6 Key Things to Consider When Moving Offices.

Moving into a new office is an exciting time for any business but for those tasked with managing the relocation, it can be a very stressful undertaking. If you are responsible for any kind of office relocation, it’s vital that disruption is minimised and that new facilities meet the current and future needs of your company.

Depending on the size of your organisation it usually falls to an individual person or a small team to lead the relocation and to organise, manage and procure every aspect of the move with great detail, yet as seamlessly as possible.

To ensure you avoid the costliest mistakes of a relocation project, we’ve put together seven essential things you need to consider to successfully manage an office relocation project:

1. Budget - How much is your relocation project going to cost?

When moving offices, the costs can very quickly accumulate. Budgets can be easily overshot simply due to delays, oversights, and issues arising unexpectedly. The project manager will likely be responsible for managing this budget which could include costs such as interior design and new equipment – but usually exclude legal and property fees.

Sticking to your budget can hard as hidden costs can emerge from things you may not have thought of, here are some common items that many budgets overlook:

· Have you considered the cost of dilapidations or reinstating the office you are vacating?

· Do you have any leased or specialist equipment that requires special handling?

· Are there any access or timing limitations that will impact the cost of your relocation?

· Company stationary, promotional material etc. will need to be updated with new contact details.

It’s important that you can ascertain the full costs of your office relocation before you begin. Sizeable costs can be misjudged – or missed entirely – just because you haven’t experienced a move before. You may find it beneficial to discuss your move with an experienced workspace change company who may be able to shed light on the full costs of your move!

2. Communication - Who needs to know that you are moving?

Effective communication is essential to the success of a relocation project and it’s important to have a strategy in place to spread the word of your move. There are many ways you can tell customers, suppliers, landlords and other contacts including:

· Distribute flyers or change of address cards with customer receipts and invoices

· Send out an email or postal campaign

· Place a notification on your website

· Add a P.S. message to your emails

· Social media posts

Don’t forget to update the address on your Google listing, office stationery, website and email footers.

Frequently, the success of a relocation project is reliant upon the ‘soft’ elements of a move. Keeping employees on your side and in the loop is an important part of relieving any anxiety associated with moving office. Listening to their concerns will also help you address some of the problems associated with moving and ensure that you’ve covered every base.

Make your service providers aware of your move as early as possible in the relocation project. You may have to serve notice periods on some of these, so reviewing your contracts and researching how to notify them formally is necessary.

3. Interior Solutions and Office Design - How should you design your new office space?

Depending on the current condition of your new workspace, it may require substantial refurbishment or just updating. Either way, it is advisable that you find an office fit-out company that will provide you with the interior solutions you need – ideally, a company that provides a turnkey solution whilst delivering in terms of timeline, a high standard of finish and within your budget.

If you can approach a company with a clear idea of your constraints and needs that fit-out company should be able to take full control of the design and concept of your office – should you want to delegate this responsibility. This will help you reduce your workload and any stress, as they will manage your interior from concept to handover whilst keeping you in the loop at every step of the journey.

Maximising your office space may also be a key objective for you, particularly if your company is growing quickly or moving to a slightly tighter new location. This is where the services of a space planner can come in handy. Speak to your relocation company, as they may be able to assist with the common issues that come with space planning and if they also provide refurbishment services then you can benefit from having to manage fewer contractors and simplifying the service integration element of the move.

4. IT, Data, Computers and Connections - How will you relocate your electrical equipment and IT, or will you take the opportunity of the move to upgrade to new IT kit?

When considering relocating IT equipment, there’s no shortage of points that you need to consider. As they’re critical to the running of most modern businesses, it’s essential you take special steps to care for this equipment.

Desktops

Each of your colleagues’ setups will be unique, both in terms of configurations and screen equipment. Before moving, you will need to audit equipment setups to recommission equipment ready for use in your new office. Once these have been very carefully moved, they then need to be recommissioned and connected to sometimes complex network infrastructures.

Data Centres & Servers

Servers that host business-critical data need to be very carefully and safely relocated with downtime reduced to an absolute minimum. Migrations need to be seamless, secure, and optimally scheduled to minimise downtime. Breakages, failure, or stolen data can be hugely expensive. It’s important that equipment is monitored in transportation and moved using specialist packaging to keep it safe and prevent static build-up.

Leased Equipment

For some of your equipment, you may need to request approval from your vendor before you can even move it or risk breaking warranty or service cover agreements. For some specialist equipment, the vendors themselves may insist upon moving it or if you are responsible for moving the leased equipment yourself, the vendor may require you to follow an approved moving process. Your obligations when relocating leased equipment should be detailed in your contract documentation.

Telephones and Internet Connections

You will need to allow plenty of time to ensure phone systems and internet connections are live from the first day in your new office. Whether you use a new service provider or are staying with your existing one, you need to make sure connectivity isn’t lost in the transition between offices. Make sure you are in a position to identify, diagnose and fix problems before the moving day.

If you are moving within the area covered by your existing telephone exchange, you will be able to keep your existing telephone number. If you have a 0800 or 0845 number you can take them wherever you move in the UK. If you have to change your number, it is possible to have your old number redirected to your new one at an additional cost.

5. Old Equipment and Unwanted Furniture - What will you do with your unwanted furniture or IT equipment?

Relocating offices is a great opportunity to declutter, sort old files and get rid of redundant furniture and legacy IT equipment. There’s little point spending time/budget on moving anything you are not going to use. Yet, disposing of these items can prove expensive. If you have unwanted furniture, IT or electrical equipment, there are easy ways you can responsibly and sustainably clear these items, saving you disposal costs and preventing waste. If you choose to use a sustainable clearance provider, then they can donate office furniture, IT, and electrical equipment or even resell items that you no longer need. If items cannot be reused effectively secure recycling will still make sure costs are reduced.

6. Office Relocate Plan - Have you got the resources you need to pull off a seamless move?

Whether you are working with an integrated office moving service provider or simply an office fit out company, having a structured moving plan is critical to ensure as little disruption to business as possible.

Integrated services providers will provide you with the knowledge, expertise, and resources you need to ensure the move is carried out to high standards. Additionally, they will provide support before, during, and after your move, therefore providing the support you need to minimise disruptions. This can include providing packing and unpacking services to help ensure everything is transferred safely to the correct location, furniture dismantling, and reassembly.

Once you’ve completed the move with as little disruption as possible, take the time to celebrate with a move-in party for staff and clients!