Moving business premises is always risky but, sometimes, you don’t have much choice. Whether your business has outgrown your current premises, or a landlord has requested you vacate your old property, a quick and efficient move is the best thing that you can hope for.
Obviously, there are some pretty simple things you can do to ensure this, including making proper arrangements for the big day. Often, though, the overall success of your move, and your ability to maintain your existing customer base, will come down to the crucial steps you take in the month or so leading up to moving day.
In this article, we’re going to consider just a few of the most crucial things to consider during this time.
Clear Your Clutter
Clearing out all of your office junk will likely be one of the most time-consuming things you’ll need to do. Luckily, you can sort most of this stuff well in advance of your move itself. At least a month before your moving date, get started on things like clearing out old paperwork or getting rid of inefficient or faulty equipment that would be a waste of energy to take.
To keep your business reputation intact, make sure that you’re always getting rid of things in the best ways, be that through a local recycling centre for old electronics, a scrap metal recycling company, or your local landfill site. When getting rid of paperwork, in particular, be careful to protect customer confidentiality at all times by using a shredder, and taking everything directly to the recycling centre yourself.
Take Steps to Continue Operations
Making sure that you can continue operations with no gaps is crucial for the success of your business move, and this is something that you need to arrange at least a month in advance. Predominantly, you’ll want to take this time to ensure not only that you’re cancelling all of your old bills and services according to your moving date, but that you also arrange in advance for everything your business needs in your new premises. In particular, this will include a phone line, a working internet connection, and property insurance.
Amend Your Materials
There’s always a risk of losing your existing customer base when you move premises, and a simple relocation card in your old office window won’t always be enough to avoid that. Instead, make sure that you bring as many customers with you as possible by amending your materials well in advance. Changing the address on all of your marketing materials, and things like your office stationery means that you can start using these updated pieces as soon as you’re in your new place. And, that can help way more customers to find you quickly, without even necessarily noticing the move!
A business’ physical premises might hold less weight than it used to in this digital age, but moving can still be a risky business. Play it safe by putting these plans in place at least a month before the big day.
