04 Nov 2016
This can be a huge task and if planned incorrectly can lead to downtime, which will be expensive to your business. For this reason, many offices choose to move on the weekend, but then this eats into your personal time.
Business relocation doesn’t have to be such a huge hassle when you properly plan your move. We have some top tips that can help make your business move run smoothly.
Give notice
Moving is a huge change to the way that the business functions and you should give plenty of notice to your staff. Similarly, it is a good idea to let clients and customers know in advance that you will be moving. This means that, should you encounter any problems with the move, people will be aware of what is happening and be more understanding.
Try to give as much notice as possible and be sure to send reminders and updates as you get closer to the moving date. This will give staff time to prepare for the move, such as planning new routes to work.
Budget in advance
Moving to a new premises always costs money and in all likelihood, your office move won't be cheap. It’s important that you are realistic and budget in advance to make sure that you are financially prepared for the move. This means taking all of the added costs that can come with a move into consideration, such as agent fees and leases.
It’s not just a change in rent costs and overheads that you have to factor in, as you'll have to budget for any downtime incurred when you or your staff are disrupted from everyday work. It will also take some time to adjust, so factor in how your staff will adapt. The companies that try to save money by cutting corners are often the ones facing problems further down the line.
Keep a schedule
You will need to devise a schedule to keep track of completed and outstanding tasks before, during and after the move. By planning in advance, you can keep on track of all the finer details of the move and readily adapt should you find yourself deviating from your original schedule. Otherwise, you can easily lose track of important aspects of the move.
With a structured time frame to work from, you can fix problems as they occur and minimise delays. You should also write up an inventory of all the items that you are planning on taking with you to the new premises. Make sure to update your schedule as you go to keep on top of things. 
Pre-move surveys, auditing and move management are all essential services that our Business Relocation team offer to keep your relocation on track.
Smaller details
It’s important that you consider the smaller details and how each will affect your staff and business as a whole. It is often the smaller details that get forgotten and cause you problems during or even after the move, so it’s worth dealing with these in advance. One example of this is parking and considering whether you will have enough spaces for staff at your new premises. Another is how you are going to relocate your employees personal affects and desk items without mixing them up.
As part of our crate-free service, we offer tagged Locker Bags for staff to securely place their personal items in and ensure they do not get lost on transit. These are re-usable and sustainable.
Other details that often get missed include considerations about office security and alarms for the building, whether you have suitable Wi-Fi access for your business and even the right number of toilets for staff and visitors. Preparing your teams with information on onsite facilities, local shops, etc. can help things run smoothly.
Hire help
Many companies try and manage as much of the move as they can in house. But if you've not had experience of office moves before, you can end up seeing your resources stretched, leading to a lot of stress, delays and a host of other things going wrong. By hiring professional, experienced help, you can ensure that all aspects of the move are covered.
Professionally-trained porters are essential for undertaking fast and efficient moves and churn services between internal office spaces or handling archives and crates.
Most removals companies will offer flexible services that range from transporting your equipment from A to B to complete relocation management where every aspect is handled by them.
If you’re looking for a business removals company to get your move underway, Bishop’s Move can offer the perfect solution for your business needs. We have decades of experience helping businesses move location locally, nationally and internationally. We can even offer ancillary services such as long and short term storage, to make sure that we have all aspects covered, no matter how big or small the move.
Contact our Business Removals team about your relocation today - 03300 585100
