Moving from one residence to another’s disruptive enough, but a business relocation can cost you thousands of dollars in downtime.
What’s more, it can cause undue uncertainty and stress among your employees.
Fortunately, you can avoid the expense and the stress associated with office moving by following these simple tips.
Planning Your Business Relocation
It’s imperative to announce the impending move to your employees as soon as you can. That way, you can enlist their help as soon as possible.
Work with key employees to create a moving committee and put together a detailed plan to orchestrate your move with as little disruption as possible.
Give each committee member a to-do list for your business move.
Plan to complete your office move in one business day or less. Often, it’s better to move on a weekend to limit your downtime.
Set Up a Moving Budget
Get in touch with local moving companies as soon as possible so you can figure out how much you need to set aside for their services.
Try to identify any areas where you can cut your budget. For instance, buying your own packing materials can save you a few dollars.
Remember, you might have to ask your employees to work a little overtime on the day, so budget for this expense too. You should also set aside some funds for refreshments on the day.
Allocate some money in your budget for unexpected expenses.
Preparing Your New Premises
You can speed up the process of moving your business by preparing your new offices beforehand. Take your IT team along to visit the new building so they can take care of any extra cabling needs in advance.
If you’re planning to get rid of your old office equipment after you move, arrange for the new ones to arrive early, so you can install them before the move.
Make arrangements to dispose of old equipment responsibly afterward. E-waste is responsible for two-thirds of heavy metals in landfills.
Use a floor plan of your new building to work out exactly where you want to position all your furniture and equipment. That way you can direct the movers to place them correctly on arrival.
Pack as many non-essential items before the time and move them over to the new building.
Completing the Paperwork
It makes sense to get your lease agreement, utilities, phone service, and internet sorted out as soon as you can.
You should notify your customers and suppliers that you’re moving your business a least a month in advance. Don’t forget to print updated business cards, letterheads, and invoices with your new address either.
How to Handle Moving Day
You’ll need all hands on deck on the big day. It’s best to leave some of your employees in place to answer the phones and deal with any urgent issues.
Everyone else should help setting up the new office. If everything goes according to plan, your operations should be back to normal within a few days.
Hire the Best Movers in Town
Getting a team of reputable movers onboard is the first step toward business relocation without undue stress and expense.
When you’re looking for movers in London Ontario, we’ve got you covered with a range of convenient services. Get in touch to request a free quote today.