Moving premises can be highly disruptive if you do not plan properly. It is important to plan the move so you can resume work with minimum stress and no time lost.
Mark Richardson, Partner at BB&J Commercial said, “after undergoing a premises move ourselves, we thought we would share some tips that we picked up along the way that should help you too”.
- Plan in Advance – Give yourself plenty of time and ensure you choose a quieter period to avoid major disruptions.
- Create a Small Move Team – Appoint a nominated move co-ordinator who oversees delegating specific tasks to other team members.
- Create a Business-as-Usual Team – This ensures that you maintain customer service and key operations during the move.
- Involve a Removal Contractor from an Early Stage – Make sure you confirm exactly what they need to do and perhaps check if they have the appropriate insurance.
- Arrange a Specialist to Assist with the Move – You may need this when relocating and reconfiguring IT and telecom systems (and any other complicated equipment).
- Progress and Complete Legal Transactions – This is to dispose of the old premises, make any reparations and acquire the new premises.
- Communication – Make sure to give suppliers, clients and other contacts notice in advance of your change in address, this can also be used as a marketing opportunity.
- Update – Make sure you have updated your marketing materials such as business cards. Do not forget to update your website, social medias, and Google business information.
- Bills – Do not forget to arrange to transfer and terminate services and utilities at your old property, including phone lines and broadband. Make sure to redirect mail and phone calls to your new premises too.
- Insurance – Make sure to notify your insurers of the move, to ensure continuity of cover.
- Plan for Your New Property – Be prepared to create a detailed plan of the new property. Perhaps you will arrange alterations, cabling or even decorations to be installed.
- Label Everything – Make sure that when you are moving property that you label everything that needs to be moved, showing where they will go in the new premises. At the same time, you could clear out and dispose of any clutter.
- Do Not Forget Your Employees – Make sure that you involve, consult and update employees throughout the moving phase. Consider how the relocation may affect them and what their contractual rights are.
- Back Ups – Make sure you keep a back up of your IT systems and a copy of the contact details for suppliers, customers, and employees in case of any problems when getting the systems back up and running.
Did these tips help? Let us know via our social media channels:
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/bb&j/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bbjcommercial/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/BBJCOMMERCIAL
