10 Tips for Relocating
You’ve finally made the decision to move your business to the other side of town where customers are more likely to find you. Now, comes a time where you have to think about relocating your entire business to your new location. Here are ten tips that will help to ensure that your move goes smoothly from start to finish.
Start Planning Much Sooner Than You Think Necessary
We can’t stress this piece of advice enough. You should always start your planning of the relocation as early as possible. Don’t just wait until the week before and just plan to wing it. That’s a surefire way to have massive confusion and lost items. Instead, start early to formulate a gameplan of who will be in charge of what areas of the move.
Have A Designated Manager For The Move
While you know from the step above that you’ll be divvying up the move to various staff members, you should still have one person named as the designated move manager. They will be the person that checks in with the other moving representatives to ensure that they’re moving efficiently throughout their planning and execution of tasks. This manager will be the one person that people can go to with questions regarding the move.
Schedule Your Movers Early
Most office relocations are done by hiring a moving company. You’ll need to think about the various types of items that you have which will need to be moved. Really think down to the bare bones of the business. You’ll need to move everything including your storage racks. You can typically hire the manufacturer of these parts like STOR’D Storage to relocate the shelving items. This way, their labors do all the breaking down of components, loading, unloading, and new installation. For other common items like furniture, you can settle for a traditional moving company to assist you. Just get all your movers booked early so there’s no rushing around at the last minute trying to find movers who aren’t booked.
Have Employees Pack Up Their Own Items
You should supply boxes for all your employees to pack up their individual items. While they won’t need to transport them to the new office, they can handle the packing. This way, you don’t have to worry about movers mixing up people’s belongings.
Color Code Boxes For Different Departments
One very easy strategy that you should employ during your relocation is assigning a color to each department. For example, accounting may be red and IT may be blue. Each department will be expected to either have that color box or that color tape on the box so the movers know where to unload the box at your new location.
Enact Address Changes Early
When you move, you’re going to need to update everyone about your new address. Many places will require you to fill out a change of address card and submit it. As far as your business items go, you should have orders placed for new business cards, envelopes, return labels, and letterheads. This way, your staff can start using them as soon as you get to your new location.
Scour Your Old Location For Throw-Away Items
Over time your business develops lots of equipment. As you purchase new technology, some of this equipment can go obsolete. This obsolete equipment has a way of making a new home in a dark corner or an unused room. Go through your business location and assess if you have any of these obsolete items that can be thrown out prior to the move.
Move In Sections
One of the best ways to make the transition to your new location easier is to move in sections. Start by moving the stuff that your staff doesn’t need on a day to day basis. Then, work on moving furniture in places like meeting rooms and break rooms where other arrangements can be made for a few days while the move is happening. Save the essentials to be the last part of the move.
Get Your Employees Involved
The thought of having to move all the office stuff to a new location can be overwhelming at first. Employees may be at a loss of what to do during the move. You should curb this problem by getting them involved in the process from the very start. Assign individual tasks and inform them of the various steps that will be going on throughout the move. The more informed your employees are, the more likely they are to contribute positively to the move.
Put Staff In Charge Of Informing Customers
You need to let your customers know that you’re moving to a new location. Put a staff member or multiple in charge of informing customers. They should be sending out information letters well before the move and updating your website to keep the public informed of the relocation.
Relocating your business can be a big undertaking. You want to ensure that it goes as smooth as possible and you thrive at your new location. The above 10 tips will be sure to help ensure you have a great move that isn’t too taxing on your company and its employees.
