As the owner or director of a business looking to relocate, everything eventually falls on your shoulders to ensure a smooth transition. There is much to do and more often than not, a limited timeframe in which to get everything done. If you are tasked with relocating your base of operations, these tips should help to ensure the smoothest relocation possible.
1. Start Early!
Most often, companies relocate because they need lesser or greater space from which to operate. The moment you know that a move is imminent, it’s time to start preparing. Consult with removal teams as soon as possible, once you’ve decided on a new location, so that you can book their services well enough in advance. Also, they will have pointers on what you could, or should, be doing to make the transition much less stressful.
2. Create a Workable Budget
Sometimes it’s hard to set a budget unless you know what you are looking at in terms of cost. For example, unless you contact one or more removal companies, you probably have no clue how much that will cost. You may want to appoint a team to begin setting a budget because as there is so much to consider, it might be an insurmountable task for a single person.
3. Company Wide Transparency Is a Must
The one thing you want to avoid is unrest in the ranks. At the earliest opportunity, meet with department heads to apprise them of the imminent move and from there you can make a company-wide announcement. If you’ve met with department heads and team leaders in advance, they will be well-prepared to answer any questions their teams may have.
4. Work Closely with Your IT Department
One of the biggest obstacles you’ll encounter in the move is to establish a continuous operation. Nothing irks customers more than not being able to communicate with you or to get their products or services timely. Always work closely with your IT team and also the IT relocationspecialists who will ensure continuous operations throughout.
5. Inventory Everything Prior to Relocating
Another huge problem can result if you don’t know exactly what you have in terms of operational equipment and product inventory. In order to stay on top of day to day operations as well as customer orders, it’s imperative that you take stock of literally everything under your roof.
6. Be Ready for the Unexpected
If there is one thing you can be sure of, it will be that some issue arises that you hadn’t planned for. Although you’ve done your best to plan for everything, something will undoubtedly crop up that you hadn’t foreseen. From the removal team being a day late with the lorries to the new place of operation still not quite ready for entry, something may cause a bump in the road that you weren’t expecting. If you expect the unexpected, you can deal with anything with a lot less stress.
It isn’t going to be easy moving to a new location, but you can make the relocation process much less stressful if you prepare in advance and have everyone on board with the move. These six tips should make the whole process easier, but remember, something will always come up, so don’t despair. Stick to the plan and all will be well.
