Office re-location can be a daunting subject and involves lots of logistical planning for it to be successful. However, where companies begin to grow, an office move may be necessary.
Although a necessity, an office move does not come without its stressful aspects especially when it comes to moving all your IT equipment. Nowadays, sensitive information such as client details and project information are all stored on company laptops or desktops, and the operations of many businesses are centred around technology too. This means it is vital to get your tech up and running as quickly as possible, so these aspects of the business are not stalled.
In this blog post we are going to give you six quick tips on how to make moving your tech as smooth and seamless as possible during your office relocation.
Having your internet and phone connections already set up, prior to your move might sound basic and extremely obvious, but it can be an aspect of the moving process that is overlooked and taken for granted. Especially where we always have internet readily available to us nowadays.
Once a move in date to your new premises is confirmed, schedule your Wi-Fi and phone installation at least one or two days beforehand. The benefit of organising this prior to your office move is that it will give you plenty of time to resolve any connection issues that you might initially encounter, which can help to avoid any disturbance when normal working resumes.
Over the years, we are all guilty of putting unused items in the back of a cupboard and forgetting about them, especially when it comes to our old technology. Whether it’s wires that you think might be useful for something later in life, or a laptop that you’re not quite sure how to dispose of, it all starts to substantially build up over time.
When moving to a new office, it is impractical to bring outdated technology with you that will serve no future purpose, especially if none of it is compatible with the current technology you are using. Before you begin packing up all your equipment, sort through everything you have and dispose or donate the equipment that you do not want to use anymore.
When it comes to unpacking your office after the relocation, a complete de-clutter will help you to save space in your new office and leave you with a clear mind to begin working in a new environment. Further, this also will help you to save a significant amount of time during the process of unpacking, as you will have only moved essential items you need, that will now be easy to find.
When it comes to the actual day of your office move, make sure you know exactly where all your tech and IT equipment is stored, and how it is being transported to your new office space.
It is essential that this is organised prior to the move and monitored throughout to ensure nothing is lost in the process of your office relocation, and normal working can resume as quickly as possible.
If the situation arises where some of your equipment is lost in your relocation, this prior organisation will mean that you can retrace its journey and establish where it may have been lost or potentially moved.
Before moving any of your tech equipment, it is recommended that all your important data is backed up either onto the cloud or some sort of external drive.
Where all your equipment is being moved, sometimes at a rapid pace, there will always be a slight risk that a system may reboot or unexpectedly shut down in the process. As such, you may want to consider backing your data up over a continuous period prior to your move, to ensure all your most recent work is saved so it will be accessible when you are settled.
Ultimately, during your office relocation there will be a period of downtime where you will likely not be contactable for prospective customers and existing clients. Before moving make sure your existing clients are aware of your move, so they know not to contact you during this time or provide them with a personal contact number where they can get in touch if necessary. Additionally, make sure all staff create an ‘out-of-office’ email for any incoming emails.
This will ensure that positive client relationships are maintained as there is no risk of existing clients feeling ignored, and further means that potential prospects cannot be missed.
Finally, when moving into your new office space, it could be beneficial to have a look at its layout and plan the placement of your technology accordingly to where electrical outlets can be found and where the best connection is.
Doing this prior to your move will allow you to better optimise your office layout for maximum efficiency and to minimise any technical issues during your first few days of working there. In turn, this will help staff to better migrate into new working premises, as they can seamlessly continue with their work without the stress of reorganising their personal set-up.
Based upon these brief quick tips, the central idea surrounding a successful office re-location is planning. If you want to have a seamless re-location to your new office premises, planning every aspect of your move will allow the move to be as organised as possible, and allow you to resume normal working as quickly as possible.
Here at Building Interiors, one of our specialties is office space planning and design. If you would like to discuss how we can help with your office re-location, get in touch with us today!