If you are moving business premises, whether it is across town or even across the country, you need to do a lot of preparation. You need to make sure that you take care of your clients and you also need to look after your team as well. This is easier said than done when you have so much going on, but there are a few things that you can do to make the whole process easier on yourself.

Budget

The first thing that you need to think about is how much your relocation is going to cost. When you move offices, the cost can build up fast and it’s very easy to overshoot your budget. If you have a project manager, then there is a high chance that they will be responsible for the budget, so work with them to make sure that you are being realistic. When you have set your budget, it is important to make sure that you stick to it. This is because you may have to transport specialist equipment, or even art and chemicals. As if that wasn’t enough, you may also face timing limitations. If you want to make your move successful, then it is important that you work out the full cost of your move before you even start. This will help you to avoid misjudging any sizable costs and it will also help you to feel confident in the decisions that you make.

Interior Solutions

Depending on the state of your workspace, it may be that you need to refurbish it. Ideally you

need to hire someone who is able to offer you a turnkey solution while also meeting your timeline requirements too. If you can go to a company with a clear idea of what you need, then they should be able to take complete control over your design and office concept. They should also be able to help you to delegate any other jobs that need doing too, so it is important that you keep this in mind. By working with an office fitout company, you can also maximise the office space that you have. This is ideal if you are growing quickly or if you need to move to another location. Construction labour hire doesn’t have to be expensive either, and when you find someone who you can trust then there is no reason why you can’t use them for everything you need from that point on. This will save you time and money!

Communication

Think about it, who needs to know that you are moving? Effective communication is essential if you are relocating. You need to have a strategy in place so that you can help spread the word about your move. There are many ways that you can tell your customers about this, and even your suppliers too. The method that you use will largely depend on the type of business you own. For example, you can send out an email, put a notification on your site or even add a PS message to your emails. This will help you to tell everyone who needs to know, and it will also help you to keep everyone in the loop too. The success of a relocation project usually comes down to the soft elements of the move. You need to keep your team on your side and you also need to relieve any anxiety that they might have. Listen to their concerns and try and address them as much as possible. Your service providers also need to know as well, so that they can help you with the move and so that you can have your services re-setup as soon as possible. Some service providers will require a formal notice period, so make sure that you give them this and that you are respectable at all times.

Furniture

When it comes to your office furniture, it is not unreasonable at all to think that you have a few choices. You may be able to take the furniture that you have right now to your new location or you may want to replace it with brand new furniture. Either way, you need to work out which option is best for you. It is more than possible for you to re-upholster your existing furniture so that you can make it as good as new. You can also completely transform your office design by doing this too. This whole process can be entirely beneficial as it is not wasteful at all and it is way cheaper. Your integrated service provider will always be happy to discuss the options that are available to you and they may even be able to help you to get the whole project turned around faster too, so it is never worth discounting their services.

Computers

Think about it, how are you going to relocate all of your IT, electrical equipment and servers? Are you going to upgrade by the time you move in? When you consider relocating your data and equipment, there really is no shortage of things that you need to consider. Your computers and your data points are critical to your business and you need to take the right steps to make sure

that they are well protected at every stage of the process.

Desktop

Each of your colleague’s setups will be entirely unique. This will be the case in terms of configuration and even in screen equipment too. Before you move, you have to make sure that you take note of which computer belongs to which employee and you also need to help them set up their new office too. There is a chance that your network infrastructure will be very complicated, and they may even contain sensitive data too. For this reason you have to make sure that they are secure and that you use engineers who are CTC cleared so that they can work with you to get the whole job done.

Data Centres

Servers that host any kind of critical data really do need to be relocated properly. You also need

to keep downtime to a minimum as well. Migrations need to be secure and they need to be seamless. This will help you to relocate and it will also help you to avoid breakages or failures. If you do have a breakage then you will understand how expensive this can be and it may even compromise your entire move as well, so take the time to use specialist packaging and also do everything you can to stop any static build-up.

Leased Equipment

Some of your equipment may require approval from the vendor. This needs to be done before you can risk moving it. If you have some specialist equipment then there is a chance that the vendor will insist on moving it themselves. They may even require you to follow a moving process that has been completely approved by them. Either way, this will all be listed in your contract documentation so you need to keep that in mind.

Telephones

It is so important that you allow enough time to make sure that all of your phone systems and even your internet connections are live from the day you move into your new office. It doesn’t matter whether you are opting to go with a new provider or whether you are staying with the same one because you need to make sure that your connectivity isn’t lost in transition. Any problems need to be dealt with from the day you move in and you also need to make sure that you put in the effort to hire someone to handle the wiring.

Old Furniture

Relocating offices is a fantastic way for you to declutter. It gives you the chance to sort through some old files and it also gives you the opportunity to get rid of some old furniture. If you have some IT equipment that you don’t need then you can throw all of that out as well. There is absolutely no point in you spending a small fortune on moving anything that you have no intentions of using, and if you are not careful then you may end up with a cluttered office space too. Sure, disposing of items can be expensive and if you have unwanted furniture such as IT or electricals then you might be able to sell them. If you choose to use a sustainable clearance provider, then they may be able to help you out as well. Donation is also an option, so think about someone who is in need or someone who could use a couple of desks. If you want to get the best result out of this then you need to advertise your furniture a couple of weeks before you are due to move out. When you do, you can then give people the chance to sort everything out and you can also avoid paying a ton of fees.

So, there are many things that you can do to make your office move easier, and by taking the above points into account you can be sure to save money too.