Running a business is no easy feat with managing clients and employees, marketing, providing services and products, and when you need to move premises, it can seem like a daunting task on top of everything else to do.
Here at Macro Removals Bristol, we can help you to alleviate your stress and help prepare you for office relocation with ease.
Planning
When to Move
First and foremost is selecting a date that will cause the least interruption to your business. Consider moving on a weekend if your business operates Monday to Friday but if that’s not possible, choose a day when meetings are not scheduled.
If your work calendar is filled until moving day, consider allowing some days to conduct the office relocation. Start with moving a portion of your workforce on the first day and the remaining items and employees on the second day. This can be stretched out to more days if required to reduce the impact on the business. It’s a tried and tested method that we have implemented on several occasions. If you want to know more about moving/ immigrating, you can find relevant information at uk-immigration.lawyer.
DIY Move
If you only have a few computers and small pieces of office furniture to move, you can keep down costs by moving yourself. Try to avoid making multiple trips in a car if your office is located in an urban area with poor access and parking. It will take a long time and after all, time is money. Consider hiring a van to get it done quickly in a single trip.
Get The Professionals
Moving heavy filing cabinets, large desks, tables and office chairs should be done by an experienced office removals company. Search online with keywords and phrases such as ‘Office Removals [your location]’ and you should find plenty of suitable options. Don’t forget to compare the reviews to ensure you’re hiring a professional company and not some cheap cowboys who’ll most likely damage your office equipment and furniture.
Declutter
Use this opportunity to get rid of redundant items. Office relocation isn’t cheap and paying a removal company to move stuff you don’t use is a waste of money and effort. Many charities or other businesses will be happy to take it for free or maybe you can make some money by selling on Gumtree or Social Media sites. Give yourself plenty of time to do this and be ruthless! If you haven’t used that monitor or office chair in the past 6 months, there’s a 99% chance you won’t use it again.
Preparation
Floorplan
Save time on moving day by designing a basic floorplan of the new office. Highlight where the desks, filing cabinets and tables are to be placed and give the floorplan to the removal company. By doing this, they’ll know exactly where everything goes and there’s no need to supervise them leaving you to get on with running the business. Remember, you don’t need to produce a professional CAD floorplan, sketch it out on a few A4 pieces of paper and that will work.
Update Contact Information
Within a week or two before you relocate, update the addresses on the business cards, letterheads, website, online directories and anything else that contains the business address. Inform HMRC, service providers and most importantly, your clients and customers. Perhaps dedicate an afternoon to complete this task or delegate the job to an employee.
Reserve Parking
Tell the building managers of the current and new offices when you’re intending to move and they’ll prepare a location close to the entrance for the removal vehicles. If you forget to do this and the offices are in a busy area with restricted parking, the time it takes to complete the move will increase significantly.
Packing
Packing Materials
If you’re self-packing, pre-order the packing materials at least a week in advance before you intend to pack. It can take a long time to pack carefully to ensure the office equipment doesn’t break in transit. Get plenty of boxes, bubble wrap, packing paper and tape. If you’ve booked a removal company but chose to self-pack, they usually provide packing materials with delivery and collection included. If you didn’t, simply rent plastic moving boxes as a faster and cheaper solution to make your next move less stressful a wasteful.
Environment
Some removal companies don’t offer packing materials and if this is the case for your move, it’s important to source eco-friendly packing materials such as recycled boxes and packing paper to reduce the carbon footprint of the relocation. Local supermarkets and shops give them away for free and ask other businesses within the office building.
Dismantling
DIY movers will need to dismantle the desks and tables so make sure you’ve got the correct tools for the job. You’ll probably need a selection of Allen Keys, Philip Head screwdrivers and ratchets. Some hardware stores can hire you these tools to save money.
Moving Day
Damages
Get the damage inventory of the old and new offices and check it thoroughly. Getting billed for scrapes and knocks not of your fault is an unwelcome surprise and these costs can be avoided.
Check Equipment
Test your electrical equipment (computers, phones etc..) after arriving at your new office. If anything has been broken or damaged during the move, it can take time for new equipment to be ordered and you’ll no doubt want everything working as soon as possible.
Delegation
Delegate an organised member of staff to oversee the relocation who will liaise with the removal company. You don’t want to miss out on potential new customers and clients who might go somewhere else if you can answer the phone.
Start Early
A rule of thumb with any removals job is to start early in the morning and give yourself plenty of time to complete the job. Removal companies, like us, insist on beginning a job between 7-8am which allows for a ‘buffer-time’ in case any unfortunate events occur such as not being able to park in the designated area or a few items of furniture need to be unexpectedly dismantled and assembled.
Snacks
Food is fuel for the body and moving boxes and furniture burns through calories very quickly. Stock up on healthy snacks to keep energy levels high throughout the day.
As mentioned before, office relocation can seem like a daunting task but we hope this blog has provided you with enough information to ensure your move goes smoothly. From planning a suitable date for the move to taking an inventory at your new office, just break it down into bite-size manageable chunks and you’ll be fine.