7 Ways To Minimise Downtime When Your Business Moves To A New Location

7 Ways To Minimise Downtime When Your Business Moves To A New Location

One of the questions removalists get asked a lot by businesses whenever they are hired for an office relocation is, "How do we minimize downtime?". This is an understandable concern for a company given that its entire office staff and facilities will be moving, and whilst that is occurring, its operations will inevitably be disrupted.

The answers given by removalists will differ depending on the type of business involved, the specifics of the move, the distance between locations, and the types of equipment being moved. However, some general principles should be followed and from them, here are seven ways businesses can minimize downtime when moving their office's location.                   

Start Planning As Soon As Possible

To minimize downtime, you should start planning for your office relocation immediately after the decision to move has been made, even if you have not yet chosen the new location. The earlier you start planning and making contingencies, the greater the chance there is a smooth and uneventful move that will go a long way to reducing downtime.

Employ Professional Removalists

After the new location has been agreed upon, start looking for removalists as early as possible. Checking their credentials, such as reviews, will point you in the right direction towards a professional, reliable office removalist company. Once you hire them, they can offer much advice to make the move easier. Downtime is minimized by choosing the optimal time and date and having the removalist pack as much as possible rather than staff.

Plan And Coordinate A Downtime Mitigation Strategy

This additional planning will be beneficial as it focuses specifically on how you can reduce and mitigate any downtime. Start by discussing this with your removalists, plus you should also confer with those who work within your business for their ideas and suggestions. Any outside agencies affecting the downtime should also be consulted as part of this planning.

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7 Tips From Removalists For A Stress-Free Office Relocation

It is safe to say that there are very few businesses that are involved in office relocations every day, unless, of course, that business is removalists who specialise in office relocations. The reason we make this point is to highlight the fact that, when a business owner decides on and then has to plan for an office relocation for their business, it is not something that they will have much experience of.

This brings us back to affordable removalists who we recommend should be the first people a business owner contacts the moment they make the decision that they wish to relocate their business to new offices. The reason we say that is that removalists have all the knowledge and experience you could ever wish for when it comes to office relocations. As such they will be invaluable in helping yours go smoothly.

Notwithstanding, there are many things that business owners can do too to help ensure their office relocation is a success rather than a disaster. To further that aim, below we have highlighted seven tips from experienced removalists that can further aid the cause of you having a stress-free office relocation.

Office Relocation Tip #1 - Start Planning Early And Thoroughly

We have this tip first because it is probably the one that is most important and also most likely to help you have a stress-free and successful office relocation. Start planning the minute you decide you are relocating your office and make sure your plan covers every aspect of the move, even including arranging for refreshments for everyone helping on the day.

Office Relocation Tip #2 - Involve Your Employees In The Entire Process

There is nothing to be gained by you taking on the responsibility for every single aspect of your office relocation. You should first seek the buy-in of your employees by highlighting the benefits of the office relocation to them. Then, request that as many of them as possible help to make it a success by delegating specific tasks related to organising your office relocation.

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How Your Employees Can Make The Difference With A Office Relocation

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If you are thinking about relocating your business’s office, several people can help ensure it goes to plan. There is yourself, of course, especially if you plan it properly. There are third parties related to your business, such as utility companies, commercial lawyers and so on, plus the all-important office removalists who are essential for a stress-free move.

A group of people who are every bit as important are the ones you see every day, and they are your employees. If, as a business owner, you realise that your employees can play a positive role in your office relocation and act upon that realisation, your move to new premises should be a huge success before, during and after it takes place. Let us look at how you can make that happen.

Start With Openness And Honesty

Being open and honest with employees is something which you should be in all circumstances. However, it is even more important when it is an office relocation that is in the pipeline. You should discuss the relocation from the outset, stating why you think it should happen, and ideally, those reasons should be positive.

Outline what your plans are, and also do not be afraid to highlight some of the negatives that could occur, such as temporary disruption to the business, and your employees having to seek alternative ways to travel to the new office.

Move Office Electronics

What Is the Best Way to Move Office Electronics?

There are a lot of things to think about if you’re planning to relocate your office. Although most businesses will work with a professional removal company - and you should too - it’s still a good idea to make sure you understand at least a little about the moving process.

One of the most important things to work out is how you’re going to move your electronics. If you run a large business with multiple computers, printers and other electronic equipment, it can be a nightmare to figure out how to best move everything.

In the rest of this article, we’ve drawn on our professional knowledge to outline some of the most important things to know about moving office electronics.

Ensure Things Are Packed Properly

It’s extremely important to make sure that you pack your computers and other electronic equipment properly, otherwise, it could be damaged during the move.

  • Keep cables and wires separate and properly organised to prevent them from tangling and getting mixed up. Consider either packing different types of cables in separate boxes or packing cables with the relevant equipment.
  • Make sure you use plenty of padding around things like computers, printers and other devices. If possible, use the original boxes.

Once you’ve packed electronic equipment into a box and taped it up, give it a little shake. If things move, you will need to add more padding to prevent damage in transit.

What To Pack First When Moving Office

What To Pack First When Moving Office

When moving, you do not wish to shut down operations altogether. You want services to be running as long as possible. The order in which you pack and how you pack determines how long you can keep operations running when you are on the move.

Below is the order in which you should pack when moving offices:

Remove the wall decor.
Wall decors are essential because they give life to the room, adding warmth and making it more appealing. They also tell a story about your company and what it represents. They include paintings, pictures, wall clocks, awards, and posters. You could request the office relocation staff to be extra careful, especially if the décor is expensive or you emotionally attach to some items.

Organize the files and books.
Although most files are stored in computers, manual files are used primarily for record-keeping. Organize all the files and books and pack them in a box. Do not forget to label the boxes to make unpacking easy and save time.

Pack the desk content.
The next thing is the desk content. These could be personal items like family or spouse pictures, flower vases, or your 'stress' candy, among other items. Packing your desk content can be an emotional process. It will probably remind you of when you first started working and all the memories. Take your time and put all this in a box. Don't forget to state if the package is fragile.

Move your computer and other gadgets.
Computers are among the last things to park. Ensure that all the data is backed up in case of anything. You do not want to lose data that could be very important and sensitive. After that, you can shut down everything, let the mover wrap, and safely put them away.