Moving is never an easy feat, but some planning and investment can smooth the transition and keep your employees happy and stress free. Working with a project manager from Key Methods can assist you with these options and save you time and money.
Key points
- Delegation, planning and clear communication are critical elements of a successful move.
- We recommend at least 4–6 weeks of advanced planning to ensure you have the resources in place to plan the move, explore options and map out your new floor plan.
- Moving to a new location is an opportunity to assess and possibly upgrade your technology to better suit your business.
Developing a plan
- Appoint a person responsible for all phases of the move, as well as one department coordinator for each department.
- Designate someone (or multiple people) to pack and unpack workstations.
- Prepare for the unexpected: develop contingency plans to ensure business continuity.
- Create backups of all important data and store it off site in case your network is accidentally damaged.
Setting the stage
- Determine the number of employees moving.
- Make a list of all the equipment in your office, who it is assigned to, where it will go in your new office, and when it needs to be installed.
- Contact the phone company to reserve new phone numbers or transfer existing ones.
- If you need to install custom wiring or other computer cabling in your new space, make sure that is handled before moving.
- Some other areas to consider are: ISP change or move; telco assistance if needed; server room breakdown and setup.
- Contact your insurance company or broker to verify that your equipment will be covered through the move.
Assessing existing infrastructure
- Review your phone system. Does it have the functionality and scalability you need to ensure long-term productivity? Many businesses use moving as an opportunity to switch to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system.
- Review your computer network and backup system. Consult with your current provider or a separate IT consultant early in the relocation process to determine if it makes sense to upgrade. We are encouraging businesses to move their networks to the cloud to reduce hardware concerns, increase accessibility and reduce costs. A virtual server eliminates moving parts that can be damaged and cause costly onsite repairs.
- Review your hardware. Is your fleet of workstations, printers and other hardware ready for retirement? It may not make sense to haul over a lot of old hardware that could be damaged or further depreciated through a bumpy move.
- Review your Internet service. Now may be the time to upgrade, especially if you're still using dial-up service. Consider upgrading to a high-speed broadband connection.
Spreading the word
- Inform customers, partners, vendors and key suppliers of your move well in advance.
- Put news of the move on your invoices, so that payments don't get lost in the shuffle.
- Create a professional change-of-address announcement to send out to your entire mailing list. (It's a great time to reconnect with your customers and prospects!)
- Update your website, email footers and signatures, and social media profiles to reflect your new address (as well as stationery and business collateral).
Bonus tip
- Announcing your move can and should be a marketing event! Don't waste an opportunity to highlight the great advantages that your clients will see because of your new location, i.e. a bigger space, a more convenient location, an expanded product line, enhanced services and/or more personnel.
Contact us
Key Methods, LLC
Ph: 509.663.7000 or 206.395.7006
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.keymethods.com