and scheduling a time frame. Plus, there are other factors that go into choosing the right one.
When relocating your business, you may sometimes be at risk of trade secrets spilling out about your move. You want a professional mover who will help you maintain information security and protocol irrespective of the disruption.
So, conduct your own research on office moving companies in the Sacramento area. Choose a mover that is fully licensed and insured and can offer you complete office relocation services. When in doubt, ask the right questions!
In the end, you can have seamless moving services that will guarantee your business minimal disruption. It often takes some time before you adjust to your new surroundings, but when you hire the right moving company, the whole process will feel just like a minor bump.
